Jaw Position for Singing: An open and shut case! 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Purpose: To explore how specific manipulations of the vocal tract can help us achieve our artistic goals: Elongating and narrowing the epilaryngeal tube Controlling the opening of the mouth 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Vocal Tract Acoustics ‘101’ But first: Vocal Tract Acoustics ‘101’ 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Source-Filter Theory 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 What is Resonance? Resonance is a reinforcement of a natural behavior or phenomenon Acoustic resonance is an intensification of sound by sympathetic vibration of two or more things Vocal tract resonance is a selective reinforcement of a few source (larynx) frequencies by the vocal tract 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Sound Pressure Spectrum Glottal Flow Spectrum 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

So, what’s so special about singers? We have to sing LOUDER than normal We have to sing HIGHER than normal We have to sing BEAUTIFULLY at the same time 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Solution…well it can help: Inertive reactance! 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Ingo Titze www.NCVS.org Please visit their website! Thanks to: Ingo Titze www.NCVS.org Please visit their website! 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

To get the maximum boost from the vocal tract we can either: Resonate one or two harmonics of the source selectively (as in harmonic singing, counter-tenor singing, soprano high voice, or whistle voice) 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

‘Formant Tuning’ in the soprano 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

‘Formant Tuning’ in the soprano 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

To get the maximum boost from the vocal tract we can either: Cluster F3, F4 and F5 for the Singer’s Formant 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Singer’s Formant 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

To get the maximum boost from the vocal tract we can either: OR Resonate the entire vocal fold vibration process with a vocal tract that stores and returns energy to the glottis 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Linear Source-Filter Acoustics Nonlinear Source-Filter Acoustics 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Inertance: - sluggishness of the response of an air column provides feedback energy to the vocal folds 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Inertance is high in long, narrow tubes: How and where can we create long, narrow tubes? How does this help us as singers? 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Vowel /a/ as in “hot” - male Mouth Leakage into Nasal Tract Lips Pharynx Piriform Sinus Valleculae Epi-Larynx Tube Vocal Folds Trachea 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Laryngeal Tube 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Increased inertive reactance: Skews the flow pulse, Which increases the maximum flow declination rate (MFDR), Which increases the vocal intensity. HOW? More energy in the higher partials. 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Inertive Reactance = (inertance) x (frequency) Inertive reactance measures the amount of acoustic energy stored in the vocal tract, and It also determines the amount of energy fed back to the glottis to help the vocal folds vibrate 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

We lengthen and narrow the tube by: Lowering the larynx ‘Squeezing’ the laryngeal aditus or the ‘collar of the larynx’ 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Also: Inertive reactance is high for frequencies just below a vocal tract resonance (formant) 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 F1 F2 F2 F1 F2 F1 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Important: Length and width of the epilaryngeal tube influences the level of reactance Opening of the mouth tunes F1 Relationship between harmonics and the first formant determines the quality of the voice. 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Important harmonics are above F1 Important harmonics are below F1 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

1. Singing below the first resonance F1 (chest register and female belt) 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Males and female belters 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Classical females and countertenors F1 F2 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Conclusion 1 With a wide-open mouth (megaphone shape), a male sound or a female belt sound can be produced as long as F1 is above the second harmonic With a wide-open mouth (megaphone shape), a male counter-tenor sound or a female classical lyric or coloratura sound can be produced as long as F1 is above the fundamental 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Important harmonics are above F1 Important harmonics are below F1 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

2. Singing above the first resonance F1 (mixed register) 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Male and female mixed register 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Conclusion 2 With a small mouth opening (inverted megaphone shape), a mixed-register male or female sound can be produced as long as F2 is higher than the second harmonic With a small mouth opening (inverted megaphone shape), a male counter-tenor sound or a female classical lyric or coloratura sound can be produced as long as F2 is higher than the fundamental 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Overall Conclusion In singing, the source (larynx) can be highly interactive with the vocal tract Interaction is heightened if some part of the vocal tract is narrow, such as the epilarynx tube; this creates not only vocal ring, but higher overall intensity A semi-occluded vocal tract (at the mouth) is very friendly to a mixed register and hence is very useful for training classical singing 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Result of inertive reactance Sombre timbre Result of inertive reactance 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Voce Chiusa ‘Comfortably low’ larynx elongates vocal tract - increases inertive reactance ‘Squeezing the collar of the larynx’ narrows the tube - increases inertive reactance Paying attention to mouth opening appropriately tunes F1 to achieve the aesthetic expectation 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Singing with the megaphone shape helps produce high pitches in chest register (or belt voice) for Fo < 530 Hz (C5) 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Singing with the megaphone shape also helps produce high pitches in classical female and counter-tenor style for F0 > 530 Hz 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 Aesthetics Summary: Wide open mouth opening Popular styles: belt (male and female), pop styles, etc. Classical styles: Soprano in her high voice – formant tracking, counter-tenor Narrow mouth opening Popular styles: Country & Western, flageolet Classical styles: mixed registers – female middle, male high voice 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Pavarotti & The Italian Tenor Decca Record Co. Limited, London. ‘O Colombina’ Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

D’amor sull’ali rosee Il Trovatore (Verdi) Leontyne Price The Complete Bell Telephone Hour Performances. Video Artists International D’amor sull’ali rosee Il Trovatore (Verdi) 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

Lauritz Melchior Bel Canto: The Tenors of the 78 Era Kultur “Morgenlich leuchtend” Die Meistersinger (Wagner) 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

“Tu che a Dio spiegasti l’ali” Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Giuseppe di Stefano “Tu che a Dio spiegasti l’ali” Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011

The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011 OMG! 9/17/2018 The Vocal Pedagogy Workshop 2011