Acoustic physiological and professional characteristics of the speech voice. Diagnosis and correction of disorders

Acoustic physiological and professional characteristics of the speech voice.  Diagnosis and correction of disorders

Voice- this is the sound that is produced under the pressure of exhaled air when tense vocal cords close to each other vibrate in the larynx. The main qualities of any voice are strength, height, timbre. A well-produced voice is also characterized by such properties as euphony, flight, mobility and variety of tone.

The power of the voice- this is its volume, depending on the activity of the respiratory and speech organs. A person must be able to vary the strength of his voice depending on the communication conditions. Therefore, the ability to speak both loudly and quietly is equally necessary.

Voice pitch- this is his ability to tonal changes, that is, his range. An ordinary voice has a range of one and a half octaves, but in everyday speech a person most often uses only 3-4 notes. Expanding the range makes speech more expressive.

Voice timbre- a unique individual coloring, which is determined by the structure of the speech apparatus, mainly by the nature of the overtones formed in the resonators - lower (trachea, bronchi) and upper (oral cavity and nasal cavity). If we cannot arbitrarily control the lower resonators, then the use of the upper resonators can be improved.

Euphony of voice— the purity of its sound, the absence of unpleasant overtones (hoarseness, hoarseness, nasality, etc.). The concept of euphony includes, first of all, sonority. The voice sounds loud when it resonates at the front of the mouth. If the sound is formed near the soft palate, it turns out dull and dull. The sonority of the voice also depends on the concentration of the sound (its concentration at the front teeth), on the direction of the sound, as well as on the activity of the lips.

The euphony of the voice also implies the freedom of its sound, which is achieved by the free functioning of all organs of speech, the absence of tension and muscle tension. This freedom comes at the cost of long exercise. The euphony of the voice should not be equated with the euphony of speech.

Euphony of speech- this is the absence in speech of a combination or frequent repetition of sounds that hurt the ear. The euphony of speech presupposes the most perfect combination of sounds, convenient for pronunciation and pleasant to the ear.

For example, the repetition within a phrase or phrase of whistling and hissing sounds without special stylistic purposes causes cacophony (that is, is assessed as bad-sounding): “in our class there are many students who are conscientiously preparing for the upcoming exams, but there are also quitters”; stringing together words with several consonants in a row: “the gaze of all senses is nobler”; It is not recommended to construct phrases in such a way that there is a gap in the vowels: “and in John.” However, problems of euphony do not relate to speech technique.

Voice mobility- this is his ability to change in strength, height, and tempo without tension. These changes should not be involuntary; for an experienced speaker, changing certain qualities of the voice always pursues a specific goal.

Tone of voice- emotional and expressive coloring of the voice, facilitating the expression in the speaker’s speech, his feelings and intentions. The tone of speech can be kind, angry, enthusiastic, official, friendly, etc. It is created using such means as increasing or weakening the strength of the voice, pauses, accelerating or slowing down the rate of speech.

Speech rate— speed of pronunciation of speech elements (sounds, syllables, words). The absolute rate of speech depends on the individual characteristics of the speaker, the characteristics of his emotional state and communication situation, and pronunciation style.

The tempo of speech is not a direct property of a person’s voice itself, however, the ability to vary, if necessary, the speed of pronunciation of words and phrases can also be attributed to those skills that should be improved in the discipline “Speech Technique”.

Intonation- This is the rhythmic and melodic structure of speech. Intonation includes: pitch, sound strength, tempo, stress and pauses. Means of expressiveness of intonation are conventionally divided into logical and emotional. The main means of logical expressiveness of intonation are logical pause, logical stress, logical melody and logical perspective.

With emotional intonation, words are saturated with emotional content, provided that the thought is properly assessed and one’s attitude towards it is manifested. At the same time, distinctly intense emotional stresses and pauses appear in the intonation, caused by feelings, mood, and desire. They do not always coincide with logical ones, but such a coincidence is desirable.

The human voice is made up of a combination of sounds with different characteristics, which are formed with the participation of the vocal apparatus. The source of voice is the larynx with vibrating vocal cords. The larynx is a tube connecting the windpipe (trachea) and pharynx. The walls of the larynx consist of cartilages: cricoid, thyroid, suprapharyngeal and 2 arytenoids. The muscles of the larynx are divided into external and internal; the external muscles connect the larynx to other parts of the body, raise and lower it. When the internal muscles contract, they move certain cartilages of the larynx, as well as the vocal cords, which expands or narrows the glottis. In the upper part of the larynx there are false vocal cords, the muscle fibers of which are poorly developed (in some cases, when voice disorders are eliminated in patients, a false ligamentous or false-fold voice is formed). Below the false vocal cords are the true vocal cords, which protrude in the form of folds and are mainly composed of muscle fibers; the distance between the vocal cords is called the glottis.

When inhaling, the glottis is fully opened and takes the shape of a triangle with its apex at the thyroid cartilage. During the exhalation phase, the vocal folds move somewhat closer together, but do not close the lumen of the larynx. During phonation, that is, in the process of voice formation, the vocal folds begin to vibrate, allowing portions of air to pass from the lungs. During normal examination, they appear to be closed, since the eye does not detect the speed of the oscillatory movements. When whispering, the vocal folds are opened in the shape of a triangle. The vocal folds do not vibrate, and the air leaving the lungs encounters resistance from the organs of articulation in the form of slits and closures, which creates a specific noise. Innervation of the larynx is carried out by the sympathetic nerve and the 2nd branches of the vagus nerve - the superior and inferior laryngeal nerve.

