• Speech Sciences
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.15-25
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• 2002

It's not easy to produce very high tones during singing for not only untrained ordinary people but also even trained singers. To get high singing tones from the low tones, some trained singers used to use a distinguished singing technique, Passaggio (vocal register transition). The purpose of this study is to compare several voice parameters variation between when to sing with using the passaggio technique and to sing without using it. We selected 18 male singers (tenor 8, baritone 10), who had more than 7 years of experience and were well trained in passaggio technique. Simultaneous measurements of fundamental frequency (F0), mean flow rate (MFR), intensity (I), and subglottal pressure (Psub) were performed using the phonatory function analyzer (Nagashima). For the tenor, target tones /a/ were presented: 1) easy phonation: $B_{2}$, 2) high tone without passaggio: F$#_{3}$ 3) high tone with passaggio: F$#_{3}$. For the baritone, target tones /a/ were presented: 1) easy phonation: G$#_{3}$, 2) high tone without passaggio: D$#_{3}$, 3) high tone with passaggio: D$#_{3}$. F0 of the target tones between non-passaggio group and passaggio group was almost the same in both tenor and baritone groups. Intensity of the non-passaggio and passaggio vocalization was much louder than that of easy phonation and pasaggio was louder than non-passaggio vocalization (especially statistically significant in baritone singers). MFR of the passaggio vocalization was greater than non-passaggio vocalization in both tenor and baritone group, but statistically significant only in baritone. Psub of the passaggio vocalization was greater than that of the non-passaggio vocalization in both tenor and baritone group, but statistically not significant in tenor.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.147-157
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• 2008

Habitual speaking fundamental frequency (sF0) plays an important role in determining the voice classification, which can be presented differently depending on the vocal fold length and language habits. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to compare the differences in sF0 for voice classification and closed quotient between speaking and singing. Seventeen singers (7 sopranos, 5 tenors, 5 baritones, mean age 25.1 years) with no evidence of vocal folds pathology were participated. sF0 and closed quotient (CQ) both in speaking and in singing (A3-A5 with soprano, A2-A4 with tenor and baritone) were measured using SPEAD program and electroglottography. No significant differences were observed for sF0 between tenor and baritone groups (p> 0.05). However, CQ in singing was significantly different among three groups (p< 0.05), but CQ in speaking was not (p> 0.05). Furthermore, CQ was significantly different with both soprano (p< 0.01) and tenor groups ((P= 0.02) whereas baritone group revealed there is no difference when compared between speaking and singing. No significant differences in sF0 between tenor and baritone participants may result from decision-making for voice classification by experience and should measure sF0 before determining the voice classification.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.115-139
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• 1998

The aim of this study is to develop an the assessment program for the singing voice which is based on the physiological and acoustic methods. 22 sopranos, 6 mezzo sopranos, 4 tenors and 4 baritones participated to these experiments. The results measured by Visi-Pitch, spectrograph, and strobo-scope can be summarized as follows: (1) The maximum phonation time of singers must over 14 second higher with one deep inspiration (2) The parts classified by vocal range using Visi-Pitch: soprano between 167Hz $\sim$1,190Hz, mezzo soprano between 146Hz$\sim$956Hz, tenor between 75Hz$\sim$503Hz and baritone between 73 Hz and 385 Hz. (3) Longitudinal glottal size of singers decreases depending on the high-low pitch variation while lattitudinal glottal size increases depending on high-low pitch variation. (4) Well-trained singers show over 5 times the vibrato rate of untrained singers and regular pitch variation during measured periods. Vibrato's intensity do not over 3 dB. (5) Singer's formant indicates professional voice depending on the each parts: 3,207 Hz for soprano, 3,057 Hz for mezzo soprano, 2,754 Hz for tenor and 2,560 Hz for baritone.. (6) $F_1$ of singing voice is higher than that of speech while $F_2\;and\;F_3$ of singing voice are lower than those of speech.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.23-33
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• 2007

This study examined the aerodynamic functions (mean airflow rate MFR, subglottal pressure Psub) and closed quotients (CQs) in the fixed pitch (C3, E3, G3, C4) with the variable loudness (70 and 80 dB) as well as in the fixed loudness at 70 dB and 80 dB with the variable pitch (C3, E3, G3, C4) in five classic male singers (Baritone). Results showed that MFR significantly increased at C3, E3, and G3 and Psub significantly increased at C4 when the loudness increased from 70 to 80 dB. At 70 dB, MFR and Psub significantly increased and CQ significantly decreased when the pitch increased from C3 to C4. At 80 dB, MFR significantly decreased when the pitch increased from C3 to G3. However, Psub showed the significant decrease with the pitch increased at 80 dB. In conclusion, as the loudness increases, the aerodynamic loss is getting higher and vocal efficiency becomes lower at low pitch than at higher pitch. At a low loudness level, the main mechanism to control loudness is the amount of medial compression of the vocal folds rather than the aerodynamic function. In addition, the aerodynamic function and medial compression of the vocal folds have a significant role in increasing the loudness level.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.59-72
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• 2000

