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Vocal tract shapes in different singing functions used in musical theater singing-a pilot study
Matthias Echternach1, Lisa Popeil2, Louisa Traser3
1Institute of Musicians' Medicine, Freiburg University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany.
Objective:
Singing styles in Musical Theater singing might differ in many ways from Western Classical singing. However, vocal tract adjustments are not understood in detail.
Material And Methods:
Vocal tract shapes of a single professional Music Theater female subject were analyzed concerning different aspects of singing styles using dynamic real-time magnetic resonance imaging technology with a frame rate of 8 fps. The different tasks include register differences, belting, and vibrato strategies.
Results:
Articulatory differences were found between head register, modal register, and belting. Also, some vibrato strategies ("jazzy" vibrato) do involve vocal tract adjustments, whereas others (classical vibrato) do not.
Conclusions:
Vocal tract shaping might contribute to the establishment of different singing functions in Musical Theater singing.
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