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Overtone singing: productive mechanisms and acoustic data
1Department of Phoniatrics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
Summary
Overtone singing produces two voices using a fundamental and enhanced harmonics. Vocal techniques like pharyngeal narrowing and mouth cavity adjustments make harmonics prominent for melodies.
Area of Science:
- Vocal music performance
- Acoustic phonetics
Background:
- Overtone singing, also known as harmonic singing, involves producing multiple pitches simultaneously.
- It is typically performed using the chest register.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explain the vocal mechanisms and acoustic principles behind overtone singing.
- To describe how harmonics are enhanced to create melodies.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of vocal tract adjustments including pharyngeal narrowing, velar constriction, and mouth opening.
- Focus on tuning vocal formants and reducing formant bandwidth to 20 Hz.
- Manipulation of prominent harmonics to generate melodic elements.
Main Results:
- Overtone singing utilizes the fundamental frequency and amplified harmonics.
- Specific vocal tract configurations enhance particular harmonics.
- Adjustments in prominent harmonics allow for the creation of overtone melodies with sustained tones, tone steps, and trills.
Conclusions:
- Overtone singing is achieved through precise control of vocal tract resonance and harmonic amplification.
- The described techniques enable the production of complex melodic structures within a single vocal performance.