| 1. |
- Lã, F.M.B., et al.
(author)
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Augmented visual-feedback of airflow : Immediate effects on voice-source characteristics of students of singing
- 2021
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In: Psychology of Music. - : SAGE Publications. - 0305-7356 .- 1741-3087.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Glottal adduction is a crucial aspect in voice education and vocal performance: it has major effects on phonatory airflow and, consequently, on voice timbre. As the voice is a non-visible musical instrument, controlling it could be facilitated by providing real-time visual feedback of phonatory airflow. Here, we test the usefulness of a flow ball (FB) training device, visualizing, in terms of the height of a polystyrene ball placed in a plastic basket, phonatory airflow during phonation. Audio and electroglottographic recordings of five postgraduate, classically trained singer students were made under three subsequent conditions: before, during, and after phonating into the FB. The calibrated audio signal was inverse-filtered, using an electroglottograph signal to guide the manual tuning of the inverse filters. Mean phonatory airflow, peak-to-peak pulse amplitude, and normalized amplitude quotient were extracted from the resulting flow glottograms. After the FB condition, increases of mean flow and peak-to-peak pulse amplitude were observed in four singers. In addition, the singers’ mean normalized amplitude quotient increased significantly. The findings, although exploratory, suggest that reduction of glottal adduction can be observed immediately after FB phonation.
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| 2. |
- Lã, F.M.B., et al.
(author)
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Female Voice-Related Sexual Attractiveness to Males : Does it Vary With Different Degrees of Conception Likelihood?
- 2021
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In: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Previous investigations have found that female voice-related attractiveness to males increases when both conception likelihood (CL) and voice fundamental frequency (fo) are elevated. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a perceptual experiment where 78 heterosexual males rated sexual attractiveness of 9 female voice samples, recorded at menstrual, follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle under two double-blinded randomly allocated conditions: a natural menstrual cycle (placebo condition) and when using an oral contraceptive pill (OCP condition). The voice samples yielded a total of 54 stimuli that were visually sorted and rated using Visor software. Concentrations of estrogens, progesterone and testosterone were analyzed, and measurements of speaking fundamental frequency (sfo) and its standard deviation (sfoSD), fo derivative (dfo) and fo slope were made. A multilevel ordinal logistic regression model nested in listeners and in females, and adjusted by phase and condition, was carried out to assess the association between ratings and: (1) phases and conditions; (2) sex steroid hormonal concentrations; and (3) voice parameters. A high probability of obtaining high ratings of voice sexual attractiveness was found for: (1) menstrual phase of placebo use and follicular phase of OCP use; (2) for low estradiol to progesterone ratio and testosterone concentrations; and (3) for low dfo. The latter showed a moderate statistical association with ratings of high attractiveness, as compared with the small association found for the remaining variables. It seems that the voice is a weak cue for female CL. Female sexual attraction to males may be a consequence of what females do in order to regulate their extended sexuality across the menstrual cycle rather than of estrus cues, the use of paralinguistic speech patterns being an example.
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| 3. |
- Lã, F.M.B., et al.
(author)
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Long-Term Average Spectrum Characteristics of Portuguese Fado-Canção from Coimbra
- 2023
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In: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 37:4, s. 631.e7-631.e15
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Descriptions of acoustical characteristics of Fado, a Portuguese urban style sung in Lisbon and Oporto, are scarce, particularly concerning Fado-Canção, a related style sung in Coimbra. The present study aims at describing long-term average spectrum (LTAS) parameters of 16 professional singers while singing and reading the lyrics of a typical Fado-Canção. LTAS parameters were investigated in terms of: (1) equivalent sound level (Leq); (2) spectral differences between 3 frequency bands 0–2, 2–5, and 5–8 kHz; and (3) quantification of spectral prominence between 2 and 4 kHz, calculated as the level difference between the peak in this frequency region and a reference trendline between 1 and 5 kHz, henceforth Formant Cluster Prominence (FCP). Given that Fado-Canção, besides Fado and traditional styles, originated also from classical singing, and that previous studies on Fado suggest the absence of a singer's formant cluster, the averaged LTAS for all Fado-Canção singers was further compared to the LTAS of two world-touring opera baritones singing an operatic aria and a lied. Results show that Fado-Canção is commonly sung with a Leq of 86.4 dB and a FCP of about 10 dB, values significantly higher when compared to reading. The FCP in Fado-Canção, although smaller than for the two classical opera singers’ examples (14.8 and 20 dB, respectively), suggests that the style preserved some of its original lyrical influence. However, because younger singers present higher energy in the 5–8 kHz region relative to the remaining frequency bands as compared to older singers, it seems that Fado-Canção may be drifting towards non-classical vocal practices. FCP seems to be a promising straightforward method to quantify the degree of formant clustering around the region of the singer's formant in LTAS, allowing comparisons between different singers and singing styles.
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| 4. |
- Patel, R R, et al.
