The Sound Source in Singing

2015 ◽  
pp. 108-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian T. Herbst ◽  
David M. Howard ◽  
Jan G. Švec
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Spectral Composition ◽  
Physiological Parameters ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Singing Voice ◽  
Voice Pedagogy ◽  
Typical Application ◽  
Voice Source ◽  
Vocal Fold Vibration

The voice instrument is composed of three basic sub-systems: the pulmonary apparatus, the laryngeal voice source, and the vocal tract for sound modification. In this chapter, the laryngeal sound generation is examined in closer detail, with a special focus on singing voice production. In particular, the relation between the quality of vocal fold vibration, the consistence of the glottal airflow, and the spectral composition of the resulting laryngeal sound output (before being filtered by the vocal tract) is discussed. Two basic physiological parameters for controlling these features are described: cartilaginous adduction (controlled along the dimension of “breathy” vs. “pressed” voice); and membranous medialization (influenced by the choice of singing voice register). It is shown that these two physiological parameters can be varied independently, and how they can be incorporated into a pedagogical model. Based on this model, a typical application from the singing studio is described. Finally, the range of sound qualities resulting from independent variation of cartilaginous adduction and membranous medialization is being commented on by five known voice pedagogues, in an attempt to unify the respective terminology in voice pedagogy.

Phonetics of Vowels

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Ericsdotter Nordgren
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Fold ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Vowel Quality ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Upper Airways ◽  
Vocal Fold Vibration ◽  
General Linguistic ◽  
Vocal Tract Shape

Speech sounds are commonly divided into two main categories in human languages: vowels, such as ‘e’, ‘a’, ‘o’, and consonants, such as ‘k’, ‘n’, ‘s’. This division is made on the basis of both phonetic and phonological principles, which is useful from a general linguistic point of view but problematic for detailed description and analysis. The main differences between vowels and consonants are that (1) vowels are sounds produced with an open airway between the larynx and the lips, at least along the midline, whereas consonants are produced with a stricture or closure somewhere along it; and (2) that vowels tend to be syllabic in languages, meaning that they embody a sonorous peak in a syllable, whereas only some kinds of consonants tend to be syllabic. There are two main physical components needed to produce a vowel: a sound source, typically a tone produced by vocal fold vibration at the larynx, and a resonator, typically the upper airways. When the tone resonates in the upper airways, it gets a specific quality of sound, perceived and interpreted as a vowel quality, for example, ‘e’ or ‘a’. Which vowel quality is produced is determined by the shape of the inner space of the throat and mouth, the vocal tract shape, created by the speaker’s configuration of the articulators, which include the lips, tongue, jaw, hard and soft palate, pharynx, and larynx. Which vowel is perceived is determined by the auditory and visual input as well as by the listener’s expectations and language experience. Diachronic and synchronic studies on vowel typology show main trends in the vowel inventories in the worlds’ languages, which can be associated with human phonetic aptitude.

scholarly journals Can a natural singing voice be enhanced through digital processing? Implications of voice training and vocology in singers

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-86
Author(s):  
Junseo Cha ◽  
Seong Hee Choi ◽  
Chul-Hee Choi
Keyword(s):  
Digital Processing ◽  
Digital Audio ◽  
Voice Training ◽  
Singing Voice ◽  
Voice Pedagogy ◽  
Physiological Level ◽  
Audio Processing ◽  
Audio Technology ◽  
Recording Studios

Introduction. The traditional way of facilitating a good singing voice has been achieved through rigorous voice training. In the modern days, however, there are some aspects of the singing voice that can be enhanced through digital processing. Although in the past, the frequency or intensity manipulations had to be achieved through the various singing techniques of the singer, technology today allows the singing voice to be enhanced from the instruments within recording studios. In essence, the traditional voice pedagogy and the evolution of digital audio processing both strive to achieve a better quality of the singing voice, but with different methods. Nevertheless, the major aspects of how the singing voice can be manipulated are not communicated among the professionals in each field. Objective. This paper offers insights as to how the quality of the singing voice can be changed physiologically through the traditional ways of voice training, and also digitally through various instruments that are now available in recording studios. Reflection. The ways in which singers train their voice must be mediated with the audio technology that is available today. Although there are aspects in which the digital technology can aid the singer’s voice, there remain areas in which the singers must train their singing system in a physiological level to produce a better singing voice.

