| 1. |
- Björkner, Eva
(författare)
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Musical theater and opera singing - Why so different? : A study of subglottal pressure, voice source, and formant frequency characteristics
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 22:5, s. 533-540
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The considerable voice timbre differences between musical theater (MT) and western operatic singers are analyzed with respect to voice source and formant frequencies in five representatives of each singer group. Audio, subglottal pressure (P(sub)), and electroglottograph (EGG) signals were recorded while the subjects sang a sequence of [pae:] syllables starting at maximal vocal loudness and then gradually decreasing vocal loudness. The task was performed at each of two fundamental frequencies (F(0)), approximately one octave apart. Ten equally spaced P(sub) values were then selected for each F(0). The subsequent vowels were analyzed in terms of flow glottograms derived by inverse filtering the audio signal, which also yielded formant frequency data. Period time (T(0)), peak-to-peak pulse amplitude (U(p-t-p)), and maximum flow declination rate (MFDR) were measured from the flow glottograms while closed quotient Q(closed) (T(cl)/T(0)) was determined in combination with the differentiated EGG signal. Also the relationship between the first and the second harmonic in the spectrum (H(1)-H(2)), the amplitude quotient (AQ), that is, the ratio between U(p-t-p) and MFDR, and normalized AQ, that is, AQ normalized with respect to period time was calculated as well as the sound pressure level. The results showed that both the MT and the opera singers varied their P(sub) systematically, approximately doubling P(sub) for a doubling of F(0). For a given value of P(sub), the MT singers produced higher values of MFDR, U(p-t-p), and Q(closed), and lower values of H(1)-H(2), indicating a weaker fundamental. Further, the MT singers showed higher formant frequencies and did not show the opera singers' characteristic clustering of F(3), F(4), and F(5).
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| 2. |
- Björkner, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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Voice source differences between registers in female musical theater singers
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 20:2, s. 187-197
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Musical theater singing typically requires women to use two vocal registers. Our investigation considered voice source and subglottal pressure P-s characteristics of the speech pressure signal recorded for a sequence of /pae/ syllables sung at constant pitch and decreasing vocal loudness in each register by seven female musical theater singers. Ten equally spaced P-s values were selected, and the relationships between P-s and several parameters were examined; closed-quotient (Q(closed)), peak-to-peak pulse amplitude (Up-t-p), amplitude of the negative peak of the differentiated flow glottogram. ie, the maximum flow declination rate (MFDR), and the normalized amplitude quotient (NAQ) [Up-t-p/(TO*MFDR)], where TO is the fundamental period. P, was typically slightly higher in chest than in head register. As P, influences the measured glottogram parameters, these were also compared at an approximately identical P-s of 11 cm H2O. Results showed that for typical tokens, MFDR and Q(closed) were significantly greater, whereas Up-t-p and therefore NAQ were significantly lower in chest than in head.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Lamarche, Anick, et al.
(författare)
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An Exploration of Skin Acceleration Level as a Measureof Phonatory Function in Singing
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 22:1, s. 10-22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Summary: Two kinds of fluctuations are observed in phonetogram recordingsof singing. Sound pressure level (SPL) can vary due to vibrato and also due tothe effect of open and closed vowels. Since vowel variation is mostly a consequence of vocal tract modification and is not directly related to phonatory function, it could be helpful to suppress such variation when studying phonation. Skin acceleration level (SAL), measured at the jugular notch and on the sternum, might be less influenced by effects of the vocal tract. It is explored in this study as an alternative measure to SPL. Five female singers sang vowel series on selected pitches and in different tasks. Recorded data were used to investigate two null hypotheses: (1) SPL and SAL are equally influenced by vowel variation and (2) SPL and SAL are equally correlated to subglottal pressure (PS). Interestingly, the vowel variation effect was small in both SPL and SAL. Furthermore, in comparison to SPL, SAL correlated weakly to PS. SAL exhibited practically no dependence on fundamental frequency, rather, its major determinant was the musical dynamic. This results in a non-sloping, square-like phonetogram contour. These outcomes show that SAL potentially can facilitate phonetographic analysis of the singing voice.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Laukkanen, Anne-Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Throaty voice quality : Subglottal pressure, voice source, and formant characteristics
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 20:1, s. 25-37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- "Throaty" voice quality has been regarded by voice pedagogues as undesired and even harmful. This study attempts to identify acoustic and physiological correlates of this quality. One male and one female subject read a text habitually and with a throaty voice quality. Oral pressure during p-occlusion was measured as an estimate of subglottal pressure. Long-term average spectrum analysis described the average spectrum characteristics. Sixteen syllables, perceptually evaluated with regard to throaty quality by five experts, were selected for analysis. Formant frequencies and voice source characteristics were measured by means of inverse filtering, and the vocal tract shape of the throaty and normal versions of the vowels [a,u,i,ae] of the male subject were recorded by magnetic resonance imaging. From this material, area functions were derived and their resonance frequencies were determined. The throaty versions of these four vowels all showed a pharynx that was narrower than ill the habitually produced versions. To test the relevance of formant frequencies to perceived throaty quality, experts rated degree of throatiness in synthetic vowel samples, in which the measured formant frequency values of the subject were used. The main acoustic correlates of throatiness seemed to be all increase of F1, a decrease of F4, and in front vowels a decrease of F2, which presumably results from a narrowing of the pharynx. In the male Subject, voice Source parameters suggested a more hyperfunctional voice in throaty samples.