The concept of sound is considered in line with various sciences. Among the sounds around us, tones and noises are distinguished. Tone sounds are generated by periodic vibrations of a sound source with a certain frequency; noise appears during random vibrations of various physical natures. In the human vocal apparatus, both tonal sounds and noises (vowel sounds and voiceless consonants) are formed.

1) Pitch– this is the subjective perception of the hearing organs of the frequency of oscillatory movements. In conversational speech, the frequency of the fundamental tone of the voice varies in men from 85 to 200 Hz, and in women from 160 to 340 Hz. Voice modulation in height ensures the expressiveness of oral speech (7 types of intonation structures in the Russian language). The concept of tonal range is distinguished, that is, the ability to produce sounds within certain limits, from the lowest tone to the highest. These possibilities are individual for each person. The singing voice has a large range. Vocal proficiency in the 2nd octave is mandatory for vocalists. However, there are known cases of having a voice of 4-5 octaves (sounds in the range of 43 - 2300 Hz).


2) The power of the voice– is perceived objectively as the volume of sound and depends on the amplitude of vibrations of the vocal cords, on the degree of subglottic pressure of the air stream. In colloquial speech, the intensity of the voice ranges from 40 to 70 dB, the voice of singers has 90 – 110 dB, and in some cases can reach 120 dB (the noise intensity of an aircraft engine).

Human hearing has adaptive capabilities, thanks to which you can listen to quiet sounds against loud ones, or gradually get used to noise and begin to distinguish sounds. However, even with this, loud sounds are not indifferent to human hearing - at 130 dB the pain threshold occurs, 150 dB is intolerance, and 180 dB is fatal to humans.

The concept of dynamic range of the voice is distinguished, that is, the maximum difference between the quietest and loudest sounds.

A wide range is important for singers (up to 30 dB), as well as for people in voice-speech professions.

3) Voice timbre, that is, its individual painting. Timbre consists of the main tone of the voice and overtones, that is, overtones that have a higher pitch. The appearance of these overtones is due to the fact that the vocal folds vibrate not only along their length, reproducing the main tone, but also in their individual parts. These partial vibrations create overtones that are several times higher than the fundamental tone.

The head resonator includes the cavities of the facial part above the palatine vault (nasal cavity and its paranasal sinuses). The head resonator ensures the sonority and flightiness of the voice.

The chest resonator includes the chest, trachea and large bronchi, providing power and softness to the voice.

The human voice is made up of a combination of sounds with various characteristics, formed with the participation of the vocal apparatus. The source of voice is the larynx with vibrating vocal folds. The distance between the vocal folds is usually called the glottis. When inhaling, the glottis is fully opened and takes the shape of a triangle with an acute angle at the thyroid cartilage (Fig. 1). During the exhalation phase, the vocal folds come somewhat closer together, but do not completely close the lumen of the larynx.

At the moment of phonation, i.e. sound reproduction, the vocal folds begin to vibrate, allowing portions of air to pass from the lungs. During normal examination, they appear to be closed, since the eye does not detect the speed of oscillatory movements (Fig. 2).

The human voice, acoustic properties, and mechanisms of production are studied by a variety of sciences - physiology, phonetics, phoniatry, speech therapy, etc.
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Since the vocal phenomenon is not only a physiological, but also a physical phenomenon, it becomes the subject of research in such a branch of physics as acoustics, which gives clear characteristics of each reproduced sound. According to acoustics, sound is the propagation of vibrations in an elastic medium. A person speaks and sings in the air, because the sound of a voice is the vibration of air particles, propagating in the form of waves of condensation and rarefaction, like waves on water, at a speed of 340 m/s at a temperature of +18°C.

Among the sounds around us, there are tonal sounds and noises. The first ones are generated by periodic oscillations of a sound source with a certain frequency. The frequency of vibrations creates a sensation of pitch in our auditory organ. Noises appear during random vibrations of various physical natures.

Both tone and noise sounds occur in the human vocal apparatus. All vowels have a tone character, and voiceless consonants have a noise character. The more often periodic vibrations occur, the higher the sound we perceive. Thus, pitch- This is the subjective perception by the organ of hearing of the frequency of oscillatory movements. The quality of the pitch of a sound depends on the frequency of vibration of the vocal folds in 1 s. How many closings and openings the vocal folds make during their oscillations and how many portions of condensed subglottic air they pass through, the frequency of the generated sound turns out to be the same, i.e. pitch. The frequency of the fundamental tone is measured in hertz and can vary in the range from 85 to 200 Hz in normal conversational speech for men, and from 160 to 340 Hz for women.

Changing the pitch of the fundamental tone creates expressiveness in speech. One of the components of intonation is melody - relative changes in the pitch of the fundamental tone of sounds. Human speech is very rich in changes in melodic pattern: narrative sentences are characterized by a lowering of tone at the end; Interrogative intonation is achieved by significantly raising the fundamental tone of the word containing the question. The root tone always rises on a stressed syllable. The absence of a noticeable, changing melody of speech makes it unexpressive and usually indicates some kind of pathology.