SPECIFIC FEATURES OF ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN WITH SENSORY DISORDERS AND MULTIPLE DISABILITIES

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 1027-1030
Author(s):  
Gergana Todorova - Markova
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Mutual Influence ◽  
Multiple Disabilities ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Sensory Disorders ◽  
Communication Situations

The article is focused on the communication with children with special educational needs. The main topic is alternative communication with children with sensory disorders and multiple disabilities. It explores the phenomenon of communication, citing current definitions developed by a number of authors, which place the emphasis on different aspects of this complex and multilayered process, with a special focus on alternative communication with the groups of special needs children mentioned in the title.The issue is investigated from a special pedagogical and from a social perspective.The author is especially interested in the exploration of the multiple strata of communication (the universal, functional and specific levels). Apart from the different forms, contents, methods and means of communication (the last of which is most commonly discussed in Bulgaria), the article is focused primarily on the important methodological issues related to this topic.One of these basic questions of methodology is the attempt not to place at the center of this process its bi-directional nature, its algorithm or code (sign language, Braille writing system, etc.), but instead to focus on the personalities of those involved in the interaction, their initiative, relationship and goals manifested in different communication situations (mutual influence, emancipation and therapy). Particular emphasis is given to therapy, i.e. the way of influencing the communication behavior of children with sensory disorders and multiple disabilities. It is not viewed as a unilateral process (stimulus-response), but as an interactive one, based on mutual influence. The relationship between the communicators is of utmost significance.Communication is characterized by a number of specific features. Those can mostly be found in the specificity of the communication situations (for example the interactive situations in the following pairs of communicators: deaf – hard of hearing; deaf – deaf; deaf-blind – deaf, etc.), in the presence of an intermediary (for example a sign language interpreter) and above all in the personalities of the communicators. They change the quality of communication. It is for this reason, and not just because of the different means of communication, that this interaction is defined as “alternative”, or more precisely, it is an alternative to the communication of children without disabilities.Based on the analyzed information, the author formulates a number of inferences and recommendations. The main conclusion is the following:When discussing alternative communication with children with special educational needs, the focus should shift from the specific means of communication towards the equally socially important quality of the complex process of communication, which is centered on the personality of the handicapped child.

scholarly journals Individual quality of life and the environment – towards a concept of livable areas for persons with disabilities in Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Izabela Grabowska ◽  
Radosław Antczak ◽  
Jan Zwierzchowski ◽  
Tomasz Panek
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [1] highlights the need to create proper socioeconomic and political conditions for persons with disabilities, with a special focus on their immediate living conditions. According to the Convention, these conditions should be built to ensure that persons with disabilities have the potential to enjoy a high quality of life (QoL), and this principle is reflected in the notion of livable areas. The crucial aspect of this framework is the relationship between the individual QoL and the environment, broadly understood as the socioeconomic as well as the technical conditions in which persons with disabilities function. Methods The basic research problem was to assess the relationship between individual QoL for the population with disabilities as a dependent variable and livability indicators as independent variables, controlling for individual characteristics. The study used a dataset from the EU-SILC (European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) survey carried out in 2015 in Poland. The research concept involved several steps. First, we created a variable measuring the QoL for the entire population with disabilities. To measure the multidimensional QoL, we used Sen’s capability approach as a general concept, which was operationalized by the MIMIC (multiple indicators multiple causes) model. In the second step, we identified the livability indicators available in the official statistics, and merged them with survey data. Finally, in the last step, we ran the regression analysis. We also checked the data for the nested structure. Results We confirmed that the general environmental conditions, focused on creating livable areas, played a significant role in shaping the QoL of persons with disabilities; i.e., we found that the higher the level of the local Human Development Index, the higher the quality of life of the individuals living in this area. This relationship held even after controlling for the demographic characteristics of the respondents. Moreover, we found that in addition to the general environmental conditions, the conditions created especially for persons with disabilities (i.e., services for this group and support for their living conditions) affected the QoL of these individuals. Conclusions The results illustrate the need to strengthen policies aimed at promoting the QoL of persons with disabilities by creating access to community assets and services that can contribute to improving the life chances of this population.

