Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Sam Meredith McCoy Ch. 1


Provide the missing descriptor in the following pairs: (2-6)

Clean – Raspy
Dramatic – Lyric
Loft – Twang
Clear – Breathy
Healthy – Damaged
Dark – Bright
Forward – Back
Ringing – Conversational
Nasal – Non-Nasal
Free – Forced
Straight Tone – Vibrant
Wobble – Flutter


Define chiaroscuro. (2) A term for the measure of the brightness/darkness of vocal timbre
How does the strength of the overtones vary in tones that are bright vs. dark? (2) In a bright voice the higher pitched overtones have more strength while in a dark voice the lower-pitched overtones have more strength.
What causes twang resonance? How would you describe the sound? (2) A narrowing in the vocal tract; when excessive it can sound pinched or nasal
What causes loft resonance?  (2) Relaxation and enlargement of the pharynx along with raising the soft palate
What often causes the sound to be ‘back’ rather than forward? (2-3) Root of tongue tension
Lyric and dramatic are indicators of both the size and the                   color                  of the voice. (3)
Synonyms for light and dramatic might be lyric                                    and                                     full                  . (3)
What is the cause of breathiness? (3) incomplete closure of the glottis
What is raspiness?  What causes raspiness? (3) a coarse, gravelly timbre; it can  be caused either by phonation using the false vocal folds or it can be the result of vocal pathology
How are breathiness and raspiness different? (3) breathiness sound more like a hiss or white noise whereas raspiness is a more coarse sound
What are signs of a damaged voice? (3) extraneous sounds such as breathiness or raspiness, phonation of two simultaneous pitches, intonation problems, excessively wide or slow vibrato
What is nasality?  What causes nasality? (4) active resonance in the nasal cavity; it’s caused by an opening between the soft palate and the nasal cavity
Define free singing. (4-5) singing that gives the impression of ease and can be sustained for extended periods of time without vocal fatigue or vocal damage
Define forced singing. (5) singing that gives the impression of great vocal stress and is quickly followed by hoarseness or vocal damage
Define vibrato. (5) long-term vibration superimposed on a given pitch
What is the compass of a normal vibrato? (5) a major 2nd or more from top to bottom
Describe the characteristics of regular vibrato. (5) consistency, equal portions of pitch and loudness modulation that occur in perfect synchronization
What does pitch-dominant vibrato sound like? (5) like a slow trill, making it difficult to discern what pitch is actually being sung
What does loudness-dominant vibrato sound like? (5) it sounds like a billy goat
What is the oscillation rate of a healthy, well-balanced vibrato? (5) between 4.5 and 7 cycles per second
Define wobble. (5-6) very slow vibrato
What causes wobble? (6) bad technique, extended periods of incorrect voice use, neurological disorders, old age
How can we avoid developing a wobble? (6) Good vocal hygiene, maintenance of pulmonary health
Define flutter. (6) excessively rapid vibrato

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