Translation by Johan Sundberg
Papers by Johan Sundberg
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Oct 1, 1996
Music and motion are generally assumed to be closely related. An attempt was made to analyze such... more Music and motion are generally assumed to be closely related. An attempt was made to analyze such relations with regard to the stopping of running and the termination of a piece of music. Velocity, step frequency, and step length of four professional dancers were measured while they were stopping from running. Six choreographers rated the esthetic quality of the decelerations from video recordings. The data curves from highly rated decelerations were more regular and smooth as compared to those decelerations rated ...
Journal of Voice, 2003
Understanding how the voice is used in different styles of singing is commonly based on intuitive... more Understanding how the voice is used in different styles of singing is commonly based on intuitive descriptions offered by performers who are proficient in only one style. Such descriptions are debatable, lack reproducibility, and lack scientifically derived explanations of the characteristics. We undertook acoustic and aerodynamic analyses of a female subject with professional experience in both operatic and Broadway styles of singing, who sang examples in these two styles. How representative the examples are of the respective styles was investigated by means of a listening test. Further, as a reference point, we compared the styles with her speech. Variation in styles associated with pitch and vocal loudness was investigated for various parameters: subglottal pressure, closed quotient, glottal leakage, H 1-H 2 difference (the level difference between the two lowest partials of the source spectrum), and glottal compliance (the ratio between the air volume displaced in a glottal pulse and the subglottal pressure). Formant frequencies, long-termaverage spectrum, and vibrato characteristics were also studied. Characteristics of operatic style emerge as distinctly different from Broadway style, the latter being more similar to speaking.
The blowing pressures during wind instruments playing has not been
systematically measured in pre... more The blowing pressures during wind instruments playing has not been
systematically measured in previous research, leaving the dependences of pitch and dynamic level as open questions. In the present investigation, we recorded blowing pressures in the mouth cavity of two professional players of each of four reed woodwinds (Bb clarinet, alto saxophone, oboe, bassoon). The players performed three different tasks: (1) a series of isolated tones at four dynamic levels, (2) the same series with a crescendo-diminuendo tones and (3) ascendingdescending musical arpeggio played legato at different dynamic levels (pp, mp, mJ
a. The results show that, within instruments, the players' pressures exhibit similar dependencies of pitch and dynamic levels. Between instruments, clear differences were found with regard to the dependence on pitch.
Respiratory movements and lung volume variations during natural performance of wind instrument pl... more Respiratory movements and lung volume variations during natural performance of wind instrument playing have been scarcely documented in the literature, but may provide a deeper insight into performance techniques, players’ physiological characteristics as well as into the physics of the instruments. Using Respiratory Inductive Plethysmography (RIP) respiratory movements of eight professional
players (oboe, clarinet, alto-saxophone, bassoon) were measured during playing of exercises and orchestral solo voices. Calibration of the relative contribution of abdominal wall and rib cage regions was achieved from isovolume manoeuvres. Pneumotachometry was applied for absolute calibration of the RIP. Flow through a standard aerodynamic resistance at constant pressure was used for assessing the method of measurement under dynamic conditions. Different possible artifacts are
described and discussed. The method yielded linear and accurate results, provided that significant body movement is absent, appeared to be non-disturbing to the musicians, accurate and robust. Depending on instrument and piece the players initiated the breath groups at 55% - 87% and terminated them between 14% - 52% of their vital capacity. Unlike what has been found for singers, the players generally showed simultaneous and in many cases equally important contributions from rib cage and abdominal wall during playing. In extreme cases, inhalations were achieved in approximately 300 ms and reasonably synchronised with the RIP signals.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1999
Five professional operatic baritone singers' voice-source characteristics were analyzed b... more Five professional operatic baritone singers' voice-source characteristics were analyzed by means of inverse filtering of the flow signal as captured by a flow mask. The subjects sang a long sustained diminuendo, from loudest to softest, three times on the vowels [a:] and [ae:] at fundamental frequencies representing 25%, 50%, and 75% of their total pitch range as measured in semitones. During the diminuendos, they repeatedly inserted the consonant [p] so that associated subglottal pressures could be estimated from the oral pressure during the p-occlusions. Pooling the three takes of each condition, ten subglottal pressures, equidistantly spaced between highest and lowest, were selected for analysis. Sound-pressure levels (SPL), peak-to-peak glottal airflow, maximum flow declination rate, closed quotient, glottal dc flow, and the level difference between the two lowest partials of the source spectrum (H1-H2) were determined. All parameters except the glottal dc flow showed a systematic variation with subglottal pressure or the fractional excess pressure over threshold. The results are given in terms of equations representing the average across subjects for the relation between subglottal pressure and each of the mentioned voice-source parameters.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1997
ABSTRACT This paper will describe an ongoing collaboration between the authors to combine the Dir... more ABSTRACT This paper will describe an ongoing collaboration between the authors to combine the Director Musices and Conductor programs in order to achieve a more expressive and socially interactive performance of a midi file score by an electronic orchestra. Director Musices processes a “square” midi file, adjusting the dynamics and timing of the notes to achieve the expressive performance of a trained musician.