To characterize a normal voice, there is such a thing as tonal range- voice volume- the ability to produce sounds within certain limits from the lowest tone to the highest. This property is individual for each person. The tonal range of women's spoken voice is within one octave, and for men it is slightly less, i.e. the change in the fundamental tone during a conversation based on emotional coloring fluctuates within 100 Hz. The tonal range of the singing voice is much wider - the singer must have a voice of two octaves. Singers are known whose range reaches four and five octaves: they can take sounds from 43 Hz - the lowest voices - to 2,300 Hz - high voices.

The power of the voice, ᴇᴦο power, depends on the intensity of the amplitude of vibrations of the vocal folds and is measured in decibels; the greater the amplitude of these vibrations, the stronger the voice. However, to a greater extent this depends on the subglottic pressure of air exhaled from the lungs at the time of phonation. That is why, if a person is about to shout loudly, he first takes a breath. The strength of the voice depends not only on the amount of air in the lungs, but also on the ability to expend exhaled air, maintaining constant subglottic pressure. A normal spoken voice, according to various authors, ranges from 40 to 70 dB. The singers' voice has 90-110 dB, and sometimes reaches 120 dB - the noise level of an aircraft engine. Human hearing has adaptive capabilities. We can hear quiet sounds against a background of strong noise or, finding ourselves in a noisy room, at first we do not distinguish anything, then we get used to it and begin to hear spoken language. However, even with the adaptive capabilities of human hearing, strong sounds are not indifferent to the body: at 130 dB the pain threshold occurs, at 150 dB there is intolerance, and a sound strength of 180 dB is fatal for a person.

Of particular importance in characterizing the strength of the voice is dynamic range- the maximum difference between the quietest sound (piano) and the loudest sound (forte). A large dynamic range (up to 30 dB) is a necessary condition for professional singers, but it is important in the spoken voice and for teachers, as it gives speech greater expressiveness.

When the coordination relationship between the tension of the vocal folds and air pressure is disrupted, a loss of voice strength and a change in timbre occurs.

Sound timbre is a significant characteristic of the voice. By this quality we recognize familiar people, famous singers, without yet seeing them with our own eyes. In human speech, all sounds are complex. Timbre reflects their acoustic composition, i.e. structure. It is important to note that each voice sound consists of a fundamental tone, which determines the pitch, and numerous additional or overtones of a higher frequency than the main tone. The frequency of the overtones is two, three, four, and so on times greater than the frequency of the fundamental tone. The appearance of overtones is due to the fact that the vocal folds vibrate not only along their length, reproducing the fundamental tone, but also in their individual parts. It is these partial vibrations that create overtones, which are several times higher than the fundamental tone. Any sound can be analyzed on a special device and divided into individual overtone components. It is important to note that each vowel in its overtone composition contains areas of amplified frequencies that characterize only that sound. These areas are called vowel formants. There are several of them in the sound. For ᴇᴦο distinction, the first two formants are sufficient. The first formant - the frequency range 150-850 Hz - during articulation is provided by the degree of elevation of the tongue. The second formant - the range of 500-2,500 Hz - depends on the row of the vowel sound. The sounds of ordinary spoken speech are located in the range of 300-400 Hz. Voice qualities such as sonority and flight depend on the frequency regions in which overtones appear.

Voice timbre is studied both in our country (V. S. Kazansky, 1928; S. N. Rzhevkin, 1956; E. A. Rudakov, 1864; M. P. Morozov, 1967), and abroad (V. Bartholomew, 1934; R. Husson, 1962; G. Fant, 1964). The timbre is formed due to the resonance that occurs in the cavities of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi. Resonance is a sharp increase in the amplitude of forced oscillations that occur when the frequency of oscillations of an external influence coincides with the frequency of natural oscillations of the system. During phonation, resonance enhances the individual overtones of sound formed in the larynx and causes coincidence of air vibrations in the cavities of the chest and the extension tube.

The interconnected system of resonators not only enhances the overtones, but also affects the very nature of vibrations of the vocal folds, activating them, which in turn causes even greater resonance. There are two main resonators - head and chest. The head (or upper) refers to the cavities located in the facial part of the head above the palatine vault - the nasal cavity and its paranasal sinuses. When using upper resonators, the voice acquires a bright flying character, and the speaker or singer has the feeling that the sound is passing through the facial parts of the skull. Research by R. Yussen (1950) has proven that vibration phenomena in the head resonator excite the facial and trigeminal nerves, which are associated with the innervation of the vocal folds and stimulate vocal function.

With thoracic resonance, vibration of the chest occurs, here the trachea and large bronchi serve as resonators. At the same time, the timbre of the voice is “soft”. A good, full-fledged voice simultaneously sounds the head and chest resonators and accumulates sound energy. Vibrating vocal folds and a resonator system increase the efficiency of the vocal apparatus.

Optimal conditions for the functioning of the vocal apparatus appear when a certain resistance is created in the supraglottic cavities (superglottic tube) to portions of subglottic air passing through the vibrating vocal folds at the time of phonation. This resistance is called return impedance.
Concept and types, 2018.
When a sound is formed in the area from the glottis to the oral opening, the return impedance exhibits its protective function, creating preconditions in the reflex adaptation mechanism for the most favorable, rapidly increasing impedance. The return impedance precedes phonation by thousandths of a second, creating the most favorable gentle conditions for it. At the same time, the vocal folds work with low energy consumption and a good acoustic effect.
Concept and types, 2018.
The phenomenon of return impedance is one of the most important protective acoustic mechanisms in the operation of the vocal apparatus.

