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Overview: Working music theater singers (MTS) typically have a heavy vocal load and little is known about their perception of vocal function. The Evaluation of the Ability to Sing Easily (EASE) was used to assess professional MTS' perceptions of current singing voice status and to compare scores across demographic and performance characteristics and to evaluate the construct validity of the EASE and its subscales (VF = Vocal Fatigue, PRI = Pathologic-Risk Indicators). Methods: Professional MTS (n = 284) completed an online survey including the EASE and two additional Vocal Concern (VC) items. Scores were compared across age, gender, whether currently working, role, perceived vocal load over the past 24 h and self-reported voice problem. Results: For the whole cohort, statistically significant differences were found on all subscales according to whether or not singers perceived themselves to have a voice problem (p < 0.001). Currently performing singers were significantly different from those not performing in a show on the EASE Total (p = 0.014) and VF (p = 0.002), but not for PRI and VC. In the currently performing singer group, significant differences were found for gender, role and perceived voice problem on the EASE Total and all subscales (p < 0.01). Significantly higher VF scores were recorded for singers with heavy vocal load (p = 0.01), but there were no differences on the EASE Total (p = 0.57), PRI (p = 0.19) or VC subscales (p = 0.53). Among these performing singers, no significant age differences were found for any EASE subscales. Conclusions: These findings provide further validation of the EASE as a useful tool for measuring singers' perceptions of vocal function and suggest that the subscales should be scored separately. Future evaluation of the EASE against objective clinical assessments (e.g., videostroboscopy) is recommended. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel

There are two kinds of function for all sound voice, the first is true voice, which is from the function of true voice; the second is false voice, which is from the falsetto. The good combination of the two kinds of function can produce good singing. This paper studies on the value of falsetto in the national vocal music singing and teaching systematically and semantically through analyze the advantages and disadvantages of existing definitions for falsetto, to presents the author ' s own view: the falsetto is the sound of singing produced by the resonance effect which is formed by the falsetto functional movement of vocal cords and corresponding head resonance. This paper objectively evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of four kinds of voice, which are art true voice, art false voice, natural and false voice connect, natural and false voice mix and list the existing forms of falsetto in the original national singing art category to argument the value of falsetto. This paper redefines the scope of national vocal music: China's national vocal music art include the Chinese songs which are sang by Chinese language(including Chinese minority script ) and bear Chinese style. This paper also discusses the application of falsetto in the National vocal music singing and believes that the proportion of true voice and false voice in the full range should be different in various style vocal music works.

Summary Objective/Hypothesis It is known that singers are able to control their voice to maintain a relatively constant vocal quality while transitioning between vocal registers; however, the neural mechanisms underlying this effect are not understood. It was hypothesized that greater attention to the acoustical feedback of the voice and increased control of the vocal musculature during register transitions compared with singing within a register would be represented as neurological differences in event-related potentials. Study Design/Methods Nine singers sang musical notes at the high end of the modal register (the boundary between the modal and the head/falsetto registers) and at the low end (the boundary between the modal and the fry/pulse registers). While singing, the pitch of the voice auditory feedback was unexpectedly shifted either into the adjacent register ("toward" the register boundary) or within the modal register ("away from" the boundary). Singers were instructed to maintain a constant pitch and ignore any changes to their voice feedback. Results Vocal response latencies and magnitude of the accompanying N1 and P2 event-related potentials were greatest at the lower (modal-to-fry) boundary when the pitch shift carried the subjects' voices into the fry register as opposed to remaining within the modal register. Conclusions These findings suggest that when a singer lowers the pitch of his or her voice such that it enters the fry register from the modal register, there is increased sensory-motor control of the voice, reflected as increased magnitude of the neural potentials to help minimize qualitative changes in the voice.

The speaking voice and the singing voice both originate from the same source: the larynx. Beyond that obvious fact there are quite different issues facing the singer/actor's use of the voice in terms of placement, pitch, registration, breath support, etc. Most studies of the voice deal with the singing voice because it is easier to measure, as it deals with exact not approximate pitches. The professional speaking voice is another matter. Either it is ignored in studies or is treated as an extension of the singing voice. Singers have a difficult time getting out of the "head" voice after singing at high pitches for a long time and actors sometime have difficulty accessing the "head voice" to sing after a long emotional scene, and are often afraid of singing high pitches. The body of the paper will be an exploration of these issues through interviews with voice professionals concerned with both the singing and the speaking voice, with the focus on developing a shared pedagogy that recognizes the demands of ...

