Basics of Voice Acoustics for Voice Pedagogues

In this course, we will explain the basics of the acoustics of human voice. We will answer questions such as: What is sound? How can sound be investigated? We will shortly explain four basic characteristics of sound, i.e., fundamental frequency, sound spectrum, sound intensity and length, and their relationship to the perceived sound qualities, i.e., pitch, timbre, loudness and sound duration, respectively.

Next, we will look at different basic types of sound: pure tones, complex tones and noises. We will show how these sounds can be recognized perceptually by ear, as well as objectively by simple analysis of the sound waveform and of the sound spectrum. We will demonstrate the production of such vocal sounds live and show how we can understand and analyze them using the Voce Vista software.

Further, we will cover the basics of the source-filter theory of voice production and talk about how the voice source and filter differently contribute to the produced vocal sound. We will talk about the harmonics (overtones) and formants, which are important for voice timbre. We will also talk about the role of formants for production of vowels as well as for different singing voice qualities. We will show how we can easily synthesize voice of a singer using a software based on the principles of the source-filter theory.

Finally, we will take a look at the voice resonance phenomenon and discuss the contribution of subglottal and supraglottal (vocal tract) cavities to the resulting vocal sound. We explain and discuss three possible strategies for improving the “resonance in voice”: formant tuning, singer’s formant and changes of vocal tract inertance. By the end of the course, you will have a better idea on how voice acoustics can provide more insights and better understanding of human voice production and how can it be applied to singing voice.