1) first there is a slight exhalation, then the vocal folds close and begin to vibrate - the voice sounds as if after a slight noise. This method is considered an aspirate attack;

The most common and physiologically justified is a soft attack. Abuse of hard or aspirated voice delivery methods can lead to significant changes in the vocal apparatus and loss of necessary sound qualities. It has been proven that long-term use of an aspiratory attack leads to a decrease in the tone of the internal muscles of the larynx, and a constant hard vocal attack can provoke organic changes in the vocal folds - the occurrence of contact ulcers, granulomas, nodules. However, the use of aspirated and hard sound attacks is still possible based on the tasks and emotional state of a person, and sometimes for the purpose of voice training in one specific period of classes.

The considered acoustic properties are inherent in a normal, healthy voice. As a result of voice-speech practice, all people develop a fairly clear idea of ​​the voice norm of children and adults based on gender and age. In speech therapy, “speech norms” mean generally accepted options for using language in the process of speech activity. This fully applies to determining the norm of voice. A healthy voice should be loud enough, the pitch of the fundamental tone should be appropriate for the age and gender of the person, the ratio of speech and nasal resonance should be adequate to the phonetic patterns of the given language.

CHAPTER - 3

Timbre characteristics of the singing voice

-Qualitative assessment of the timbre of the singing voice.

-Acoustic characteristics of the singing voice.

- Formants of vowel sounds in .

-Singing formants.

-Biomechanism of formation of singing formants.

-Singing vibrato.

-Features of the acoustic structure of the timbre of children's voices.

-Factors of pedagogical influence on timbre sound

The timbre of the singing voice is the most important characteristic of vocal art. Voice timbre is often called voice color or simply voice color. We easily distinguish the voices of friends by timbre. By timbre, vocal teachers determine the type of voice and the degree of its professionalism.

-What qualities of sound timbre are valued, and what should one strive for in vocal work on the timbre of singers’ voices?

The first concern of a vocal teacher is Liberty students' vocal apparatus when singing. Optimal freedom or excessive tension in the sound of the voice is well perceived by the ear. Experts appreciate resonant singing, roundness and evenness of vowels, smoothness of register transitions, ringing and flight of voice, close and high vocal position, normal singing vibrato, richness and variety of timbre colors.

When characterizing the quality of the timbre sound of a voice by ear, musicians often give it various definitions from the areas of visual, spatial, tactile, and other associations. For example: the voice flows or, on the contrary, is straight, like a stick. The timbre of the voice sound can be: round or flat, soft or hard; sharp, crackling or dull, matte; metal or cotton; collapsed or assembled; chest or head; lean or skinny; active or lethargic; positionally overwhelmed or close; white or dark; open or covered; tremulous, nasal, beep-like, velvety, nasal, noisy, strangled, guttural, uterine, etc.

This dictionary of various definitions of the timbre sound of a voice can be very useful to a music teacher when he has to give a qualitative assessment of the sound of singing voices in practical work with students at school, choir studios or in any other educational institutions, as well as when listening to professional singers at various vocal competitions.

From an acoustic point of view, all the endless variety that we distinguish in the sounds of the singing voice is the result of various combinations and changes over time of only three basic characteristics of sound: the frequency of vibration of the sound source, the amplitude of vibration and the overtone composition of the spectrum of the singing voice.

These three characteristics of sound when evaluated aurally we perceive respectively the pitch, strength and timbre of the voice. We have already covered the pitch and strength of the voice. It remains to consider the third acoustic characteristic of the singing voice - timbre.

-What does it depend on? What makes up the timbre of a voice from an acoustic point of view?
Acoustic characteristics of the singing voice

From the theory of voice formation, both speech and singing voices, it is well known that any musical sound, including the sound of a human voice, is complex in nature (S. Rzhevkin, G. Fant, V. Morozov, L. Dmitriev, etc. ). It consists of pitch (F 0 ) And numerous overtones, "beyond tones" or "harmonics", the frequency of which is a multiple of the fundamental tone and is in a ratio with it as 1: 2: 3: 4, etc. and is measured in Hertz (Hz).

For example, if for the note la m frequency of the fundamental tone F 0 = 220 Hz, then the frequency of each subsequent overtone increases by the frequency of the fundamental tone: F 1 = 440 Hz, F 2 = 660, F 3 = 880, etc.

This acoustic law was discovered in the last century by a French physicist Fourier. Therefore, such a strictly multiple sequence of overtones that make up the spectrum of any sound is called near Fourier or Fourier's acoustic law.

The human ear usually perceives sound holistically, as a certain pitch, but does not hear every component of the spectrum. As already noted, the pitch of the voice is determined by the frequency of its fundamental tone. The remaining overtones, merging into a common sound, give the voice one or another color that we we perceive as timbre.

This phenomenon can be compared to the pattern perception of light. If white light is passed through a lens, you can see that the light beam consists of seven colors of the rainbow. However, without a lens, we do not see them separately, but perceive them holistically, like white light. In nature, a rainbow appears in the sky after rain, when the air is saturated with water droplets, which act as a lens in the path of the sun's rays. Thus, a person perceives the timbre of sound as holistically as light. However, there are acoustic devices - spectrum analyzers, which allow you to make the timbre of a sound visible and even show its constituent overtones.

