Abstract
Introduction
Typical singing registers are the chest and falsetto; however, trained singers have
an additional register, namely, the mixed register. The mixed register, which is also
called “mixed voice” or “mix,” is an important technique for singers, as it can help
bridge from the chest voice to falsetto without noticeable voice breaks.
Objective
The present study aims to reveal the nature of the voice-production mechanism of the
different registers (chest, mix, and falsetto) using high-speed digital imaging (HSDI),
electroglottography (EGG), and acoustic and aerodynamic measurements.
Study Design
Cross-sectional study.
Methods
Aerodynamic measurements were acquired for twelve healthy singers (six men and women)
during the phonation of a variety of pitches using three registers. HSDI and EGG devices
were simultaneously used on three healthy singers (two men and one woman) from which
an open quotient (OQ) and speed quotient (SQ) were detected. Audio signals were recorded
for five sustained vowels, and a spectral analysis was conducted to determine the
amplitude of each harmonic component. Furthermore, the absolute (not relative) value
of the glottal volume flow was estimated by integrating data obtained from the HSDI
and aerodynamic studies.
Results
For all singers, the subglottal pressure (PSub) was the highest for the chest in the three registers, and the mean flow rate (MFR)
was the highest for the falsetto. Conversely, the PSub of the mix was as low as the falsetto, and the MFR of the mix was as low as the chest.
The HSDI analysis showed that the OQ differed significantly among the registers, even
when the fundamental frequency was the same; the OQ of the mix was higher than that
of the chest but lower than that of the falsetto. The acoustic analysis showed that,
for the mix, the harmonic structure was intermediate between the chest and falsetto.
The results of the glottal volume-flow analysis revealed that the maximum volume velocity
was the least for the mix register at every fundamental frequency. The first and second
harmonic (H1-H2) difference of the voice source spectrum was the greatest for the
falsetto, then the mix, and finally, the chest.
Conclusions
We found differences in the registers in terms of the aeromechanical mechanisms and
vibration patterns of the vocal folds. The mixed register proved to have a distinct
voice-production mechanism, which can be differentiated from those of the chest or
falsetto registers.
Key Words
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of VoiceAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Addressing vocal register discrepancies: an alternative, science-based theory of register phenomena.Second International Conference The Physiology and Acoustics of Singing, National Center for Voice and Speech; 2004 Oct 6–9; Denver, Colorado, USA:1-52. 2004; : 1-64
- Memoire sur la voix humaine presente a l'Academie des Sciences en 1840.2nd ed. Imprimerie d'E Duverger, Paris1847
- On vocal registers.J Phon. 1974; 2: 125-143https://doi.org/10.1016/s0095-4470(19)31188-x
- Relation between perceived voice register and flow glottogram parameters in males.J Acoust Soc Am. 2008; 124: 546-551https://doi.org/10.1121/1.2924146
- Principles of Voice Production.Prentice Hall, NJ1994
- Morphological structure of the vocal cord as a vibrator and its variations.Folia Phoniatr. 1974; 26: 89-94
- Physiology of the vocal cords in phonation and respiration.Arch Otolaryngol. 1942; 35: 355-399
- Laryngeal vibrations: measurements of the glottic wave: part I. The normal vibratory cycle.AMA Arch Otolaryngol. 1958; 68: 1-19https://doi.org/10.1001/archotol.1958.00730020005001
- The falsetto. A high speed cinematographic study.Laryngoscope. 1960; 70: 1305-1324https://doi.org/10.1288/00005537-196009000-00008
- Voice source differences between falsetto and modal registers in counter tenors, tenors and baritones.Logop Phoniatr Vocol. 2001; 26: 26-36https://doi.org/10.1080/14015430116949
- Vocal tract resonances in singing: variation with laryngeal mechanism for male operatic singers in chest and falsetto registers.J Acoust Soc Am. 2014; 135: 491-501https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4836255
- Laryngeal vibratory mechanisms: the notion of vocal register revisited.J Voice. 2009; 23: 425-438https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2007.10.014
- The science of singing voice.Cit J Acoust Soc Am. 1990; 87: 462https://doi.org/10.1121/1.399243
- Analysis, synthesis, and perception of voice quality variations among.Female Male Talkers. 1990; 87https://doi.org/10.1121/1.398894
- Investigating the voce faringea: physiological and acoustic characteristics of the Bel Canto Tenor’s forgotten singing practice.J Voice. 2016; 31 (255.e13-255.e23)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2016.06.010