In this paper, we investigate the acoustic features that can be modified to control the perceptual age of a singing voice. Singers can sing expressively by controlling prosody and vocal timbre, but the varieties of voices that singers can produce are limited by physical constraints. Previous work has attempted to overcome this limitation through the use of statistical voice conversion. This technique makes it possible to convert singing voice characteristics of an arbitrary source singer into those of an arbitrary target singer. However, it is still difficult to intuitively control singing voice characteristics by manipulating parameters corresponding to specific physical traits, such as gender and age. In this paper, we focus on controlling the perceived age of the singer and, as a first step, perform an investigation of the factors that play a part in the listener’s perception of the singer’s age. The experimental results demonstrate that 1) the perceptual age of singing voices corresponds relatively well to the actual age of the singer, 2) speech analysis/synthesis processing and statistical voice conversion processing don’t cause adverse effects on the perceptual age of singing voices, and 3) prosodic features have a larger effect on the perceptual age than spectral features. Index Terms: singing voice, voice conversion, perceptual age, spectral and prosodic features, subjective evaluations.

We describe a multimedia installation that provides users with the experience to sing like a tenor from the early 20th century. The user defines vowels with her mouth but does not produce sound. The mouth shape is recognized and tracked by a depth-sensing camera and synthesized using a dedicated sound analysis using formants. Arm gestures are recognized and used to determine pitch and volume of an artificially generated voice. This synthesized voice is additionally modified by acoustic filters to sound like a singing voice from an old gramophone. The installation allows to scan the user's face and to create an individual 3D model of a tenor character that is used to visualize the user performance.

The Voice Range Profile (VRP) measurement offers a method for the investigation of voice modalities i.e. speaking voice, shouting voice and singing voice in their mutual pitch and intensity relations. The parameters FO and SPL are evaluated by means of automatic pitch and SPL measurements from (1) sustained phonation /a:/ in the speaker's natural pitch and intensity range, (2) the continuous speaking voice beginning with Pianissimo up to Fortissimo, (3) the shouting voice. Vocal intensity is plotted vertically, vocal pitch horizontally. The displays of the vocal intensity versus fundamental frequency are defined as singing voice range profile (VRP), speaking VRP and shouting VRP. The VRPs are superimposed on the same plot. Their form, their shape and their position to each other are analysed. The physiological relationships between the VRPs of the different voice modalities to each other are defined. The pathological relationships between the VRPs (i.e. reduction, shifting) give information about etiology and pathomechanism of voice disorders.

There are some techniques expressing emotion in singing. One of the techniques used by some professional singers is controlling breathiness of uttered voice intentionally. However, this breathiness control can make it difficult for an amateurish singer to keep pitch and pressure of uttered voice steady. In this publication, we verify what kind of feature is appropriate for representing breathiness of singing voice by converting the feature of normal voice into that of breathy voice. Extracted features for conversion are aperiodicity index and STRAIGHT spectrum (“voice quality parameters” below) obtained through STRAIGHT analysis of recorded vowel singing whose pitch, pressure and breathiness are constant and under several conditions. We have tested two conversion methods; one compensates voice quality parameters of normal voice statically so that the averaged parameters of generated voice are equivalent to those of high-breathiness voice, another exchanges voice quality parameters of normal voice totally ...

A considerable amount of contemporary Japanese pop music includes high tones that cannot be sung using only one vocal register. Indeed, attempting to do so often results in throat strain, a situation that often occurs in karaoke. Previous research has focused on evaluating trained, classical, and operatic styles of singing. There is insufficient research on automatic evaluation of the quality of high tones. We have developed a system with 25 dimensions that automatically determines a user's voice quality by identifying his/her vocal register and then recommends a more suitable one. The analysis primarily used fundamental frequency, formant, harmonics, and residual signal. An electromyogram was used to analyze a “tightening voice” in modal voice, which sounds strained and/or represents suffering. The identification rate of the state of utterance while singing was 91.7% per unit of note.

Singing voice synthesis is an interesting research due to its wide application in entertainment systems. The generation of singing voice normally replies on techniques of changing the fundamental frequency of existing vocal recording. When the fundamental frequency of vocal signal is changed to match the intended pitch contour of the song, the melody is correctly implemented. However, if there is a great change over the pitch of a vocal signal, the spectrum of the signal should also change accordingly so as to generate a natural singing voice. Unfortunately, currently the spectrum differences for singing voice at different pitch level are unclear. Therefore, the relationship between the spectrum and pitch needs to be examined. As formants are important elements of spectrum, therefore in this research we look at the relationship between formants and pitch. For a start, we first examine the sound of 'ah' at different pitch levels for both male and female voices.

The highest "register" of the female singing voice, often called the "flageolet register" (also called "flute register," "bell register," etc., as well as the misleading term "whistle register"), is broadly recognized by voice pedagogues, but not generally defined in terms that are adequate for objective description. This article presents a description of characteristic patterns of vocal fold movement and of vocal tract formants that are specific for the register. Measurements are made by electroglottograph, pharyngeally placed wide-band pressure transducers, and an external microphone in professional soprano subjects who are adept in using this register.