scholarly journals Multi-Task Optimization and Multi-Task Evolutionary Computation in the Past Five Years: A Brief Review

Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 864
Author(s):  
Qingzheng Xu ◽  
Na Wang ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Qian Sun
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Computation ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Optimization Problems ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Typical Application ◽  
The Past ◽  
Current State ◽  
Evolution Algorithms ◽  
Application Fields

Traditional evolution algorithms tend to start the search from scratch. However, real-world problems seldom exist in isolation and humans effectively manage and execute multiple tasks at the same time. Inspired by this concept, the paradigm of multi-task evolutionary computation (MTEC) has recently emerged as an effective means of facilitating implicit or explicit knowledge transfer across optimization tasks, thereby potentially accelerating convergence and improving the quality of solutions for multi-task optimization problems. An increasing number of works have thus been proposed since 2016. The authors collect the abundant specialized literature related to this novel optimization paradigm that was published in the past five years. The quantity of papers, the nationality of authors, and the important professional publications are analyzed by a statistical method. As a survey on state-of-the-art of research on this topic, this review article covers basic concepts, theoretical foundation, basic implementation approaches of MTEC, related extension issues of MTEC, and typical application fields in science and engineering. In particular, several approaches of chromosome encoding and decoding, intro-population reproduction, inter-population reproduction, and evaluation and selection are reviewed when developing an effective MTEC algorithm. A number of open challenges to date, along with promising directions that can be undertaken to help move it forward in the future, are also discussed according to the current state. The principal purpose is to provide a comprehensive review and examination of MTEC for researchers in this community, as well as promote more practitioners working in the related fields to be involved in this fascinating territory.

scholarly journals A Randomized Controlled Trial of Two Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Voice Therapy Protocols

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara R. Kapsner-Smith ◽  
Eric J. Hunter ◽  
Kimberly Kirkham ◽  
Karin Cox ◽  
Ingo R. Titze
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Voice Handicap Index ◽  
Voice Therapy ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Perceptual Evaluation ◽  
Therapy Program

PurposeAlthough there is a long history of use of semi-occluded vocal tract gestures in voice therapy, including phonation through thin tubes or straws, the efficacy of phonation through tubes has not been established. This study compares results from a therapy program on the basis of phonation through a flow-resistant tube (FRT) with Vocal Function Exercises (VFE), an established set of exercises that utilize oral semi-occlusions.MethodTwenty subjects (16 women, 4 men) with dysphonia and/or vocal fatigue were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment conditions: (a) immediate FRT therapy, (b) immediate VFE therapy, (c) delayed FRT therapy, or (d) delayed VFE therapy. Subjects receiving delayed therapy served as a no-treatment control group.ResultsVoice Handicap Index (Jacobson et al., 1997) scores showed significant improvement for both treatment groups relative to the no-treatment group. Comparison of the effect sizes suggests FRT therapy is noninferior to VFE in terms of reduction in Voice Handicap Index scores. Significant reductions in Roughness on the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (Kempster, Gerratt, Verdolini Abbott, Barkmeier-Kraemer, & Hillman, 2009) were found for the FRT subjects, with no other significant voice quality findings.ConclusionsVFE and FRT therapy may improve voice quality of life in some individuals with dysphonia. FRT therapy was noninferior to VFE in improving voice quality of life in this study.

Subtitle Translation Strategies of Dish Name in the Chinese Documentary-A Bite of China 1

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang Qi ◽  
◽  
Ang Lay Hoon ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Dietary Habit ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
Cultural Ideology ◽  
Object Of Study ◽  
Chinese Films

With the implementation of “go globally” strategy of Chinese culture, a large number of Chinese films and TV programs have been produced to go abroad. As a medium and carrier of cultural communication, the quality of documentary subtitle translation determines whether Chinese culture can be appropriately disseminated or not. This paper aims to investigate the translation strategies of culture-specific items with special focus on name of dishes. The object of study in this paper is A Bite of China 1 produced by CCTV in 2012, which is not only about Chinese foods but also geography, local customs and dietary habit. Firstly, by using comparative approach, the linguistic characteristics are discussed to identify the similarities and differences between source and translated dish names. Then the translation strategies for dish name are examined. Next, such factors affecting translation strategies as cultural ideology is analyzed. The objective of this paper is to study what translation strategies are possibly adopted when translating Chinese dish name into English in the documentary. The findings show that in the process of dish name translation of Chinese documentaries, domestication and foreignization are two frequently used strategies which is complementary to each other.

