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Registration in the Female Singing Voice Across Triads Claire Dolly Florida State University Libraries Honors Theses The Division of Undergraduate Studies 2012 Registration in the Female Singing Voice Across Triads Claire Dolly Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] 1 Abstract A smooth register transition is a fundamental aspect of the classically trained singing voice. The purpose of this study is to examine the physiological and acoustical bases of the vocal techniques used by trained female singers to transition across the primo passaggio in triads. Triad recordings from ten female singers at various levels of training were analyzed physiologically with an electroglottograph (EGG) signal and acoustically with spectral analysis. The closing quotient (CQ) measurements obtained from the EGG signal revealed three patterns among the subjects, a decreasing, an increasing, and a stabilized CQ across the register transition. The number of the dominant harmonic decreased across the register transition for the professional singers in contrast to the other subjects who maintained a relatively stable harmonic number. The frequency and amplitude of the dominant harmonic remained relatively stable for all the subjects. Data analysis concluded that the method used by the most experienced singers for smoothing the passaggio involved resonating a lower harmonic across the primo passaggio while maintaining a stable vocal tract and laryngeal adjustment. Keywords: register transitions, female singers, electroglottograph, spectral analysis 2 THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION REGISTRATION IN THE FEMALE SINGING VOICE ACROSS TRIADS By CLAIRE E. DOLLY A Thesis submitted to the School of Communication Science and Disorders in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with Honors in the Major Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2012 3 The members of the Defense Committee approve the thesis of Claire E. Dolly defended on April 4, 2012. _____________________________ Dr. Richard J. Morris Thesis Director _____________________________ Dr. David Okerlund Outside Committee Member _____________________________ Dr. Julie Stierwalt Committee Member 4 Registration in the Female Singing Voice across Triads Historically, the concept of singing registers has generated much debate in voice research. Register terminology, the number of singing registers, and their physiological and acoustical properties continue to be topics of debate. Discussions of singing registers have varied across writers due to the individual and qualitative nature of sound perception (Miller, D. G., 2000). Over the past 300 years voice teachers have included a smooth passaggio, or transition between registers, as a fundamental aspect of a well trained singing voice. In an untrained voice, register transitions are perceptually apparent to a listener as discontinuities of loudness, pitch, or both of these characteristics (Miller, D. G., 2000). Titze (1994) identified these perceptual discontinuities as quantal effects, or sudden changes, in the quality of the voice. Titze (1994) plotted these quantal changes against hypothetical physiologic and acoustic variables. He stated that these variables would change gradually, but at the frequencies of the register transition, these variables would interact to create a dramatic shift in the variables and the voice. Early voice research in registers sought to explore the laryngeal physiology bases of registers. Henrich (2006) described the work of Manuel Garcia II and his physiological contributions using the laryngoscope. Garcia observed the nature of singing registers inherent in a ‘mechanical principle’ apart from variations in quality. Although, Garcia’s work failed to account for the full complexity of the characteristics of a register, many subsequent researchers have expanded on his physiologically based theory. Behnke (1880) also described three ‘distinct and unmistakable’ physiological mechanisms for the vocal registers. These basic mechanisms include loose vibration of the entire vocal folds in the pulse register, vibration of the thin margins of the vocal folds alone in the modal register, and vibration of half the length of the inner 5 margins of the vocal folds in the falsetto register. Although his specific terminology, thick, thin, and small, is no longer used in the singing world, these basic mechanisms prove relevant. In addition, Hollien (1974) embraced this physiological approach; however, he recognized that the complexity of vocal registers required a definition with multiple variables. Due to confusion concerning the nature of vocal registration and the varying terminology used to describe it, Hollien (1974) sought to concisely define each speaking register. He defined each register with a separate range of sequential frequencies of a distinct vocal quality. He defined three speaking registers, pulse, modal, and loft, in four respects: physiologically, aerodynamically, perceptually, and acoustically. These four variables of categorization describe the entire nature of vocal registers for speech. These variables distinguish singing registers from speaking registers in addition to addressing the pedagogical goal of a smooth passaggio. Regarding the first variable, physiology, current voice research agrees on two primary registers relating to the vibrational patterns of the vocal folds. D. G. Miller (2000) labeled these physiological mechanisms, the ‘natural registers’ of chest and falsetto. He distinguished these two ‘natural registers’ by identifying the ‘chest’ as having a greater closed quotient on the electroglottograph (EGG) signal, a vertical phase difference, and a greater ratio between applied forces of vocal fold muscles when compared to the ‘falsetto’. The thick, short vocal folds in the ‘chest’ register produce the lower frequencies of the fundamental frequency continuum, from the lowest frequencies to about 300 Hz. This physiological basis however, only provides a foundation for the complex registration phenomenon. Henrich (2006) stated that the speech community agrees on three speaking registers based on laryngeal adjustments as defined by Hollien (1974): pulse or vocal fry, modal or chest, and falsetto or loft. Although solely laryngeal based theories of registration such as those of Garcia, Behnke, and Hollien can adequately 6 describe the speaking voice, they do not account for the great vocal quality variations of the singing voice (Henrich, 2006). Voice researchers vary in opinion as to which variables cause the dramatic shift at a register transition. D. G. Miller (2000) argues for an ‘integrated approach,’ that involves two variables or components, one physiological and one acoustical. According to D. G. Miller (2000) a striking example of singing registration is the change at the glottal source between a chest and a falsetto source. So while speaking and singing registers differ from each other, they do originate from similar physiological mechanisms. The acoustical component, on the other hand, is more obscure compared to the physiological transition. D. G. Miller (2000) attributes this ambiguity to a large repertoire of vocal behaviors singers use to manipulate their vocal tract. A shift in the dominant harmonic on a spectrum indicates an acoustic register transition. An enduring technique of vocal pedagogy to a smooth passaggio targets another Hollien (1974) variable, aerodynamics. Hill (1986) identified airflow as the critical factor in coordinating a register transition, the use of increased airflow to smooth a transition. He defined airflow and subglottic pressure as the two components of glottal resistance that facilitate register transitions. Hill (1986) concluded that these two factors increase with pitch until the register boundaries are reached at which point airflow and subglottic pressure decrease, an example of the quantal changes described by Titze (1994). Titze (1988) examined another aerodynamic factor of registration, the effects of subglottal resonances on involuntary timbre transitions. These subglottal resonances either reinforce or impede vocal fold vibration. The subglottal resonances reinforce vibration in the lower frequencies inducing greater vocal fold adduction which the listener perceives as the richer timbre of the chest register (Titze, 1988). Impedance 7 occurs with higher frequencies creating a poorer timbre in the falsetto register. Aerodynamic forces thus provide an argument mechanism for perceptual differences among singing registers. Hollien (1974) also described the perceptual aspects of the speaking registers. In terms of pitch, the pulse register occupies the lowest range of fundamental frequencies, the modal or chest register includes the normally used frequencies, and the higher fundamental frequencies constitute the loft or falsetto register. In terms of sound amplitude, Hollien identified the modal register as the one perceived to be the loudest. These perceptions of pitch and loudness in speech are similar to those of singing registers. The exception being that singers use a greater range of vocal frequencies than speakers and are required to generate greater levels of sound amplitude. According to Sundberg (1977), a speaker typically utilizes one octave of the pitch range in contrast to the two octaves of the pitch range employed by singers. Keidar, Hurtig, and Titze (1987) examined the quality factor involved in the perception of two primary singing registers, chest and falsetto. These authors described each
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