- Is voix mixte, the vocal technique use to smoothe the transition across the two main laryngeal mechanisms, an independent mechanism?.Proc Int Symp Music Acoust, Nara, Japan. 2004;
- The Structure of Singing.Schirmer Books, New York, NY1986: 115-142
- Glottal adduction and subglottal pressure in singing.J Voice. 2015; 29: 391-402https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2014.08.009
- Vocal fold physiology: biomechanics, acoustics, and phonatory control.Proc Int Conf Biophys Voice. 1983;
- Laryngeal muscle activity and vocal fold adduction during chest, chestmix, headmix, and head registers in females.J Voice. 2012; 26: 182-193https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2010.11.002
- Bel Canto: A History ofVocal Pedagogy.University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada1999
- Modeling source-filter interaction in belting and high-pitched operatic male singing.J Acoust Soc Am. 2009; 126: 1530-1540https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3160296
- Trends in musical theatre voice: an analysis of audition requirements for singers.J Voice. 2014; 28: 324-327https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2013.10.007
- Follow-up Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) survey: who's teaching what in nonclassical music.J Voice. 2009; 23: 367-375https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2007.10.012
- The evolution of the female broadway belt voice: implications for teachers and singers.J Voice. 2016; 30 (639.e1-639.e9)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2015.07.008
- Report onvocal registers.in: Askenfeldt A Felicetti S Jansson E Sundberg J Stockholm Musical Acoustic Conference (SMAC). 46th ed. Royal Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm, Sweden1983: 27-35
- Regulation of register, pitch and intensity of voice.Folia Phoniatr. 1970; 22: 1-20
- Cricothyroid muscle and thyroarytenoid muscle dominance in vocal register control: preliminary results.J Voice. 2014; 28 (652.e21-652.e29)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2014.01.017
- Bi-stable vocal fold adduction: a mechanism of modal-falsetto register shifts and mixed registration.J Acoust Soc Am. 2014; 135: 2091-2101https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4868355
- An acoustical study of isoparametric tones in the chest and middle registers in singing.Cit NATS Bull. 1968; : 12-15https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1971679
- The primary female register transition in singing: aerodynamic study.Folia Phoniatr Logop. 1970; 22: 397-402https://doi.org/10.1159/000263418
- High-speed imaging and electroglottography measurements of the open quotient in untrained male voices’ register transitions.J Voice. 2010; 24: 644-650https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2009.05.003
- High-speed motion pictures of the humanvocal cords.Bell Lab Rec. 1940; 18: 203-208
- Stroboscopy versus high-speed glottography: a comparative study.Laryngoscope. 2007; 117: 1123-1126https://doi.org/10.1097/MLG.0b013e318041f70c
- Comparison of high-speed digital imaging with stroboscopy for laryngeal imaging of glottal disorders.Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2008; 117: 413-424https://doi.org/10.1177/000348940811700603
- High-speed laryngeal imaging compared with videostroboscopy in healthy subjects.Arch Otolaryngol - Head Neck Surg. 2009; 135: 274-281https://doi.org/10.1001/archoto.2008.557
- What have we learned about laryngeal physiology from high- speed digital videoendoscopy?.Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2005; 13: 152-156
- Evaluation of vocal fold vibration with an assessment form for high-speed digital imaging: comparative study between healthy young and elderly subjects.J Voice. 2012; 26: 742-750https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2011.12.010
- Automatic tracing of vocal-fold motion from high-speed digital images.IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2006; 53: 1394-1400https://doi.org/10.1109/TBME.2006.873751
- Videokymography in voice disorders: what to look for?.Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2007; 116: 172-180https://doi.org/10.1177/000348940711600303
- A method of applying Fourier analysis to high-speed laryngoscopy.J Acoust Soc Am. 2001; 110: 3193-3197https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1397321
- Further works on the airway interruption method of measuring expiratory air pressure during phonation.Ann Bull RILP. 1984; 18: 19-26
- Aerodynamic change vocal functions under a systematic in intensity.J Acoust Soc Jpn (E). 1987; 5: 177-182