Scientific American, 1977
ШШштат (¿хг The Acoustics of the Singing Voice The voice organ is an instrument consisting of a p... more ШШштат (¿хг The Acoustics of the Singing Voice The voice organ is an instrument consisting of a power supply (the lungs), an oscillator (the vocal ... the two vocal folds (which are often called the vocal cords but are actu-ally elastic infoldings of the mucous membrane lin-ing the ...
The singer's formant has been found to be an important acoustic characteristic of professional op... more The singer's formant has been found to be an important acoustic characteristic of professional operatic altos, tenors, baritones and basses, while it seems unclear whether or not sopranos possess it. According to Dmitriev & Kiselev (1 979) the JFequencies of the "high singing formant" increases @om lower voices to higher voices. By means of a listening test with synthesised vowel stimuli we examined how important the center JFequency of the singer's formant is to voice classijication. The results showed that it clearly influenced voice classijication. In another listening test with synthesised vowel stimuli we examined if a singer's formant belongs to the typical characteristics of a soprano voice. The results showed that increasing the center JFequency of the singer's formant up to 3.4 kHz increased the perceived quality of the soprano synthesis. For the stimulus containing the highest pitches, a synthesis lacking a singer's formant was preferred, while for other stimuli the results were less clear. The frequency relationships between the lower formants and the spectrum partials, especially for theJirst and last tone of a scale, also seem to be relevant for the quality rating of the soprano synthesis.
The singer's formant has been found to be an important acoustic characteristic of professional op... more The singer's formant has been found to be an important acoustic characteristic of professional operatic altos, tenors, baritones and basses, while it seems unclear whether or not sopranos possess it. According to Dmitriev & Kiselev (1 979) the JFequencies of the "high singing formant" increases @om lower voices to higher voices. By means of a listening test with synthesised vowel stimuli we examined how important the center JFequency of the singer's formant is to voice classijication. The results showed that it clearly influenced voice classijication. In another listening test with synthesised vowel stimuli we examined if a singer's formant belongs to the typical characteristics of a soprano voice. The results showed that increasing the center JFequency of the singer's formant up to 3.4 kHz increased the perceived quality of the soprano synthesis. For the stimulus containing the highest pitches, a synthesis lacking a singer's formant was preferred, while for other stimuli the results were less clear. The frequency relationships between the lower formants and the spectrum partials, especially for theJirst and last tone of a scale, also seem to be relevant for the quality rating of the soprano synthesis.