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| 7. |
- Laukkanen, AM., et al.
(författare)
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Peak-to-Peak Glottal Flow Amplitude as a Function of F(0)
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 22:6, s. 614-621
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigated the peak-to-peak (p-t-p) amplitude of the voice source as a function of fundamental frequency (F(0)). Nine males and nine females with or without singing training produced (1) a glissando from lowest to highest F(0) and back in their speaking range on /a:/ and (2) an ascending-descending scale pattern on /pa:pa:/. Audio and airflow signals were recorded, the latter picked up from a pneumotach mask. F(0) was measured from the audio signal and the oral pressure during the /p/ occlusion for in estimate of subglottal pressure. Airflow signal was inverse filtered and the p-t-p amplitude was measured for 10 F(0) values, equidistantly spaced along the subject's F(0) range in semitones, thus facilitating comparison between individuals and genders. Most females and males showed both a wide range of relatively large p-t-p amplitude in the speech range and a more or less pronounced p-t-p amplitude maximum, which was located on average at 232 and 162 Hz, respectively. The p-t-p amplitude maximum seems to reflect a complicated interplay between factors that tend to increase and those that tend to decrease the p-t-p amplitude with increasing F(0).
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| 8. |
- Lehto, Laura, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison of two inverse filtering methods in parameterization of the glottal closing phase characteristics in different phonation types
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 21:2, s. 138-150
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Inverse filtering (IF) is a common method used to estimate the source of voiced speech, the glottal flow. This investigation aims to compare two IF methods: one manual and the other semiautomatic. Glottal flows were estimated from speech pressure waveforms of six female and seven male subjects producing sustained vole /a/ in breathy, normal, and pressed phonation. The closing phase characteristics of the glottal pulse were parameterized using two time-based parameters: the closing quotient (C1Q) and the normalized amplitude quotient (NAQ). The information given by these two parameters indicates a strong correlation between the two IF methods. The results are encouraging in showing that the parameterization of the voice source in different speech sounds can be performed independently of the technique used for inverse filtering.
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| 9. |
- Lyberg Åhlander, Viveka, et al.
(författare)
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Hoarseness as a Sign of Possible Nonspecific Mucosal Hyperreactivity in Vocal Tract.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997. ; 23, s. 707-715
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the present paper was to evaluate the possible impact of methacholine challenge on the voice and vocal tract in 10 patients reporting hoarseness due to presumable hyperreactivity to some environmental factors. Ten age and gender-matched healthy subjects served as controls. Methacholine was used for hypersensitivity challenge and saline solution (0.9% NaCl) as control substance. Subjects were examined on two separate challenge occasions testing either methacholine in increasing doses (3, 6, 12 mg) or NaCl. Voice recordings, videolaryngoscopy, and measurement of nasal secretion were performed before and after each sniffing session. Subjective complaints were documented. Data were statistically analyzed with three-way analysis of variance and group comparisons performed. Perceptual analysis of voice recordings showed an increase of the grade of voice disorder in patients after exposure to both substances. Moreover, one of the patients became aphonic and another severely dysphonic after NaCl. No voice quality changes were detected in controls. The videolaryngoscopy findings divergent from normal did not increase in any group. Nasal secretion was significantly higher after sniffing of methacholine than NaCl in both groups. The frequency of subjective complaints was equal in both groups after both substances. However, there was a qualitative difference in the character of the symptoms: the patients complained of throat, vocal, and nasal symptoms whereas the controls complained exclusively of nasal symptoms. The study supports the view that vocal dysfunction after exposure to non-specific environmental irritating factors may be triggered mainly by emotional mechanisms such as off-warding reaction or dissociative disorder.