- Age-and gender-related difference of vocal fold vibration and glottal configuration in normal speakers: analysis with glottal area waveform.J Voice. 2014; 28: 525-531https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2014.01.016
- On the use of the derivative of electroglottographic signals for characterization of nonpathological phonation.J Acoust Soc Am. 2004; 115: 1321-1332https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1646401
- Theoretical and experimental study of quasisteady-flow separation within the glottis during phonation. Application to a modified two-mass model.J Acoust Soc Am. 1994; 96: 3416-3431https://doi.org/10.1121/1.411449
- Aerodynamic characteristics of growl voice and reinforced falsetto in metal singing.J Voice. 2019; 33 (803.e7-803.e13)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2018.04.022
- Singing: The Mechanism and the Technique. Carl Fischer, New York1967
- Vocology: The Science and Practice of Voice Habilitation..National Center for Voice and Speech, Salt Lake City, UT2012
- Raising lung pressure and pitch in vocal warm-ups: the use of flow-resistant straws.J Sing. 2002; 58: 329-338
- Voice training and therapy with a semi-occluded vocal tract: rationale and scientific underpinnings.J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2006; 49: 448-460https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2006/035
- Acoustic interactions of the voice source with the lower vocal tract.J Acoust Soc Am. 1997; 101: 2234-2243https://doi.org/10.1121/1.418246
- Hints on singing.Notes. 1972; 28: 443https://doi.org/10.2307/939446
- Source-filter interaction in phonation: a study using vocal-tract data of a soprano singer.Acoust Sci Technol. 2019; 40: 313-324https://doi.org/10.1250/ast.40.313
- Electroglottography – an update.J Voice. 2020; 34: 503-526https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2018.12.014
- High-speed videolaryngoscopy: quantitative parameters of glottal area waveforms and high-speed kymography in healthy individuals.J Voice. 2017; 31: 282-290https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2016.09.026
- A new inverse-filtering technique for deriving the glottal air flow waveform during voicing.J Acoust Soc Am. 1973; 53: 1632-1645https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1913513
- Glottal airflow and transglottal air pressure measurements for male and female speakers in soft, normal, and loud voice.J Acoust Soc Am. 1988; 84: 511-529https://doi.org/10.1121/1.396829
- Physiological correlates of the inverse filtered flow waveform.J Voice. 1992; 6: 224-234https://doi.org/10.1016/S0892-1997(05)80147-X
- Phonatory control in male singing: a study of the effects of subglottal pressure, fundamental frequency, and mode of phonation on the voice source.J Voice. 1993; 7: 15-29https://doi.org/10.1016/S0892-1997(05)80108-0
- Estimation of amplitude features of the glottal flow by inverse filtering speech pressure signals.Speech Commun. 1998; 24: 123-132https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-6393(98)00004-1
- Physics of laryngeal behavior and larynx modes.Phonetica. 1977; 34: 264-279https://doi.org/10.1159/000259885
- The perceptual nature of vocal register change.J Voice. 1987; 1: 223-233https://doi.org/10.1016/S0892-1997(87)80004-8
- A framework for the study of vocal registers.J Voice. 1988; 2: 183-194https://doi.org/10.1016/S0892-1997(88)80075-4
- Clinically evaluated procedure for the reconstruction of vocal fold vibrations from endoscopic digital high-speed videos.Med Image Anal. 2007; 11: 400-413https://doi.org/10.1016/j.media.2007.04.005
- Laser projection in high-speed glottography for high-precision measurements of laryngeal dimensions and dynamicsEur.Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2005; 262: 477-481https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-004-0862-5
- Vibratory patterns of the vocal folds during pulse register phonation.J Acoust Soc Am. 1984; 75: 1293-1297https://doi.org/10.1121/1.390737
- Production mechanism of voice quality in singing.J Phonetic Soc Jpn. 2003; 17: 27-39
- High-speed imaging using rigid laryngoscopy for the analysis of register transitions in professional operatic tenors.Logop Phoniatr Vocol. 2016; 41: 1-8https://doi.org/10.3109/14015439.2014.936499
- Oscillatory characteristics of the vocal folds across the tenor passaggio.J Voice. 2017; 31: 381.e5-381.e14https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2016.06.015
- Mixing” the registers: glottal source or vocal tract?.Folia Phoniatr Logop. 2005; 57: 278-291https://doi.org/10.1159/000087081
- A formant range profile for singers.J Voice. 2017; 31: 382.e9-382.e13https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2016.08.014
Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 29, 2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