The visual picture of sound, expressed graphically in A-F coordinates, where A is amplitude and F is frequency, is called spectrum sound. On the screen of a spectrum analyzer or computer you can see a series of luminous columns, the height of which reflects the amplitudes of the spectrum components (Fig. 7 and 8).

If you take the spectrum of a singing or speech sound, for example, the vowel “a” directly from the level of the vocal folds and compare it with the spectrum of the same sound at the exit of the mouth, you can be convinced that they differ sharply from each other.

Fig.7. Spectrograms of the vowel “a” from the level of the vocal folds:

1-when singing in falsetto; 2-when singing in the chest sound

Fig.8. Spectrograms of the vowel "a" at the exit of the mouth

when singing in the chest register

The number of components of the sound spectrum from the level of the vocal folds depends solely on voice register: with a chest sound, the spectrum of the voice is relatively rich in the number of spectral components, and with a falsetto sound, it is poor.

The vocal tract (all cavities of the pharynx and mouth from the level of the vocal folds to the exit of the mouth) or the extension pipe works like a filtering system that amplifies some frequencies and dampens others, as if cutting them out. As a result, a redistribution of energy occurs in the original spectrum.

The most important characteristic of the spectrum is envelope line, framing the peaks of the spectrum components. The type of this envelope depends from the speech configuration tract, which is determined by the structure of the tongue, the position of the soft palate and the shape of the lips when pronouncing various phonemes, as well as the peculiarities of the articulatory structure of the vowels of a particular dialect. In addition, the envelope line of the spectrum also depends on the morphological structure of the individual’s larynx, his manner of pronunciation, speech or singing mode, vocal school, etc. All this leaves its mark on the spectrum of both singing and speech sound at the output of the singer’s or speaker’s mouth.

Individual highly prominent peaks in the mouth output spectrum, consisting of groups of overtones, are called formants.

In the sound spectrum of a singing voice, several formants can usually be distinguished, which are divided into two types: phonetic and timbral. The former carry information about the type of vowel, and the latter - about the timbre of the voice, which depends on the degree of their expression. With all the diversity of individual differences, scientists have established general patterns of the structure of the spectrum of vowels in speech and singing.
-Why are we talking about the spectra of only vowel sounds?
Because all the qualitative characteristics of voice timbre appear only when vowels are sounded. The spectra of vowel sounds reflect the nature of the harmonic vibrations of their source, in contrast to the spectra of consonant sounds, which reflect their noise nature.

Formants of vowel sounds in speech and singing

Each phoneme is characterized by the strengthening of certain frequency groups, which we call formants. These formants differ from each other in their location on the frequency scale, the bandwidth of the amplified frequencies, and their intensity. Thanks to the different combinations of these formants, our ear distinguishes one phoneme from another. Therefore, our hearing acts as a spectrum analyzer. For each vowel sound there can be several formants, but the 1st, 2nd and 3rd formants, which in the specialized literature are expressed in the following numbers, are of particularly important informative value:


Vowels

F 1 (Hz)

F 2 (Hz)

F 3 (Hz)

U

300

625

2500

ABOUT

535

780

2500

A

700

1080

2600

E

440

1800

2550

AND

240

2250

3200

This table shows averaged data, since different people for the same vowels have some differences in the frequency arrangement of formants, their width and intensity. In women's and children's voices, all formants are slightly higher in frequency compared to men's voices.

-However, how can this simple but very useful exercise be presented to children? How to attract children's attention and arouse interest in its content when repeated many times?

It all depends on the pedagogical skill of the teacher. For example, you can create some kind of game situation or ask children to guess the reason for these “ Guli"were free, what they flew past and why they cooed so loudly. With what emotional expression should it be performed? Should we feel sorry for them or should we be happy for them? This will depend on the children's reaction to the events taking place. If the teacher is able to direct the children’s imagination, then a competition could be announced to write the best fairy tale on this topic. All this will create conditions for activating the attention and interest of students when repeating this exercise many times, which is necessary for developing the skill of correct sound formation in singing.

When singing the first phrase of this melody, the throat opens involuntarily. It is necessary to draw the attention of children to this fact so that when singing with other words they can already arbitrarily maintain the feeling of an open throat on other vowels. If this exercise is performed without the desire to maintain a single vocal position when singing different vowels, then there is no point in singing it.

As you already know, a stable position of the larynx when singing is the essence of voice production. The qualifications of a singer are determined by the degree of stability of the position of the larynx in singing, and not only on different vowels, but also when changing the pitch of the melody sounds. This is what we should strive for from the first steps of vocal work with students. Monitoring the stabilization of the position of the larynx during singing on the part of the teacher, and then the students themselves, is the basis of the actual vocal work in the choir from the point of view of the technology of the singing process.

Thanks to this adaptation of the articulatory apparatus, all vowels in singing with a trained voice will sound somewhat “closer” to each other, i.e. more “smoothed out” than the vowels of everyday speech.

That's why formants of singing vowels, in comparison with formants of vowels of everyday speech,turn out to beslightly modified. When singing with a trained voice, the articulatory apparatus faces not only the task of forming resonator cavities necessary for the formation of phonetic definiteness of vowels, but also other tasks related to the formation of the evenness of their timbre sound. That is why the experienced singer when pronouncing various vowels in singing oral cavity and throats turn out to be stable expanded, unlikeeveryday speech.