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| 10. |
- McAllister, Anita, 1955-, et al.
(författare)
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Child Voice and Noise : A Pilot Study of Noise in Day Cares and the Effects on 10 Children's Voice Quality According to Perceptual Evaluation
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 23:5, s. 587-593
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this investigation was to study children's exposure to background noise at the ears during a normal day at the day care center and also to relate this to a perceptual evaluation of voice quality. Ten children, from three day care centers, with no history of hearing and speech problems or frequent infections were selected as subjects. A binaural recording technique was used with two microphones placed on both sides of the subject's head, at equal distance from the mouth. A portable digital audio tape (DAT) recorder (Sony TCD-D 100, Stockholm, Sweden) was attached to the subject's waist. Three recordings were made for each child during the day. Each recording was calibrated and started with three repetitions of three sentences containing only sonorants. The recording technique allowed separate analyses of the background noise level and of the sound pressure level (SPL) of each subjects' own voice. Results showed a mean background noise level for the three day care centers at 82.6 dBA Leq, ranging from 81.5 to 83.6 dBA Leq. Day care center no. 2 had the highest mean value and also the highest value at any separate recording session with a mean background noise level of 85.4 dBA Leq during the noontime recordings. Perceptual evaluation showed that the children attending this day care center also received higher values on the following voice characteristics: hoarseness, breathiness, and hyperfunction. Girls increased their loudness level during the day, whereas for boys no such change could be observed.
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| 11. |
- Millqvist, Eva, 1949, et al.
(författare)
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Voice change in seasonal allergic rhinitis.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice Foundation. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997. ; 22:4, s. 512-5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Voice problems are seldom reported in pollen allergy, although the allergic reaction involves the entire airways. The objective of this study was to investigate voice dysfunction during the pollen season in patients with allergic rhinitis. Thirty patients with verified birch pollen allergy and 30 controls were investigated twice, during the pollen season and outside the pollen season. Both times they scored respiratory and voice symptoms, the latter with the validated questionnaire Voice Handicap Index (VHI), and performed standardized voice recordings. These recordings were analyzed in a controlled manner by a professional voice therapist. During the allergy season, patients reported more respiratory and voice symptoms compared with controls. Those with blinded scored voice dysfunction scored their voice quality during springtime as 31 mm (95% confidence interval [CI] 20-42 mm), compared with 13 mm (95% CI 6-21 mm for participants without voice dysfunction (P<0.01). Furthermore, the group with experienced voice dysfunction scored significantly higher on the VHI in the functional and physical domains and in the total VHI score. Although voice problems during the pollen season are rarely discussed, in allergic rhinitis the larynx may also be involved. These findings support that some patients experience voice change, an experience which can be objectively confirmed.
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| 12. |
- Mürbe, Dirk, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of professional singing education on vocal vibrato - A longitudinal study
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 21:6, s. 683-688
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vocal vibrato is regarded as one of the essential characteristics of voice quality in classical singing. Professional singers seem to develop vibrato automatically, without actively striving to acquire it. In this longitudinal investigation, the vocal vibrato of 22 singing students was examined at the beginning of and after 3 years of professional singing education. Subjects sang an ascending-descending triad pattern in slow tempo on vowel [a:] at a comfortable pitch level twice at soft (piano) and twice at medium (mezzo-forte) loudness. The top note of the triad pattern was sustained for approximately 5 s. The mean and the standard deviation (SD) of the vibrato rate were measured for this note. Results revealed that after 3 years of training, voices with vibrato slower than 5.2 Hz were found to have a faster vibrato, and voices with vibrato faster than 5.8 Hz were found to have a slower vibrato. Standard deviation of vibrato rate was higher in soft than in medium loudness, particularly before the education. Also high values of SD of vibrato rate, exceeding 0.65 Hz, had decreased after the education. These findings confirm that vibrato characteristics can be affected by singing education.
