Pedagogy McCoy 1-4

Question 1

What is sound?

Answer 1

Compressions and rarefactions within a medium

Question 2

What are the four components needed for musical sound?

Answer 2

frequency- amplitude- timbre- duration

Question 3

What is periodic sound?

Answer 3

a sound with pitch

Question 4

Define frequency and fundamental frequency

Answer 4

number of vibrations per second; the lowest frequency in a complex sound wave

Question 5

Define amplitude

Answer 5

the magnitude of comression, rarefaction

Question 6

Define wavelength

Answer 6

the spatial separation between compression rarefaction

Question 7

Define overtone

Answer 7

additional frequency above the fundamental that is present in a tone

Question 8

Define harmonic and inharmonic overtones

Answer 8

harmonic overtones are whole number multpiles of F0- inharmonic overtones are not whole number multiples of F0

Question 9

Define spectral envelope

Answer 9

The relationship between F0 and the overtones

Question 10

What is spectral slope?

Answer 10

the rate at which harmonics decline in amplitude with increased frequency- expressed as a ratio through decibels per octave

Question 11

What are the two fundamental types of resonance that occur in the human body?

Answer 11

free and forced

Question 12

Why are the chest and head not good resonators for the projection of sound?

Answer 12

because they are covered woth muscle and flesh which inhibit vibration

Question 13

What are the four traits common to all musical instruments?

Answer 13

power source- vibrator- resonator- articulator

Question 14

Why is the vocal tract considered to be a quarter-wave resonator?

Answer 14

because it is a closed/open tube. Frequencies with quarter-wavelength equal to the length of the vocal tract are the first to be resonated

Question 15

What is the relationship between the harmonic series and the resonance series of a quarter-wave system?

Answer 15

resonance series contains only odd numbered harmonics

Question 16

Define musical resonance.

Answer 16

the intesification and enriching of a musical tone by supplementary vibration

Question 17

What anatomical structures function as free resonators in the human voice?

Answer 17

the trachea- laryngopharynx- oropharynx- oral cavity- nasopharynx- and nasal cavity

Question 18

How is the vocal tract like the amplifier and tone controls of a stereo system?

Answer 18

it selectively amplifies and attenuates frequencies present in the vocal tract

Question 19

Define the term formant.

Answer 19

a formant is a resonance in the vocal tract

Question 20

Which formants are responsible for vowel creation?

Answer 20

F1 and F2

Question 21

What is formant tuning?

Answer 21

the synchronization of F1 with the fundamental frequency or a harmonic overtone

Question 22

Why is the singers formant important?

Answer 22

it allows the voice to project over an orchestra or to be heard in other situations

Question 23

Are there alternatives to using the singer’s formant?

Answer 23

yes-it is not needed by high sopranos- some tenors use F2 instead of Fs for their high notes

Question 24

How are formants viewed differently inlinear and non-linear descriptions of vocal resonance?

Answer 24

in the linear model formant peaks provide maximum amplification; in the nonlinear model maximum amplification occurs just prior to the formant peak-the formant itself insuces instability

Question 25

What is the average pitch for F1 of the cardinal vowels?

Answer 25

/i-e-a-o-u/=E4-C5-G5-C5-E4 (plus about a major third above or below these pitches)

Question 26

How are formants different from resonance frequencies in a fixed-diameter quarter-wave resonator?

Answer 26

Formant frequencies can be changed by moving the articulators; resonances of a fixed diameter tube are locked in place

Question 27

If the vowel -a is sung on F4 which of the first three harmonics is likely to be strongest?

Answer 27

2F0-it is in close proximity to F2 of -a which centers around the pitch G5