Performing

Media: Voices
 Throughouthistory, singing
has been the most
widespread and familiar way
of making music.
 The voice is an instrument
with a unique ability to fuse
words and musical tones.
 Almost anything can vibrate, and will
vibrate at a natural frequency, that is at
a rate that is most conducive to its
vibrating.
 You can feel this by tilting your head
back and saying, in a low voice,
"Awwwww". Put a hand on your chest
and feel it rumble. Now tilt your head
forward, place a hand on your head and
say, "Heeeeeeeeeee" in a high voice.
Feel the vibrations in your skull?
Anatomy of the Voice

 The ability to produce voice

starts with airflow from the
lungs, which is coordinated by
the action of the diaphragm and
abdominal and chest muscles.
 The voice box (larynx) and vocal
folds (sometimes called vocal
cords) comprise the vibratory
system of the voice mechanism.
 The vocal tract is comprised of
resonators which give a
personal quality to the voice,
and the modifiers or articulators
which form sound into voiced
sounds.
 1 Column of air pressure moves
upward towards vocal folds in
"closed" position
 2, 3 Column of air pressure opens
bottom of vibrating layers of vocal
folds; body of vocal folds stays in
place
 4, 5 Column of air pressure
continues to move upward, now
towards the top of vocal folds, and
opens the top
 6–10 The low pressure created
behind the fast-moving air column
produces a Bernoulli effect which
causes the bottom to close, followed
by the top
 10 Closure of the vocal folds cuts off
the air column and releases a pulse
of air
 New vibratory cycle – repeat 1-10
 The buzz created by the vocal folds
resonates (vibrates) the air column and
this in turn causes the structures above
and around the larynx to
vibrate/resonate as well.
 The vocal folds vibrate and chop the air
stream into little puffs of air. The rate or
frequency at which these puffs come out is
very fast - from 32 cycles per second or Hertz
(Hz) for a very low voice to 3136 Hz for a very
high voice. We normally speak somewhere
between 98 Hz and 262 Hz. This rate is called
the fundamental frequency.
 http://www.vocalistonline.com/view/952/high-s
peed-video-of-the-vocal-folds/
 In speech, the rate of vibration of the
vocal folds creates the fundamental
frequency, or pitch of the sound. The
frequency or frequencies at which the air
column vibrates determines the quality
of the tone.
 In singing, we hold vowel sounds longer,
and need a greater supply and control of
breath.
 For many reasons, it is difficult to sing
well. In singing, we use wider ranges of
pitch and volume (dynamics) than in
speaking.
 http://www.vocalistonline.com/view/774/larynx
-and-the-voice-part-1/
 The sound created by the vocal folds
isn't a pure tone - it is complex. It is
made up of the fundamental frequency
(the rate at which the folds vibrate) and
a number of partials, which are
harmonics of the fundamental
frequency, vibrating 2 times, 3 times, 4
times, etc... as fast as the fundamental.
Our voices are made up of a spectrum
of the fundamental and these
"overtones".
 The use of harmonics can be emphasized and
focused to make a beautiful form of singing, called
Overtone Singing. There are many styles of this,
including the chanting of Tibetan Monks, Throat
Singing & Khoomei.
 http://www.khoomei.com/mp3s/steveko.mp3
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=UJ3BX2tMj1Y&feature=related
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=A1KzgJAvS8M&feature=related
The Physics of Singing
 Different singers produce different
sounds when they sing.The pitch of the
sounds we hear is determined by the
frequency of the sound wave produced.
 The frequency of the wave can also be
determined by the wavelength of the
sound wave. Singers with high pitch
voices produce high frequency sound
waves.
 while ones with low pitch voices produce
low frequency sound waves.
 Singers are sometimes evaluated on
their singing range.
 The range of a singer’s voice depends
on both physical makeup and training.
Professional singers can sing 2 octaves
or more, whereas an untrained voice is
limited to about 1 1/2 octaves.
 Let’s see what my range is…
 Voice ranges can be classified.
 The four basic voice ranges from
highest to lowest are:
 Soprano
 Alto
 Tenor
 Bass
 For singers to have a wide singing
range, they must put some practice into
manipulating the pitch of their voices.
With much practice, it is possible to
increase ones range a whole octave or
higher.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 http://www.unc.edu/~tjwoodar/index_files/
Page457.html
 http://www.vocalistonline.com/view/774/larynx-
and-the-voice-part-1/
 http://www.vocalistonline.com/view/952/high-
speed-video-of-the-vocal-folds/
 http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/journey/
resonation.html
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=UJ3BX2tMj1Y&feature=related
 Kamien, Roger. MUSIC: AN APPRECIATION.
McGraw-Hill, 1990.