However, this statement does not apply to the delivered speech voice of professional actors or speakers. Method of pronunciation of vowels in stage speeches, the same as for singing, in a set voice. Therefore, their spectral characteristics turn out to be more similar.

The timbre of the singing voice largely depends on the adaptation of the resonant cavities during the formation of vowel sounds in singing. However, the secret of the specific timbre of the delivered singing voice, apparently, lies in something else.

According to research by specialists in the field of physiological acoustics, it is known that this secret lies in the presence and degree of expression in the spectrum of the singing voice two purely singing formants.
Low and high singing formants
As special acoustic studies have shown, for all singers with well-produced voices, regardless of the pitch and type of vowel, the spectrum of their singing vowels is characterized by the presence, in addition to speech formants, of two more purely singing formants: low singing formant (LSF) and high singing formant formants (VPF). The degree of their expression in the spectrum of singing sound has no effect on the recognition of phonemes, i.e. they have no informative value, but only affect the quality of its timbre.

Priority in opening an NPF belongs to domestic science.

In 1927, N. Kazansky and S. Rzhevkin established that in the spectrum of good male voices there is always a group of amplified overtones in the frequency region of 517 Hz. This formant is called NPF. Its presence in the spectrum is associated with certain qualities of the singing voice: roundness, fullness, softness and velvety sound.

-How did scientists establish this relationship?

Very simple. Using special acoustic filters, you can “cut out” any frequency range from the sound spectrum. If the frequency region of the NPF is removed from the spectrum of the singer’s voice, that is, filtered, then the sound, when perceived by ear, is whitened, becomes flat, and loses its volume.

After the discovery of NPF, a little later, in 1934, the German scientist W. Bartholomew discovered that a well-produced singing voice is characterized by the presence of another region of enhanced overtones, localized in the high-frequency part of the spectrum: from 1000 to 3000 Hz. This region of amplified frequencies is called the high singing formant (HSF).

These data were subsequently confirmed by studies of domestic scientists such as S. Rzhevkin, E. Rudakov, V. Morozov and others.

As a result of their research using more advanced equipment, it was found that for adult singers, the location of the VMF on the frequency scale changes somewhat depending on the type of their voice. For low voices, VPF = 2500-2800 Hz, and for higher voices it reaches 3200 Hz or more. For children's voices, the value of the VPF is even more shifted towards high frequencies and sometimes reaches 4000 Hz.

-What effect does the presence of VMF in the voice spectrum have on the quality of timbre?

VPF brings brightness, sonority, shine, and metal to the sound. Voice qualities such as wearability and flight depend on its presence. The sound of a voice, from the spectrum of which the VMF is cut out, when perceived by ear, becomes dull, overwhelmed, loses its luster, decreases in strength, loses beauty, purity of intonation and other timbre qualities. Such experiments were carried out in the acoustic laboratory of the Moscow State Conservatory by E. M. Rudakov, and much later at the Leningrad Conservatory they were repeated by Professor V. P. Morozov. Both researchers came to the same conclusions: all the best qualities of a singing voice depend on the degree expressiveness in the spectrum of the HMF voice. Removing other frequency regions from the voice spectrum does not have a similar effect on the timbre and strength of the sound.


-What explains this?
It turns out that this phenomenon is associated with the physiological characteristics of sound perception by human hearing. As you and I already know, our ear does not perceive all frequencies equally. Sounds approaching in frequency to infra- and ultrasonics, which lie beyond the range of audibility, are perceived worse than average.

Our hearing exhibits the highest sensitivity to sounds located in the frequency range 1000 – 3000 Hz, which corresponds to a range of approximately c 3 – g 4. It is in this frequency range that the VMF is localized.

- Is this a coincidence? Apparently not.

As V.P. Morozov writes: “Vocal speech in the process of evolutionary (historical) and individual (ontogenetic) development of a person is formed for hearing and under the control of hearing. Therefore, the concentration of a significant part of the spectral energy in the region of maximum hearing sensitivity should be considered as a completely natural adaptation of the singing voice to the characteristics of the listener’s auditory function” 14.

This adaptation of the vocal apparatus is manifested in the fact that with a minimum expenditure of vocal energy on the part of the singer, maximum audibility of his voice is achieved. In vocal practice this is called singing in a staged voice in a high singing position, that is, when in the spectrum of the voice the HMF is expressed quite clearly in intensity.

According to the figurative expression of E. Rudakov, the VPF works like an “armor-piercing tip,” affecting the most sensitive areas of hearing. That is why the voices of good singers have great sonority and flight.

If you cut out the VMF from the spectrum of the voice and listen to it separately, then it turns out to be very pleasant to the ear and reminds us of a nightingale trill or the ringing of a small silver bell. It is curious that this “nightingale trill” is found not only in high voices (soprano, tenor or children’s voices), but literally in all, even the lowest bass. And in all cases, the same pattern appears: the more pronounced the HMF is in the singer’s voice, the more sonorous it seems to us when perceived by ear.

The sound energy of the VMF in the voice spectrum can be measured. Special acoustic studies have shown that masters of vocal art concentrate up to 30-35% of the total sound energy of the voice spectrum in the field of HMF; for relatively qualified singers – 15-20%; and for inexperienced people its value does not exceed 3-5%.