PLOS ONE, 2015
The vocal tract shape is crucial to voice production. Its lower part seems particularly relevant ... more The vocal tract shape is crucial to voice production. Its lower part seems particularly relevant for voice timbre. This study analyzes the detailed morphology of parts of the epilaryngeal tube and the hypopharynx for the sustained German vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, and /u/ by thirteen male singer subjects who were at the beginning of their academic singing studies. Analysis was based on two different phonatory conditions: a natural, speech-like phonation and a singing phonation, like in classical singing. 3D models of the vocal tract were derived from magnetic resonance imaging and compared with long-term average spectrum analysis of audio recordings from the same subjects. Comparison of singing to the speech-like phonation, which served as reference, showed significant adjustments of the lower vocal tract: an average lowering of the larynx by 8 mm and an increase of the hypopharyngeal cross-sectional area (+ 21:9%) and volume (+ 16:8%). Changes in the analyzed epilaryngeal portion of the vocal tract were not significant. Consequently, lower larynx-to-hypopharynx area and volume ratios were found in singing compared to the speech-like phonation. All evaluated measures of the lower vocal tract varied significantly with vowel quality. Acoustically, an increase of high frequency energy in singing correlated with a wider hypopharyngeal area. The findings offer an explanation how classical male singers might succeed in producing a voice timbre with increased high frequency energy, creating a singer`s formant cluster.
Journal of Voice, 2015
Previous research suggests that independent variation of vocal loudness and glottal configuration... more Previous research suggests that independent variation of vocal loudness and glottal configuration (type and degree of vocal fold adduction) does not occur in untrained speech production. This study investigated whether these factors can be varied independently in trained singing and how subglottal pressure is related to average glottal airflow, voice source properties, and sound level under these conditions. A classically trained baritone produced sustained phonations on the endoscopic vowel [i:] at pitch D4 (approximately 294 Hz), exclusively varying either (a) vocal register; (b) phonation type (from "breathy" to "pressed" via cartilaginous adduction); or (c) vocal loudness, while keeping the others constant. Phonation was documented by simultaneous recording of videokymographic, electroglottographic, airflow and voice source data, and by percutaneous measurement of relative subglottal pressure. Register shifts were clearly marked in the electroglottographic wavegram display. Compared with chest register, falsetto was produced with greater pulse amplitude of the glottal flow, H1-H2, mean airflow, and with lower maximum flow declination rate (MFDR), subglottal pressure, and sound pressure. Shifts of phonation type (breathy/flow/neutral/pressed) induced comparable systematic changes. Increase of vocal loudness resulted in increased subglottal pressure, average flow, sound pressure, MFDR, glottal flow pulse amplitude, and H1-H2. When changing either vocal register or phonation type, subglottal pressure and mean airflow showed an inverse relationship, that is, variation of glottal flow resistance. The direct relation between subglottal pressure and airflow when varying only vocal loudness demonstrated independent control of vocal loudness and glottal configuration. Achieving such independent control of phonatory control parameters would be an important target in vocal pedagogy and in voice therapy.
IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, 2011
... The voice source properties are controlled by three main phy-siological parameters, the trans... more ... The voice source properties are controlled by three main phy-siological parameters, the transglottal pressure drop, ie, the air pressure difference across the glottis; the glottal adduction force, ie, the force by which the folds are pressed together; and vocal fold length and tension. ...
Fifty-eight 10-year old children were recorded and judged by a panel of voice expert listeners, w... more Fifty-eight 10-year old children were recorded and judged by a panel of voice expert listeners, who rated the voices along 26 voice parameters represented by visual analogue (continuous) scales on a test form. Interjudge reliability was high. Rank ordered rating means revealed a discontinuity in the distribution for most parameters. A factor analysis revealed three factors of major relevance to the perception of these voices. These factors were closely associated with hoarseness, pitch, and phonatoy effort. The hoarseness factor was found to have high loadings in gratings, breathiness, hyperfunction, roughness, instability, and voice breaks. A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that breathiness, hyperfunction and roughness are good predictors of hoarseness. '
Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, 1995
The parents of 55 10-year-old children answered questionnaires concerning 51 elements of potentia... more The parents of 55 10-year-old children answered questionnaires concerning 51 elements of potential relevance to voice function such as vocal habits, speech and language development, medical history, social history, physical environment and family relations. In addition, personality profiles of each child were assessed by its teacher and parents. The results were compared to an expert listening panel's evaluation of hoarseness and vocal-fold status as determined by a visual examination by a phoniatrician. Eight boys were identified as being chronically hoarse. Gender, personality and hours spent per day in large groups were highly significant factors associated with hoarseness. A discriminant analysis based on the significant background variables correctly grouped 86.3% of the children.