This paper reviews the development of different kinds of voice range profile measurements from the past to the present stage.The combined measurements of the speakig, shouting, and singing voice range profiles are presented and the methold explained which was developed in Hannover.After analysis of more than 300 persons with normal voices and over 700 patients with voice disorders the relationship between the three voice profiles have been evaluated and described. The voice range profiles may be documented and superimposed for comparison before and after therapy.In functional voice disorders there is often some discrepancy between the singing, shouting, and speaking voice profiles.Despite a normal singing voice profile, the speaking voice area is restricted and displaced.In organic voice disorders the singing voice profile is found more or less reduced particularly in the head register, or all modalities of the voice production are effected.Voice range profile measurements have been proved useful in clinical practice. The method should become more attention for its use in diagnostics and for therapy monitoring in all kinds of voice disorders, exspecially for expert opinion.

In Noh, a traditional performing art of Japan, extremely expressive voice quality is used to convey an emotional message. A periodicity of voice appears responsible for these special effects. Acoustic signals were recorded for selected portions of dramatic singing in order to study the acoustic effects of delicate voice control by a master of the Konparu school. Using a signal analysis-synthesis algorithm, TANDEM-STRAIGHT, to represent multiple candidates for pitch perception, signals deviating from the harmonic structure have been successfully displayed, corresponding to auditory impressions of pitch movements, even when narrow-band spectrograms failed to show the perceived events. Strong interaction between vocal tract resonance and vocal fold vibration seems to play a major role in producing these expressive voice qualities.

Neurogenic communication disorders are a routine component of clinical practice in physiatry. The organicity of motor speech impairments and of forms of dysphagia is a basic, recurring element of clinical practice in physical and rehabilitative medicine. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of some forms of and causes for predictable dysphonias associated with professional voice use. Intended as a synopsis of hyperfunctional voice disorders associated with professional voice use, only certain laryngeal pathologies with functional etiology and their effects on phonation are acknowledged.

International audience; Starting from Garcia's definition, the historical evolution of the notion of vocal registers from then until now is considered. Even though much research has been carried out on vocal registers since then, the notion of registers is still confused in the singing voice community, and defined in many different ways. While some authors consider a vocal register as a totally laryngeal event, others define it in terms of overall voice quality similarities. This confusion is reflected in the multiplicity of labellings, and it lies in the difficulty of identifying and specifying the mechanisms distinguished by these terms. The concept of laryngeal mechanism is then introduced, on the basis of laryngeal transition phenomena detected by means of electroglottography. It helps to specify at least the laryngeal nature of a given singing voice register. On this basis, the main physiological, acoustic, and perceptual characteristics of the most common singing voice registers are surveyed.

Singing teachers sometimes characterize voice quality in terms of 'forward' and 'backward placement'. In view of traditional knowledge about voice production, it is hard to explain any possible acoustic or articulatory differences between the voices so 'placed'. We have synthesized a number of three-tone melodic excerpts performed by the singing voice. Formant frequencies, and the level and frequency of the singer's formant were varied across the stimuli. Results of a listening test show that the stimuli which were perceived as 'placed forward', correlated not only with higher frequencies of the first and second formants, but also with the higher frequency and level of the singer's formant.

Desktop music (DTM) software is used to synthesize various instrumental sounds, whereas it was difficult to synthesize the natural singing voice because the singing voice is more complicated than other instrumental sounds. In the past, it had been object that we output more natural singing voice by analyzing the singing voice and extracting the spectrum envelope with high accuracy. Recently, since the algorithm is improved, the singing voice synthesis software is used. In the conventional method, it had been focused changing the original voice personality by controlling some parameters of spectrum envelope. However, the method can synthesize the singing voice by only particular voice personality. The quality of the synthesized singing voice also depends on accurate control of voice personality. In this study, we attempt to control user’s impression directly and investigate the control method that is focused on the singer's individuality in the singing voice. In this paper, we propose a voice personality c...

Summary Voice research has enjoyed its most productive period of history during the past 25 years. Many of the enigmas related to the biomechanics and acoustics of the singing voice have been resolved. This paper presents state of-the-art understanding regarding the following topics: vibrato, the singer's formant, formant tracking, voice registers, subglottal pressure, voice classification, modes of vocal fold vibration, laryngeal position during singing, flow glottography, and singing synthesis. In addition to these topics, the people who ave made the most significant contributions to the advancement of singing research are recognized.

In singing, there is sometimes a conflict between maximizing the size and consistency of the voice and maximizing the number of distinct qualities that can be utilized. Most vocalists can voluntarily change vocal register (from chest to fry, falsetto, and in some cases whistle), vocal ring (from resonant to fluty), vocal tightness (from normal to breathy or pressed), and vocal roughness. But classical singers, for whom electronic amplification is often not an option, limit the use of the full scope of these qualities. Falsetto register which involves only part of the vocal fold in vibration, is used sparingly because it doesn’t balance with chest voice in terms of loudness. The same can be said for breathy voice, produced with a wider glottis. Some vocal qualities are not used because they are spectrally unbalanced, and rough voice is often rejected because it suggests lack of refinement and harmonic purity. With amplification, many of the restrictions on vocal quality are removed. [Work supported by Grant No. P60 DC00976 from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.]

