Practical Vocal Acoustics: Pedagogic Applications for Teachers and Singers. (Vox Musicae: the Voice, Vocal Pedagogy, and Song Book 9)

Voice teachers have been addressing vocal acoustics in some manner for as long as there has been voice instruction. Given the history of excellence in singing, singers, and teachers, the historic empirical approach clearly has hadsuccess. However, our scientific knowledge about and understanding of vocal acoustics has grown exponentially in the last sixty to eighty years, and will certainly continue to be refined by the growing number of ongoing collaborations between voice scientists and voice teachers interested in voice science. With sophisticated yet inexpensive sound analysis technology now widely available, more voice teachers are curious about its potential value for thestudio, and are seeing the need to understand and be well-informed about the acoustics of vocal registration-at the very least, as a means to more efficient pedagogy, but also as an essential element of voice pedagogy courses.This book represents an attempt to distill from the science of vocal acoustics those factors that are essential for teachers at the beginning of the twenty-first century to understand, that are most likely to be productive for improving our pedagogic efficiency, and to present them in language that is generally accessible. It also aspires to contribute to more productive, mutually respectful and beneficial conversation between the pedagogic and scientificcommunities. Practical Vocal Acoustics also includes appendices of clear, simple charts of acoustic events by voice type, guided explorations on the Madde voice synthesizer (a free downloadable shareware application), aswell as a DVD of undergraduate students demonstrating all of the acoustic explorations cited in the text. KENNETH BOZEMAN, tenor, holds performance degrees from Baylor University and the University of Arizona, and is chair of the voice department at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, WI, where he teaches voice, voice science, and pedagogy. Cover Title Contents Foreword Preface About the Author 1 Introduction Tools 2 Harmonics Primer Musical Tone Voice Acoustics Voice Source Harmonics Voice Source Harmonic Characteristics Mode of Phonation Laryngeal Register Intensity Fundamental Frequency Take-Away Message for Harmonics 3 Overview of the Changing Theories of Vocal Resonance Resonance Coupled Helmholtz Resonators Linear Source-Filter Model Non-Linear Source-Filter Model 4 Formants Primer Vocal Tract Formants Number of Formants The Roles Formants Play Vowel Formants Vowel Modification The Roles of the First Formant Depth or Fullness of Timbre Openness-Closeness Dimension of Vowels Harmonic Interactions with the First Formant The Roles of the Second Formant Vowel Clarity/Definition Front-Back Dimension of Vowels Second Formant Strategy for Male Upper Voice Singer’s Formant Cluster (SFC) Relationship of the SFC to Vocal Fach Relationship of the SFC to Resonance Balance and Interactivity Effect of the Piriform Sinuses Sound Transfer Characteristics of the Vocal Tract Locating Formants Relative to the Keyboard 5 Harmonic/Formant Interactions Harmonic/First Formant Interactions Possible Formant/Harmonic Interactions Timbral Opening and Closing Open Timbre Yell Coupling Yell Characteristics Close Timbre Whoop Coupling Whoop Characteristics Yell and Whoop Frequency Turning Over The Pitch of Turning From Turning to Whoop Resonance Strategies between Turning and Whoop Lowering F1 through Active Vowel Modification Maintaining Vocal Tract Shape Raising F1 through Vowel Opening Second Formant Strategies First Formant Tracking of H1 (F1/H1) 6 Female/Treble Voice Resonance Strategies Middle Voice Challenge of Open Vowels Upper Middle Voice Whoop Timbre and Beyond Examples of F1/H1 Tracking 7 Male Passaggio Training Male Passaggio Objectives A Stable Laryngeal Position and Tube Length, and a Convergent Resonator Dynamic Laryngeal Registration Familiarity with Vowel Turning The Ability to Turn Over Vowel Integrity with Appropriate Vowel Modification Maintenance of Chiaroscuro Timbre Vowel Modification Revisited Non-Linear Source-Filter Theory Revisited Resonator Convergence Vocal Cover/Turning Over Secondary Acoustic Registration Events Handling the Zona di Passaggio Summary of Acoustic Events Surrounding the Male Zona di Passaggio Registration and Expression/Artistry 8 Perceptions of Turning Over Perception of Vowel and Timbre Perception of Tonal Sensation Perception by Voice Type and Vowel Difference in Effect Between Active and Passive Modification Perception of Turning in a Deeper Voice Effect of Approach by Leap Darkened Timbre Timbral Openings and Closings Other than F1/H2 9 Pedagogic Implications of Tube Acoustics General Principles Acoustic Strategies Across Range 10 Pedagogic Strategies that Encourage Tube Stability and a Convergent Resonator The Open Throat Noiseless Inhalation Lowering the First Formant Frequency Remapping the Throat and Tongue Monitoring Tube Length Stability Efficiency of Articulation Use of Affect to Position and Stabilize the Resonator Tonal “Placement” Sensations Second Formant “Placement” Sensations 11 The Acoustics of Belting Yell Characteristics Reviewed Belting: The Skillful Yell or Call Muscular Factors in Belting Vocal Fold Factors Mix Vocal Tract Factors Breath Management Factors 12 Semantic Differences Cover Terminology Connecting Terms with Acoustic Strategies Timbral Terminology: Close or Closed Register Terminology Vibrational Modes versus Head and Chest Mix and Falsetto Belting and Yelling 13 Acoustic Explorations Exploring Vowel Turning Beginning Explorations Intermediate Explorations and Refinement Exploring F1/H1 Tracking 14 Corollary Strategies Dynamic Control Pressure Reduction Vibrancy and Flow The Use of Affect The Problem of Micromanagement 15 Laryngeal Registration Revisited Muscle Action Downstream Resisters and Semi-Occluded Vocal Tracts Motivating Laryngeal Stability Laryngeal Registration Goals 16 Instructional Technology The Madde Voice Synthesizer Limitations of Madde Madde and Modes of Phonation Madde and Non-Linearity Madde and Vibrato Spectrography VoceVista Power Spectra Electroglottography Studio Uses of VoceVista Definitions Abbreviations Appendix 1: Madde Explorations Appendix 2: Approximate F1 Locations by Voice Appendix 3: Events Surrounding the Male Passaggio Appendix 4: DVD Contents Appendix 5: Youtube Examples Selected References Index Copyright