Physiology and its Impact on the Performance of Singing

2015 ◽  
pp. 66-84
Author(s):  
Filipa M. B. Lã ◽  
Brian P. Gill
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Vocal Technique ◽  
Voice Source ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Subglottal Pressure ◽  
Source Signal ◽  
Frequency Components ◽  
Singing Performance

Singing performance is highly competitive; thus, finding strategies to accelerate the acquisition of knowledge that results in an efficient and effective vocal technique is of the utmost importance. There are many ways in which a singer may acquire an efficient and effective vocal technique, which can be based on the physiological processes of voice production. This chapter explores these processes within the context of singing performance. The authors examine three major aspects of singing: 1) efficient control of breathing, such that optimal airflow and subglottal pressure are available as needed, for a given frequency and intensity; 2) maximized laryngeal coordination, so that the voice source signal contains all the necessary frequency components for the desired tone; and 3) the modulation of the source signal by subtle shaping of the vocal tract. The advantages and disadvantages of various pedagogical methods are discussed, including breath management, known as appoggio, and different resonant strategies. The authors advocate for a scientifically-grounded teaching method, which allows for physiological differences between individuals, genders, and voice classifications.

scholarly journals Quality of carcass sides, yield and distribution of certain tissues in carcasses from pigs fattened in conventional way and on deep litter

2008 ◽  
Vol 62 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 179-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Kosovac ◽  
Branislav Zivkovic ◽  
Tatjana Smiljakovic ◽  
C. Radovic
Keyword(s):  
Conventional Method ◽  
Muscle Tissue ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Lower Mass ◽  
Meat Yield ◽  
Group I ◽  
Pig Carcasses ◽  
Group Yield

Objective of this research was to present and compare results of the research of the effect of two fattening methods, on deep litter and conventional method (without litter). Slaughter properties have been determined with special focus on distribution of certain tissues in pig carcasses fattened in two different ways. Research was carried out on meat, fattening pig breeds - Swedish landrace. Research included 115 fatteners from single farm in Vojvodina. Depending on the housing conditions, two groups were formed: first group - group I (60 heads in group) was housed on deep litter, and the second - group II (55 heads in group), without litter. At the end of the trial, pigs were slaughtered and dissection was performed on cooled (+4?C) left carcass sides and meat yield determined using the method of partial dissection (Walstra and Merkus, 1996). Carcass sides were cut in 12 parts. Based on the meat quantity in four main carcass parts: leg, shoulder, back-loin part (BLP) and belly-rib part (BRP), which contain 75% of total musculature mass and mass of tenderloin of carcass side, meat percentage in carcass sides was calculated according to formulation (Manojlovic Danica et al., 1999). Fatteners housed on deep litter had statistically significantly (**p<0.01) lower mass of cool carcass sides (38.38 kg) compared to fatteners housed without litter (40.90 kg). Higher absolute and relative shares of leg (10.22 kg and 25.02%) were established and higher absolute yield of shoulder (5.35 kg ) in fatteners housed in boxes without litter (II group). Yield of muscle tissue in leg, shoulder, BLP and BRP was higher in fatteners of the II group (without litter) compared to pigs fattened on deep litter, and also statistically highly significant differences were established in share of muscle tissue in shoulder (**p<0.01) and considerable differences in regard to share of muscle tissue in BRP (*p<0.05). Meat yield of pig carcass sides was determined by method of partial dissection, for fatteners housed on deep litter it was 47,92%, and in case of fatteners housed without litter it was 53.89%. Established differences were very significant (**p<0.01).

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