Vocal perfection in yodelling—pitch stabilities and transition times

Abstract

Background. Yodelling is a special kind of vocal performance in traditional music which consists of rapid and repeated changes in pitch. It is assumed that these pitch changes are accompanied by register changes. Material and methods. We analysed, using the laryngograph, yodelling on different vowels by four professional yodelling teachers (two male, two female), four professional classically trained singers, and four untrained voices. Results. Results reveal that pitch changes in yodelling are associated with decrease of electroglottograpgic (EGG) contact quotient for the upper pitch, indicating a register shift. Furthermore, in contrast to untrained voices, for the yodellers lower and upper pitches were more stable with respect to fundamental frequency and perturbation values, and the pitch transitions were faster.