Abstract
The vocal tract shape is crucial to voice production. Its lower part seems particularly relevant for voice timbre. This study analyzes the detailed morphology of parts of the epilaryngeal tube and the hypopharynx for the sustained German vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, and /u/ by thirteen male singer subjects who were at the beginning of their academic singing studies. Analysis was based on two different phonatory conditions: a natural, speech-like phonation and a singing phonation, like in classical singing. 3D models of the vocal tract were derived from magnetic resonance imaging and compared with long-term average spectrum analysis of audio recordings from the same subjects. Comparison of singing to the speech-like phonation, which served as reference, showed significant adjustments of the lower vocal tract: an average lowering of the larynx by 8 mm and an increase of the hypopharyngeal cross-sectional area (+ 21.9%) and volume (+ 16.8%). Changes in the analyzed epilaryngeal portion of the vocal tract were not significant. Consequently, lower larynx-to-hypopharynx area and volume ratios were found in singing compared to the speech-like phonation. All evaluated measures of the lower vocal tract varied significantly with vowel quality. Acoustically, an increase of high frequency energy in singing correlated with a wider hypopharyngeal area. The findings offer an explanation how classical male singers might succeed in producing a voice timbre with increased high frequency energy, creating a singer‘s formant cluster.
Highlights
Voice production involves the generation of a pulsating transglottal airflow which is filtered by the vocal tract (VT) resonator
This study investigated differences in the geometry of the lower VT between the two phonatory conditions speech-like and singing by means of high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for sustained vowels
An increase of high frequency energy in singing above 2 kHz correlated with a wider hypopharyngeal area
Summary
Voice production involves the generation of a pulsating transglottal airflow which is filtered by the vocal tract (VT) resonator. The shape of the vocal tract defines formant frequencies and the frequency response of the filter which, in turn, defines vowels, consonants and essential parts of voice timbre [1]. Lower Vocal Tract in Singing and Speech later perceived timbre of steady-state sounds as determined by the frequency spectrum [3]. In contrast in classical singing style the singer‘s formant cluster is a prominent timbre component of male voices. It is a a clustering of energy in the frequency range of 3 kHz, first observed by Bartholomew [4]
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