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| 13. |
- Nienkerke-Springer, A, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of family therapy on children's voices
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 19:1, s. 103-113
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The families of nine children with deviant voice qualities were selected for family treatment according to the SYGESTI model. Recordings of the children's speech were made before and after therapy. Perceptual evaluation of their voice quality showed significant improvement in various perceptual parameters after the therapy. Acoustical analysis confirmed changes of voice quality and mean fundamental frequency in speech. The therapy also was found to improve relations between family members, conflict management and other aspects of communication. The results suggest that these children's deviant voices were related to family conditions.
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| 14. |
- Reid, Katherine L. P., et al.
(författare)
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The acoustic characteristics of professional opera singers performing in chorus versus solo mode
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 21:1, s. 35-45
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study, members of a professional opera chorus were recorded using close microphones, while singing in both choral and solo modes. The analysis included computation of long-term average spectra (LTAS) for the two song sections performed and calculation of singing power ratio (SPR) and energy ratio (ER), which provide an indication of the relative energy in the singer's formant region. Vibrato rate and extent were determined from two matched vowels, and SPR and ER were calculated for these vowels. Subjects sang with equal or more power in the singer's formant region in choral versus solo mode in the context of the piece as a whole and in individual vowels. There was no difference in vibrato rate and extent between the two modes. Singing in choral mode, therefore, required the ability to use a similar vocal timbre to that required for solo opera singing.
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| 15. |
- Roers, Friederike, et al.
(författare)
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Predicted Singers' Vocal Fold Lengths and Voice Classification - A Study of X-Ray Morphological Measures
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 23:4, s. 408-413
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Students admitted to the solo singing education at the University of Music Dresden, Germany have been submitted to a detailed physical examination of a variety of factors with relevance to voice function since 1959. In the years 1959-1991, this scheme of examinations included X-ray profiles of the singers' vocal tracts. This material of 132 X-rays of voice professionals was used to investigate different laryngeal morphological measures and their relation to vocal fold length. Further, the study aimed to investigate if there are consistent anatomical differences between singers of different voice classifications. The study design used was a retrospective analysis. Vocal fold length could be measured in 29 of these singer subjects directly. These data showed a strong correlation with the anterior-posterior diameter of the subglottis and the trachea as well as with the distance from the anterior contour of the thyroid cartilage to the anterior contour of the spine. These relations were used in an attempt to predict the 132 singers' vocal fold lengths. The results revealed a clear covariation between predicted vocal fold length and voice classification. Anterior-posterior subglottic-tracheal diameter yielded mean vocal fold lengths of 14.9, 16.0, 16.6, 18.4, 19.5, and 20.9 mm for sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, altos, tenors, baritones, and basses, respectively. The data support the assumption that there are consistent anatomical laryngeal differences between singers of different voice classifications, which are of relevance to pitch range and timbre of the voice.
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| 16. |
- Sandberg, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Jan Gauffin : In memorium
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : MOSBY-ELSEVIER. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 22:3, s. 258-259
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Sundberg, Johan
(författare)
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Articulatory Configuration and Pitch in a Classically Trained Soprano Singer
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 23:5, s. 546-551
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous studies suggest that singers modify articulation to avoid that the pitch frequency F0 exceeds the normal value of the first formant F1(Normal). Using magnetic resonance imaging at a rate of 5 frames/s, articulation was analyzed in a professional soprano singing an ascending triad pattern from C4 to G5 (262-784 Hz) on the vowels /i, e, u, o, a/. Lip and jaw opening and tongue dorsum height were measured and analyzed as function of pitch. Four or five semitones below the pitch where F0 = F1(Normal) the tongue dorsum height was reduced in /i, e, u, a/, whereas in /o/ the lip opening was widened and in /a/ also the jaw opening was widened. At higher pitches, the jaw opening was widened in all vowels. These articulatory maneuvers are likely to raise F1 in these vowels.