Since the degree of voiced voice depends on the severity of the HMF in its spectrum, V.P. Morozov called its percentage value the voicedness coefficient (K sound). It can be calculated if the intensity of the spectral energy in the frequency range of the VMF (I F) is divided by the total intensity of the entire spectrum (I S) and multiplied by 100, then we obtain the value of the ringing coefficient of the singer’s voice: K sound = (I F: I S) 100%

According to V.P. Morozova, Ksv in children has a pronounced dependence on age: in younger schoolchildren, Ksv = 2-3%; in middle-aged and older children 4-7%. Of course, there may be individual differences associated with natural characteristics, as well as with the level of vocal and technical development of children.

However, the level of vocal development of a singer is characterized not only degree severity of HMF in the spectrum of his voice, but mainly stability its intensity, regardless of the type of vowel, pitch and duration of its sound.

The more qualified the singer, the less noticeable the changes in the value of K sound when singing various vowels. For a singer who has control of his voice, all vowels sound the same in timbre and strength, thanks to the constancy of the expression of the VMF in the spectrum across all his sounds. For an inexperienced singer, the quality of the timbre of the singing voice is revealed better on some vowels than on others. Some vowels sound good, while others seem to fall off or are too whitened.

The same unevenness in timbre in an untrained singer is also observed depending on the tessitura conditions of the piece being performed, that is, in different parts of the range. For example, the central part of the range sounds good, but the upper part overlaps, sounds dull, or vice versa - open, white, or too tense and “loud”.

All these uneven sounds are associated with the inability to pronounce various vowels when singing at any height of one’s range so that the frequency arrangement and degree of expression of the NPF and VPF remain constant. The task of singers is to learn this.


-But how to learn this?
To do this, it is necessary to know the biomechanisms of the formation of these specifically singing formants, which arise only when singing with a trained voice.

Chapter 1. Basic concepts and physical parameters used to evaluate and characterize voice

Voice is a set of sounds produced by the human vocal apparatus, which can be varied. A person can scream, moan, imitate various sounds, and most importantly, speak or sing. This is why any sound of human speech can be objectively analyzed with great accuracy, since it is a physical phenomenon studied by acoustics.

In acoustics, sound refers to the propagation of vibrations, i.e. waves in an elastic medium (L.B. Dmitriev et al., 1968, 1990). Phonation occurs in the air; in other words, the sound of a voice is the vibration of air particles, propagating in the form of vibration of waves of condensation and rarefaction. During speech, sound vibrations travel not only through the airways into the outer space, but also through the internal tissues of the body, causing vibrations in the chest and head.

The source of the voice is the human vocal folds, which, when brought together, are tense and begin to vibrate (Fig. 13). This is the reason for the occurrence of periodic thickenings and rarefaction of the air stream, occurring as a result of increased subglottic pressure. Sound waves, originating in the larynx, travel through the tissues surrounding the larynx and down and up the airways. Thus, they only partially exit into the external space through the mouth opening, and only part of the sound energy generated in the larynx ultimately reaches the listener's ear. Therefore, when talking about the human voice, it is necessary to take into account the propagation of sound not only inside the body, but also in the external space.

Tone sounds arise from periodic vibrations at a certain frequency. This periodicity gives rise to a sensation of height in the auditory organ. The noises are

non-periodic oscillations and therefore do not have a specific height.

The pitch of the sound is determined by the frequency of the oscillatory movements: the more often the periodic vibrations of the air occur, the higher the sound. The place where the high-pitched characteristics of sound originate is the larynx - the human vocal folds. The pitch of the tone depends on how many closings and openings the folds make during their oscillations and, accordingly, how many portions of condensed subglottic air they will let through. The pitch of the voice is determined by the size and tension of the vibrating body (vocal folds). It is easy to imagine that a thin string on a guitar or violin produces a high sound, and a large string produces a low sound. This explains the difference in the pitch of a child's and an adult's voice. The child's vocal folds are short and thin, which explains the high-pitched voice. During puberty, the length of the vocal folds increases, resulting in a decrease in pitch.

The distance between two adjacent waves is called the wavelength (L.B. Dmitriev et al., 1990). Oscillation frequency and wavelength are inversely proportional. Their product is always equal to 342 m/s, therefore, knowing the oscillation frequency, you can easily calculate the wavelength, and vice versa. Thus, wavelength reflects the same quality as frequency, i.e. pitch of sound. Long waves and rare vibrations are characteristic of low sounds, short waves and frequent vibrations are characteristic of high sounds.

Wavelengths are expressed in meters, and oscillation frequencies are expressed in the number of complete oscillations (periods) per second, the so-called hertz (Hz). By period we mean the time of complete oscillation. The lower the oscillation frequency, the longer the period of each oscillation.

