Resonance

acoustics of the vocal tract

 Acoustics
the science of sound
Resonance- “the spontaneous amplification, reinforcement, or prolongation of
vibration when another vibration of the same frequency is applied to it”-Ware

Resonance- “big vibrations that are induced by little vibrations”- McCoy

“Resonance...the result of an acoustic alliance between vibrating bodies at an

identical fundamental pitch”- Miller

“The resonation of vocal sound takes place mainly in the pharynx”- Bunch

“The relationship of the wave length of the sounds created by the vocal folds
to the dimensions of the vocal tract (air column) is the key to the phenomenon
of resonance” Bunch
“The sound of the human voice yields a spectrum whose components result
from a number of cavities; pharynx, oral cavity, nasal cavity, and windpipe.”-
Bunch
 Changing the shape
Of the vocal tract
page 131- “Changes in the frequencies are
brought about by different patterns of
articulation; these include combinations of
variations in the shape and extent of opening of
the lips, the position of the tongue, mandible
and soft palate. The length and cross section of
the vocal tract or resonating tube are subjected
to changes and these account for varying
formants. Each sound, whatever the pitch, has
at least four identifiable formants.”
 Changing the Shape
Of the vocal tract

Page 133- “A singer who makes a conscious

effort to maintain the same vowel color
throughout the range by monitoring that vowel
aurally, actually produces for the hearer an
uneven quality of vowel as she/he moves
through the various registers of the voice.”
 Acoustics
the science of sound
Sound waves- Sound is merely a series (in the
atmosphere) of

Rarefactions

Compressions

Sound- disturbance of air particles or variation

in air pressure that impinges on the auditory
mechanism
Acoustics of the vocal tract
sine wave/sinusoid/waveform- sinusoidal motion-

a sinusoid-the wave seen on a graph that

illustrates a component of sound

noise- irregular patterns- periodic sound waves are

perceived as tone, random irregular sound waves as
noise

decibel (dB)- measures intensity, or SPL (sound

pressure level)

vocal intensity- the intensity of the sound wave at

the glottis, NOT as experienced by the listener
These are the properties of a musical sound
Frequency (pitch)- number of cycles per second, measured in
Hz (hertz)

Amplitude (intensity or loudness)

Timbre- tone color, a combination of intensity and frequency

Duration

Period- amount of time to complete one entire cycle of

compression and rarefaction (or one complete cycle of
vibration)

“Fundamental frequency is defined as the rate of

opening and closing of the vocal folds, or pitch.”- Bunch
 Acoustics of the Vocal
Tract
“...a given body will vibrate at its fundamental
frequency, and at integral multiples of the
fundamental; that is, it is vibrating in half, in
thirds, in fourths, fifths, and continuing
multiples. Therefore, if a string is vibrating at
100 Hz, it is simultaneously vibrating at 200
Hz, 300 Hz, 400 Hz, 500 Hz, and so on. The
first 200 Hz vibration is known as the first
harmonic, the 300 HZ vibration is the second
harmonic, and so forth.” Ware, p. 131

harmonics- also called overtones or partials

 Acoustics of the Vocal
Tract
Herz is a measurement of sound waves. One
Hz is one cycle per second

the human ear hears sounds from about 20 Hz

to 20,000 Hz (or 20kHz)

Fundamental and harmonics-try the exercise on

p. 132 of the Ware textbook
 Different resonances
Forced resonance/conductive resonance-
requires a direct, mechanical connection of the
vibrator to the resonator (violin, piano)

Free resonance/sympathetic resonance- the

result of vibration of air molecules. The
structure must be hollow, have volume and
have an opening through which soundwaves
can exit (the human voice)
 Spectrograms

Spectrum- “a figurative snapshot of the sound

at a specific moment in time”- Ware

www.youtube.com

Voice analyzer Pro

 The Fixed, or Singer’s
Formant
Occurs between the glottis and the laryngeal collar

2500-3000 cps (cycles per second)

Articulators must be kept “mobile and flexible so

that they can hunt instinctively for the position of
best resonance at each change of the larynx note of
any given vowel, or at each change of vowel on a
given note. A resonance tract with a set position is
soon out of tune. Using the same size resonator for
all vowels is defying natural laws.”
 fixed formant
So called, because it is present in every sung
pitch, in every vowel.

“When glottal resistance is high, the decibel

level of the singing formant increases even
more rapidly than the first vowel formant.”
Doscher

Above C5, the singer’s formant becomes less

frequent
 formant tracking
tuning the resonators
recent studies show that there are at least five
different formants

the singing formant is a combination of at least

3 or 4 of these

“in addition to a more efficient and less

forceful use of the vocal folds, resonance
tuning can minimize air consumption, esp. at
high frequencies.” Doscher