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| 19. |
- Sundberg, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Experimental findings on the nasal tract resonator in singing
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 21:2, s. 127-137
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many professional operatic singers sing the vowel /a/ with a velopharyngeal opening.(1) Here resonatory effects of such an opening are analyzed. On the basis of CAT scan imaging of a baritone singer's vocal tract and nasal cavity system, including the maxillary sinuses, acoustic epoxy models were constructed, in which velopharyngeal openings were modeled by different tubes. The sound transfer characteristics of this model were determined by means of sine-tone sweep measurements. In an idealized (iron tube) model, the VPO introduced a zero in the transfer function at the frequency of the nasal resonance. In the epoxy models, however, the resonances of the nasal system, and hence the zero, were heavily damped, particularly when the maxillary sinuses were included in the nasal system. A velopharyngeal opening was found to attenuate the first formant in /a/, such that the relative level of the singer's formant increased. A similar effect was observed in a modified epoxy model shaped to approximate the vocal tract of an /u/ and an /i/, although it also showed a substantial widening of the first formant bandwidth. Varying the size of the velopharyngeal opening affected the transfer function only slightly. It seems likely that singers can enhance higher spectrum partials by a careful tuning of a velopharyngeal opening.
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| 20. |
- Sundberg, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Text Intelligibility and the Singer's Formant : A Relationship?
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 23:5, s. 539-545
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Hypothesis: A clear enunciation of consonants is crucial to text intelligibility, and consonants are identified by specific formant frequency patterns. The singer's formant, a spectral peak near 3,000 Hz, enhances the higher formants in male opera singers' voices. It is well known that the second and higher formants are crucial to text intelligibility. Therefore, it seams reasonable to hypothesize that the singer's formant increases intelligibility of consonants and hence also the intelligibility of the text. For the same reason, text intelligibility of musical theatre singers, who lack a singer's formant, could be assumed to be lower than that of opera singers. Method: Two professional opera singers and two professional musical theatre singers sang a carrier phrase that contained one nonsense syllable. The phrases were masked with noise of different levels. The degree of intelligibility was measured by a listening test. Result: The results showed that the intelligibility was slightly higher for the musical theatre singers than for the opera singers. Conclusion: One possible reason for this Would be that the musical theatre singers use formant frequencies more similar to those occurring in normal speech. Another reason could be that the formant transitions characterizing the consonants were considerably slower in the case of the musical theatre singers than in the case of the operatic singers.
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| 21. |
- Sundberg, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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When does a sung tone start?
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 21:3, s. 285-293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although the consonant is mostly considered as the start of a syllable in phonetics and orthography, musicians generally agree that the vowel onset in singing should be synchronized with the beat. As a test of this assumption, the current investigation analyzes the time interval between vowel onsets and piano accompaniment onsets in a set of songs performed by international vocal artists and published on commercial CD recordings. The results show that, most commonly, the accompanists synchronized their tones with the singers' vowel onsets. Nevertheless, examples of lead and lag were found, probably made for expressive purposes. The lead and lag varied greatly between songs, being smallest in a song performed in a fast tempo and longest in a song performed in a slow tempo.
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| 22. |
- Södersten, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Loud speech in realistic environmental noise : Phonetogram data, perceptual voice quality, subjective ratings, and gender differences in healthy speakers
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 19:1, s. 29-46
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new method for cancelling background noise from running speech was used to study voice production during realistic environmental noise exposure. Normal subjects, 12 women and 11 men, read a text in five conditions: quiet, soft continuous noise (75 dBA to 70 dBA), day-care babble (74 dBA), disco (87 dBA), and loud continuous noise (78 dBA to 85 dBA). The noise was presented over loudspeakers and then removed from the recordings in an off-line processing operation. The voice signals were analyzed acoustically with an automatic phonetograph and perceptually by four expert listeners. Subjective data were collected after each vocal loading task. The perceptual parameters press, instability, and roughness increased significantly as an effect of speaking loudly over noise, whereas vocal fry decreased. Having to make oneself heard over noise resulted in higher SPL and F0, as expected, and in higher phonation time. The total reading time was slightly longer in continuous noise than in intermittent noise. The women had 4 dB lower voice SPL overall and increased their phonation time more in noise than did the men. Subjectively, women reported less success making themselves heard and higher effort. The results support the contention that female voices are more vulnerable to vocal loading in background noise.
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