Comparative analysis of singer's high formant in different type of singing voices

The presence of singer's high formant (SHF) in singers of different musical styles was investigated. The voices of 10 opera, 8 folk, 4 pop singers and 53 (non-singing) controls were recorded. The vowel 'a' was sung in three different registers. The percent of energy in the range of SHF and the stability of the pitch period generation were evaluated. The signals of all the singers are characterized by very high stability of the pitch period generation (> 99%), but their formant structures differ considerably. Energy concentration in the range of SHF is 23, 16, 7 and < 4% for opera, folk and pop singers and the controls, respectively.