Journal of Voice
Volume 24, Issue 1 , Pages 39-46, January 2010

Effects of Training on Time-Varying Spectral Energy and Sound Pressure Level in Nine Male Classical Singers

  • Sam Ferguson

      Affiliations

    • Acoustics Research Laboratory, Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence and reprint requests to Sam Ferguson, Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney, Wilkinson Building, 148 City Road, NSW 2006, Australia.
    • ,
  • Dianna T. Kenny

      Affiliations

    • Australian Centre for Applied Research in Music Performance (ACARMP), Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
    • ,
  • Densil Cabrera

      Affiliations

    • Acoustics Research Laboratory, Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Accepted 6 May 2008. published online 30 January 2009.

Summary 

The male classical singing voice is a musical instrument that is very important in western culture. It has many acoustic features which should change and improve over the period in which the singer trains. In this study we compare nine singers in different stages of training, from university level students through to international soloists. Typically, Energy Ratio (ER; a measure of mean spectral slope) and mean sound pressure level (SPL) may be calculated to summarize an entire singing sample. We investigate an alternative approach, by calculating the time-varying ER and SPL. The inspection of the distribution of these descriptors over an aria's time period yields a more detailed picture of the strategies for high-frequency energy production used by singers with different levels of training.

Key Words: Singing quality, Singer's formant, Long-term average spectrum

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PII: S0892-1997(08)00072-6

doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2008.05.002

Journal of Voice
Volume 24, Issue 1 , Pages 39-46, January 2010

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