Vocal tract resonances are of paramount importance to voice sounds. Resonance frequencies determine vowel quality and the personal voice timber. The aim of this study was to make an effective diction program according to tuning formant frequencies by adjusting the vocal tract shape in professional voice users. Twelve male student singers and eleven female student singers participated in this study. The subjects repeated five simple vowels /a, e, i, o, u/ in normal speech and singing. The spoken vowels and sung vowels were measured by formant frequencies and the singer's formant frequencies using CSL and DSP Sona-Graph. Separately, Plot formants program was used to draw the vowel chart. The results were as follows. (1) Total formant frequencies of female singers were 11% higher than those of males singers in singing. (2) The F1 and F3 of sung vowels increased compared to F1 and F3 spoken vowels. However, The F2 of sung vowels decreased in comparison with F2 of spoken vowels. (3) Posterior vowel /u/ were moved anteriorly. This phenomenon seemed to be due to head voice singing training. (4) Singer's formant frequencies in student singers appeared according to the part: 2560 Hz for baritone, 2760 Hz for Tenor, 2821 Hz for Mezzo soprano and 3420 Hz for soprano.

• Proceedings of the KSPS conference
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• 1996.10a
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• pp.362-366
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• 1996

This paper is generally divided in 2 parts. One is the study on vowels about korean singer's lyric song in view of Daniel Jones' Cardinal Vowel. The other is acoustic study on vowels in my singing about korean lyric song. Analysis data are KBS concert video tape and CSL's. NSP file on my singing and Informants are famous singers i.e. 3 sopranos, 1 mezzo, 2 tenors, 1baritone, and me. Analysis aim is to find out Korean 8 vowels([equation omitted]) quality in singing. The methods of descrition are used in closed vowels, half closed vowels, half open vowels, open vowels and rounded vowels, unroundes vowels and formants. The study of the former is while watching the monitor screen to stop the scene that is to be analysixed. The study of the latter is to analysis the spectrogram converted by CSL's. SP file. Analysis results are an follows: Visual and auditory korean vowels quality in singing have the 3 tendency. One is the tendency of more rounded than is usual Korean vowels. Another is the tendency of centralized to center point in Cardinal Vowel and the other is the tendency of diversity in vowel quality. Acoustic analysis is studied by means of 4 formants. Fl and F2 show similiar step in spoken. In Fl there is the same formant values. This seems to vocal organization be perceived the singign situation. The width of F3 is the widest of all, so F3 may be the characteristics in singing. In conclude, the characteristics of vowels in Korean lyric songs are seems to have the tendencies of rounding, centralizing to center point in Cardinal Vowel, diversity in vowel quality and, F3'widest width in compared with usual Korean vowels.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.122-127
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• 2004

Background and Objectives : Many studies have described and analyzed singer's formant and it has been shown that the epilaryngeal tube in the human airway is responsible for vocal ring, or the singer's formant. A similar phenomenon produced by trained singers in their speech led some authors to examine the speaker's ring. This study was designed to analyze the speaking voice of the singers and speaker's ring. Baterials and Methods : Ten tenors, fifteen baritones, fifteen sopranos and ten mezzo sopranos attending the music college, department of vocal music were chosen for this study. Fifteen male and fifteen female untrained normal speakers were chosen for control group. Each subject was asked to produce a sample of a sustained spoken vowel /ah/ sound for at least five seconds and read sentence 'Kaeul'. The sound data was analyzed using the Fast Fourier Transform(FFT) - based power spectrum, Long term average(LTA) power spectrum using the FFT algorithm of the Computerized Speech Lab(CSL, Kay elemetrics, Model 4300B, USA). Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney test of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS). Results : For LTA Power spectrum of/ah/ sound, a significant increase was seen in the 2,500-3,500Hz region(p<0.01) in four trained singer group compared with untrained speaker group, and a significant increase in the 9,000-10,000Hz region(p<0.01) in soparano group. Similarly, in sentence 'Kaeul', there was a significant increase in energy in the tenor, baritone, mezzo soprano group compared with the untrained speaker group in the 2,500-3,500Hz region(p<0.01), and a significant increase in all frequency region(p<0.01) in the soprano group. Conclusions : The LTA power spectrum suggests that trained singers group show more energy concentration in the 'singer's formant' region in the speaking voice, and authors believe this region to be the 'speaker's ring'. Further research is needed on the effect of singing training on the resonance of the speaking voice.