Voice quality in singing: An acoustic, electromyographic, and glottographic study

Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate contributions of the larynx and vocal tract to the production of different singing voice qualities. The subject, a trained singer, produced isolated phonations of the vowel /i/ on each of five frequencies (196, 294, 392, 587, and 784 Hz) in six qualities. In previous studies, the six qualities have been named Speech, Falsetto, Sob (lowered larynx), Twang (nasalized), Opera, and Belting. EMG electrodes were inserted into four supralaryngeal muscles: levator palatini, palatopharyngeus, middle constrictor, and geniohyoid. Electroglottographic and photoglottographic signals were recorded simultaneously with the EMG. For each quality, the activity in all muscles generally increased with frequency, although there were differences in pattern across qualities. For example, the geniohyoid was most active for Opera and Belting, presumably to enlarge the pharynx. There were consistent differences in the acoustic spectra among qualities at all but the highest frequency. Relationships among the spectral characteristics of the acoustic signal, the muscle activity patterns, and the glottographic signals will be discussed. [This work was supported by NIH Grants NS-13870 and NS-13617 to Haskins Laboratories.]