Previous work has shown that the ventilation of nitric oxide (NO) from the maxillar sinuses is af... more Previous work has shown that the ventilation of nitric oxide (NO) from the maxillar sinuses is affected not only by the steady air stream through the nasal tract, but also if this air stream is modulated by vocal fold activity. In order to explain the increased ventilation during such nasal murmur two models were built; one physical model, and one
Speech Communication, 1993
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Translation by Johan Sundberg
Papers by Johan Sundberg
systematically measured in previous research, leaving the dependences of pitch and dynamic level as open questions. In the present investigation, we recorded blowing pressures in the mouth cavity of two professional players of each of four reed woodwinds (Bb clarinet, alto saxophone, oboe, bassoon). The players performed three different tasks: (1) a series of isolated tones at four dynamic levels, (2) the same series with a crescendo-diminuendo tones and (3) ascendingdescending musical arpeggio played legato at different dynamic levels (pp, mp, mJ
a. The results show that, within instruments, the players' pressures exhibit similar dependencies of pitch and dynamic levels. Between instruments, clear differences were found with regard to the dependence on pitch.
players (oboe, clarinet, alto-saxophone, bassoon) were measured during playing of exercises and orchestral solo voices. Calibration of the relative contribution of abdominal wall and rib cage regions was achieved from isovolume manoeuvres. Pneumotachometry was applied for absolute calibration of the RIP. Flow through a standard aerodynamic resistance at constant pressure was used for assessing the method of measurement under dynamic conditions. Different possible artifacts are
described and discussed. The method yielded linear and accurate results, provided that significant body movement is absent, appeared to be non-disturbing to the musicians, accurate and robust. Depending on instrument and piece the players initiated the breath groups at 55% - 87% and terminated them between 14% - 52% of their vital capacity. Unlike what has been found for singers, the players generally showed simultaneous and in many cases equally important contributions from rib cage and abdominal wall during playing. In extreme cases, inhalations were achieved in approximately 300 ms and reasonably synchronised with the RIP signals.
systematically measured in previous research, leaving the dependences of pitch and dynamic level as open questions. In the present investigation, we recorded blowing pressures in the mouth cavity of two professional players of each of four reed woodwinds (Bb clarinet, alto saxophone, oboe, bassoon). The players performed three different tasks: (1) a series of isolated tones at four dynamic levels, (2) the same series with a crescendo-diminuendo tones and (3) ascendingdescending musical arpeggio played legato at different dynamic levels (pp, mp, mJ
a. The results show that, within instruments, the players' pressures exhibit similar dependencies of pitch and dynamic levels. Between instruments, clear differences were found with regard to the dependence on pitch.
players (oboe, clarinet, alto-saxophone, bassoon) were measured during playing of exercises and orchestral solo voices. Calibration of the relative contribution of abdominal wall and rib cage regions was achieved from isovolume manoeuvres. Pneumotachometry was applied for absolute calibration of the RIP. Flow through a standard aerodynamic resistance at constant pressure was used for assessing the method of measurement under dynamic conditions. Different possible artifacts are
described and discussed. The method yielded linear and accurate results, provided that significant body movement is absent, appeared to be non-disturbing to the musicians, accurate and robust. Depending on instrument and piece the players initiated the breath groups at 55% - 87% and terminated them between 14% - 52% of their vital capacity. Unlike what has been found for singers, the players generally showed simultaneous and in many cases equally important contributions from rib cage and abdominal wall during playing. In extreme cases, inhalations were achieved in approximately 300 ms and reasonably synchronised with the RIP signals.