Sarah Boucher McCoy Ch. 4

Sarah Boucher McCoy Ch. 4

1) How is the vocal tract like the amplifier and tone controls of a stereo system? The vocal tract is like the amplifier and tone controls of a stereo because it is adjustable and can modify sounds selectively.
2) Define the term formant. A formant is a resonance of the vocal tract. They are not actual sound nor a function of the vibrating vocal folds - they are SOUND POTENTIAL.
3) Which formants are responsible for vowel creation? F1 and F2
4) What is formant tuning? Formant tuning is tuning F1 and the fundamental frequency to almost the same pitch.
5) Why is the singer's formant important? The singer's formant helps to project the voice over an orchestra.
6) Are there alternatives to using the singer's formant? Soprano voices sit at such a high frequency that they often do not have to use it to be heard over an orchestra. Tenors will occasionally align F2 with the third harmonic.
7) How are formants viewed differently in linear and nonlinear descriptions of vocal resonance? In linear the sound source and resonator are independent of each other. In the nonlinear, voice production is a two way street: the sound source still impacts resonance, but resonance also can influence vocal fold vibration.
8) What is the average pitch for F1 of the cardinal vowels? /i/ - E4 /e/ -C5 /a/- G5 /o/ - C5 /u/ -E4
9) How are formants different from resonance frequencies in a fixed-diameter quarter-wave resonator? Resonant frequencies are changed by moving the articulators but in a fixed-diameter quarter-wave resonance is fixed and stuck in place.
10) If the vowel /a/ is sung on F4, which of the first three harmonics is likely to be strongest? F2