(author)
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Glottal Airflow and Glottal Area Waveform Characteristics of Flow Phonation in Untrained Vocally Healthy Adults
- 2020
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In: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To examine flow phonation characteristics with regard to vocal fold vibration and voice source properties in vocally healthy adults using multimodality voice measurements across various phonation types (breathy, neutral, flow, and pressed) and loudness conditions (typical, loud, and soft). Participants and Methods: Vocal fold vibration, airflow, acoustic, and subglottal pressure was analyzed in 13 untrained voices (six female and seven male). Participants repeated the syllable / pæ:/ using breathy, neutral, flow, and pressed phonation during typical, loud, and soft loudness conditions. Glottal area (GA) waveforms were extracted from high-speed videoendoscopy; glottal flow was derived from inverse filtering the airflow or the audio signal; and subglottal pressure was measured as the intraoral pressure during /p/ occlusion. Results: Changes in phonation type and loudness conditions resulted in systematic variations across the relative peak closing velocity derived from the GA waveform for both males and females. Amplitude quotient derived from the flow glottogram varied across phonation types for males. Conclusion: Multimodality evaluation using the GA waveform and the inverse filtered waveforms revealed a complex pattern that varied as a function of phonation types and loudness conditions across males and females. Emerging findings from this study suggests that future large-scale studies should focus on spatial and temporal features of closing speed and closing duration for differentiating flow phonation from other phonation types in untrained adults with and without voice disorders.
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| 5. |
- Rosenberg, S., et al.
(author)
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Kulning : Acoustic and Perceptual Characteristics of a Calling Style Used Within the Scandinavian Herding Tradition
- 2024
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In: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 38:3, s. 585-594
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Kulning, a loud, high-pitched vocal calling technique pertaining to the Scandinavian herding system, has attracted several researchers' attention, mainly focusing on cultural, phonatory and musical aspects. Less attention has been paid to the spectral and physiological properties that characterize Kulning tones, and also if there is a physiologically optimum pitch range. We analyzed tones produced by ten participants with varying experience in Kulning. They performed a phrase, pitch range G5 to C6 (784 to 1046 Hz), in three different conditions: starting (1) on pitch A5, (2) on the participant's preferred pitch, and (3) after the deepest possible inhalation, also on the participant's preferred pitch subglottal pressure (Psub) was measured as the oral pressure during /p/-occlusion. The quality of the Kulning was rated by a group of experts. The highest-rated tones all had a sound pressure level (SPL) at 0.3 m exceeding 115 dB and a pitch higher than 1010 Hz, while the SPL of the lowest rated tones was less than 108 dB at a pitch below 900 Hz. A multiple regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between the ratings and Psub), SPL, level of the fundamental and the frequency at which a spectrum envelope dip occurred. Highly rated tones were started at maximum lung volumes, and on participants’ preferred pitches. They all shared a high frequency of the spectrum envelope dip and a high level of the fundamental. In decreasing order of ratings, Condition 3 showed the highest values followed by Condition 2 and Condition 1. Each singer seemed to perform best within an individual Psub and pitch range. The relevance of the results to voice pedagogy, artistic, and compositional work is discussed.
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| 6. |
- Sundberg, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Professional male singers ’ formant tuning strategies for the vowel /a
- 2011
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In: Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1651-2022 .- 1401-5439. ; 36:4, s. 156-167
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Certain spectrum characteristics have been identified as important for register equalization around the male passaggio, an effect ascribed to formant tuning although descriptions of formant tuning diverge. Eight professional singers sang scales including their passaggio range on different vowels, applying two formant tuning strategies as found in (1) classical and (2) non-classical singing. Formant frequencies were measured using inverse filtering. Results revealed differences between the two strategies. For the classical formant tuning, systematic changes of formant frequencies with pitch were observed. For the highest note sung on /a/, F1 was below the second partial and F2 in the vicinity of the third. Similar spectrum characteristics were achieved by different F1 and F2 values between singers.
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| 7. |
- Sundberg, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Voice Source Variation Between Vowels in Male Opera Singers
- 2015
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In: Journal of Voice. - : Mosby Inc.. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: The theory of nonlinear source-filter interaction predicts that the glottal voice source should be affected by the frequency relationship between formants and partials. An attempt to experimentally verify this theory is presented. Study design: Glottal voice source and electrolaryngograph (ELG) signal differences between vowels were analyzed in vowel sequences, sung at four pitches with the same degree of vocal loudness by professional opera singers. In addition, the relationships between such differences and the frequency distance between the first formant (F1) and its closest partial were examined. Methods: A digital laryngograph microprocessor was used to simultaneously record audio and ELG signals. The former was inverse filtered, and voice source parameters and formant frequencies were extracted. The amplitude quotient of the derivative of the ELG signal (AQdELG) and the contact quotient were also compared. Results: A one-way repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant differences between vowels, for contact quotient at four pitches and for maximum flow declination rate (MFDR) at three pitches. For other voice source parameters, differences were found at one or two pitches only. No consistent correlation was found between MFDR and the distance between F1 and its closest partial. Conclusions: The glottal voice source tends to vary between vowels, presumably because of source-filter interaction, but the variation does not seem to be dependent on the frequency distance between F1 and its closest partial.
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