In a voice modifying apparatus for modifying a singing voice to emulate a model voice, a microphone collects the singing voice created by a singer. An analyzer sequentially analyzes the collected singing voice to extract therefrom actual formant data representing resonance characteristics of a singer's own vocal organ which is physically activated to create the singing voice. A sequencer operates in synchronization with progression of the singing voice for sequentially providing reference formant data which indicates a vocal quality of the model voice and which is arranged to match with the progression of the singing voice. A comparator sequentially compares the actual formant data and the reference formant data with each other to detect a difference therebetween during the progression of the singing voice. An equalizer modifies frequency characteristics of the collected singing voice according to the detected difference so as to emulate the vocal quality of the model voice.

The purpose of the study was concerned with specific elements of the portion of the female voice commonly referred to as whistle or flute register. Three elements of vocal production were chosen for which past research has demonstrated relationships to source function. These elements included spectral characteristics, airflow rates, and perceptual identification. The research compared what the singer-subjects perceived as being whistle register phonations with that which they perceived as being head register phonations. A comparative technique was utilized where pitch, intensity and phonemic category were held relatively constant, register, therefore, being the only variable. Spectral characteristics and airflow rates of the two subject-determined registers were compared. In addition, an attempt was made to determine if the whistle register could be perceptually differentiated on the basis of voice quality

The problem of the timbre of the speaking voice has been studied by various investigators. However, little extended work has been done with the singing voice, which it appears is considerably different from the normal speaking voice. The key to a much‐needed revision and “codification” of many methods of teaching voice lies in a precise knowledge of what physiologic and acoustic phenomena are taking place in “good” and in “poor” tone‐production. This paper summarizes the results of a three year investigation to determine the ideal frequency characteristics of good voices, as a first step in laying the foundation for a scientific pedagogy of voice. Nearly a thousand oscillograms have been taken, each long enough to include at least one complete cycle of the voice‐vibrato. They comprise various qualities from best to poorest from over 40 male and female voices of all degrees of training, at frequent points throughout the pitch series, on various vowels, and at various intensities. A study of these records, ...

Singing and speaking are closely associated, but they are different processes, and different training of the voice is necessary. They are two distinct mechanisms, but because they are carried on simultaneously, they have been erroneously considered as varieties of the same process. They differ in physiology, production and characteristics, both subjectively and objectively. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SINGING AND SPEAKING Objective .—The objective differences between singing and speaking are found in the range, pitch, duration and quality of the voice. Singing is usually rapid and overlapping or slurred, but this is not necessarily true of speaking. In singing, the voice ranges over two octaves or more. In speaking, it rarely covers even one octave. Singing is at a sustained pitch, whereas in speaking the pitch varies, changes and is short in duration. Subjective .—Sound depends on the proper functioning of four mechanisms—the motor, the vibrator, the resonators and the articulators. The

THE story goes-a well-authenticated story-that Sir George Grove once asked Sir Charles Santley to adjudicate at a competition for young singers at the Royal College of Music. Santley duly attended, but refused to award a prize, on the ground that none of the competitors had been taught the art of singing. Grove, much upset, pressed him to modify his opinion, but Santley replied forthrightly that that was the view he took and he was unable to take another.

given scant attention in the study of somatic changes. Two aspects of vocal change are examined here: first, the pubertal deepening of the male voice; and second, the historical development of the singing voice of adults-its range and pitch. Voice breaking has not been highly regarded as an indicator of the development of human growth and the age at puberty, because it does not occur at a definite point in pubertal development but proceeds slowly over about a year. By contrast, the age of girls at menarche is exactly determinable; mass observations of the onset of menstruation have been available since the middle of

Much of the confusion that surrounds the definition of registers in the singing voice grows out of the confusion of two completely different sets of phenomena. The voice shows two physiologically distinct registers, using different muscular actions, as shown by high‐speed motion pictures. The degree of cooperation between these two actions depends on the skill and natural gifts of the singer. There is also a series of changes in voice quality, sometimes designated as “lifts,” which are purely acoustic in origin. Sound spectrograms show that these result from the enhancement of different harmonics of the voice as the frequency is varied while the formant resonances of throat and mouth are held essentially constant. A similar phenomenon can be demonstrated with electronic organs of the formant type. A bass voice may exhibit five or more such “lifts,” while a soprano will have only two or three. These lifts can be helpful in voice classification and are influenced by the vowel and by modifications to it. An ...