VOICE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY Ingo Titze, Associate Editor Formant Frequency Shifts for Classical and Theater Belt Vowel Modification Ingo Titze N INFORMAL STUDY was conducted as a classroom exercise at the 2010 Summer Vocology Institute in Salt Lake City. Eleven students, each with five years or more of classical voice training, had been instructed in belt technique by a faculty member of the Brigham Young University music theater and dance department. A sequence of five speech vowels, phonetically written as /i/-fe/-/al-/o/-/u/, was produced with the vocal fry (pulse register) technique to provide formant frequencies on a spectrum display (Voce Vista"). Four formant frequencies were measured for each vowel in the sequence, and entire sequence was repeated three times Ingo Titze to determine the reliability of the measures. The singers then were asked to modify the vowels to approximate an inverted megaphone mouth shape (wide in the back of the mouth and phat- yax with only a moderate lip opening, as often taught in classical singing in the Gj-Ds pitch range). The modification resulted in an approximate pho- netic description of /Il-/e/-/A/-/3/-/U/ for the vowels. Three repetitions of each sequence were produced. A megaphone mouth shape (wide open at the lips with no attempt to widen the back of the mouth or pharynx) was then produced by each singer. This modification is typical for belt production around G,-Ds,. The phonetic description was /i/-/el- Jil was not deemed a belt vowel by the instructor. There was litte lip round- ing for the />/, the belt modification for an /w Figure 1 shows the first formant frequency (F1) across vowels for a male singer. The speech vowels showed the greatest F1 range, from around C, for /i/ to around Fs for /a/ and back to Fy for /u/. The classical singing first formant frequencies had a much smaller variation across vowels. In fact, except for the /a/ vowel, they all clustered around C,, suggesting that the modification is used to strengthen the fundamental (first harmonic) frequency of the source for notes in the G.-C; range. These are high notes for males and mid-range notes for females For the belt vowels, mainly /w/,fa/, and a very bright /o/, the first formant frequency approached Cy, suggesting that the second harmonic (2F0) from the source can be reinforced for notes in the G.-C; range. In other words, F1 is raised nearly by an octave to resonate the second harmonic instead of //-Ial-I9/, although the Journ of Singing, anuary February 2011 the fundamental = Caen ee Figure 2 shows similar data for a female singer. The same pattern is seen, except National Assocation ofTeachersofSingng | that on average the formant frequencies are about 3~4 semitones higher. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 3 ao E# I ingo Titze Cee ] “ Figure 1. First formant frequency (F1) modifications from speech to classical singing and belt production, Data are for a male singer. The full data set for all eleven singers will be pub: lished later. A preliminary observation here is that there islittle difference in the way males and females approach vowel modification in the G,~Ds range, but the modi- fications are highly dependent on singing styles. The fundamental frequency (FO) appears to be reinforced by FI for classical singing, whereas the second harmonic (280) appears to be reinforced by Fl for belting, Ingo R. Titzis Distinguished Professor of Speech Scince and Voie at | the University of ova ané Execute Dect’ othe National Canter for Voice and Speech at the University of Uta. His formal educaton Is in physics and electrical engineering, but he has devoted much of his studies tovo- | cal music and speech. Or. Tze nas published more than 400 articles in scientic and educational journals, coedited two books tiled Vocal Fat Physiology, and now has tree books in print: Princes of Voie Produc tion, The Mfyaetastic Aoradynamic Theory of Phonan, ane Fascinations wth the Human Voce. He has lectured throughout the world and nas ao eared on such educationat television series as innovation, Quantum, and Beyond 2000, He i a recisent ofthe Wiliam and Harriott Gould | ‘ard for anneal physiology the cob Jats Neuroscience Investigation ‘Award, the Claude Pepper Award, the Quintana Award, and the Amer: ican Layngological Association Award. He sa Fellow and a Siver Medaist ‘ofthe Acustica Society of America, and a Felow ofthe American Speech Language-Hearing Association. Dr. Tize has served on a numberof ra ‘ional advisory boards and scientific review groups, ncuting the Scientific ‘Advisory Board ofthe Voice Foundation and the Divison of Research Grants ofthe National institutes of Health nation to is scientific en ‘deavors, Dr. Titze continues to be active as a singer. He is marled 19 312 POET) aa L Figure 2. First formant frequency (F1) modifications from speech to classical singing and belt production. Data are for a female singer. Kathy Tize and has four children and eight grandchildren, Nil shout he addressed to ngo RTize, National Cente orice and Speech, 330, WASH, lava City IA 52242. Telephone (319) 335-6600. AIMS IN GRAZ Tre Lovertean Insitute of Masieal ties conenncesthe ifpwintuent of ANDREA HUBER i Mette Dirertor ‘Andrea Huber, soprano, has sung ead ing roles in opera and operetta in opera houses, theaters, and at festivals in Germany France, Austria, Switzerland, landother European coun noe 1985, Her repertoire also includes lader and the compositions of Kurt Weil ang Fobert Stolz. She recently staned at San Diego Lyric Opera. A graduate of ilirois Wes leyan University and with postgraduate study at Manhattan School of Music, Ms. Huber nas taught at AIMS freight sum= ‘mers and now assumes the postion of AIMS" Artistic Director in charge of fac= tty, curiculum, and programming. She wil be resident in Graz, Austria, where AIMS holds ts Summer Vocal Institute ane Festival. Aditional ographical information can be found | at worw.aimegraz.com, JOURNAL OF StNGING