Sound intensity, or sound pressure level, is measured in decibels (dB). There are two concepts: “intensity” - a characteristic of the level of sound pressure produced by the speaker, and “loudness” - the subjective perception of oscillatory movements, their summative amplitude by the person listening to the speech. Amplitude is the range of oscillatory motion, which does not depend on its frequency. During exhalation, the vocal folds come together, creating a barrier to the exhaled air, which sets them in motion, as a result of which they begin to vibrate. If you hit a piano string lightly with a hammer and then hit it hard, the pitch of the sound will remain stable, only the strength of the vibration of the string will change, i.e. the pushing force with which the string will press on the air particles surrounding it. The range of vibrations of air particles in this case will be significant, and the sound for us will be subjectively louder. The strength of the sound of the voice, as well as its pitch, increases with increasing subglottic pressure in the larynx. The greater the pressure with which portions of air break through the glottis, the higher the energy they carry, the greater the degree of condensation and subsequent rarefaction, i.e. the amplitude of vibration of air particles and, accordingly, their pressure on the eardrum are stronger. Increased subglottic pressure serves as the energy reservoir that feeds the resulting sound energy. However, only a small part of the subglottic pressure energy is converted into sound. In this case, the vocal folds play the role of a tap that periodically opens at a sound frequency, releasing portions of compressed air into the oropharyngeal canal. In addition, the muscles of the larynx, together with the muscles involved in exhalation, determine the increase in subglottic pressure. Ultimately, the acoustic energy of the sound of the larynx is the result of the work of the respiratory and laryngeal muscles. In the future, this sound energy is only wasted and never increases.

The strength of the sound waves resulting from vibrations of the vocal folds then quickly decreases. The efficiency of the vocal apparatus is very small. According to data provided by Husson, only 1/10-1/50 of the sound energy generated in the larynx exits the mouth and nasal cavity. This means that the main part of the energy is absorbed inside the body, causing vibration of the tissues of the head, neck, and chest.

Since the efficiency of the vocal apparatus is small, all mechanisms that can increase it become of great importance. In this regard, staging a voice presupposes the formation and development of its natural qualities.

The most difficult parameter of a voice is its timbre, or individual coloring. Musical tones, like most of the sounds around us, are complex tones, consisting of many vibrations of different frequencies and strengths. In a complex sound, there is a fundamental tone, which determines the pitch of the complex sound, and partial tones, or overtones, the sum of the sounds of which creates a completely individual timbre. Timbre is determined by the totality of the strength and pitch of the voice, tones and noises that arise during the process of phonation. The final shaping of the voice timbre occurs in resonators.

A resonator, from an acoustics point of view, is a cavity that has certain physical characteristics (L.B. Dmitriev et al., 1968, 1990). The pitch of the sound depends on the volume of air, the shape of the resonator and the size of the outlet; it is called the intrinsic height of the resonator. The smaller the volume of the resonator, the higher its own tone; The smaller the output hole, the lower the natural tone.

The human vocal apparatus has many cavities and tubes that provide resonance: trachea, bronchi; cavities of the larynx, pharynx, mouth, nasopharynx, nose, paranasal sinuses. Some of them are unchanged in shape and size in an adult (paranasal sinuses, nasal cavity), therefore, they always enhance the same overtones; others are mobile and easily change their shape and size (oral cavity, pharynx, supraglottic part of the larynx), due to which the original sound by resonator amplification of certain groups of overtones can vary widely.

Conventionally, resonators are distinguished: the upper one - ensures the purity and flight of the voice, the intelligibility of speech and the chest one - determines the power and strength of the sound.

Physiologists have proven through numerous studies that irritation of respiratory tract receptors by air flow affects the respiratory center, which regulates the breathing process, depth, and frequency of respiratory movements.

A prerequisite for the implementation of the phonation process is the preservation of physiological respiration. Respiratory movements (inhalation and exhalation) occur in strict sequence and are regulated by the respiratory center of the medulla oblongata (O.L. Badalyan, 1998).

A child's breathing changes as it develops. In a newborn, due to the perpendicular position of the ribs in relation to the spine, the chest is raised (the ribs cannot fall) and almost does not expand upon entry - only diaphragmatic breathing is effective. Subsequently, the ribs take on a saber shape, and the chest drops. By the age of 3-7 years, conditions for chest breathing are created. With the development of the shoulder girdle, chest breathing becomes dominant. But since a preschooler’s ribs are less inclined than those of an adult, his breathing is largely shallow.

A rapid respiratory pulse disrupts the rhythm and smoothness of pronunciation of words and phrases, which, in turn, leads to distortion of sounds.

Due to the slight excitability of the respiratory center and underdevelopment of nervous regulation, any physical stress and slight increase in temperature speed up the child’s breathing, disrupt its rhythm, and, consequently, increase the imperfection of speech. Finally, the inability of children to breathe with their mouth also introduces a certain disorganization into pronunciation - omissions of sounds, delays in their pronunciation, pronunciation while inhaling (A.N. Gvozdev, 1961; M.E. Khvattsev, 1997).

The following types of breathing are distinguished:

=> Superficial

=> Breast

=> Lower costal

Superficial clavicular (clavicular, upper thoracic) - respiratory excursions are accomplished by expanding and raising the upper part of the chest, and the diaphragm passively follows these movements, the stomach is drawn in when inhaling, and the upper part of the chest, collarbones, and sometimes shoulders rise noticeably.

Thoracic - inhalation is produced mainly due to the expansion and elevation of the lower part of the chest. It is not an independent type, since in this case the diaphragm is necessarily included in the work, and can only be considered an option.

Lower costal-diaphragmatic breathing, in which the chest and diaphragm are actively involved in the work, is the most physiological.

It has already been mentioned that normal voice formation is impossible without proper breathing technique.

=> soft - breathing and activation of the vocal folds occur simultaneously, which ensures both intonation accuracy and a calm, smooth, without push or aspiration, beginning of the sound, and its best timbre.



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