Pedagogy McCoy 1-4 Flashcards
What is sound?
Compressions and rarefactions within a medium
What are the four components needed for musical sound?
frequency- amplitude- timbre- duration
What is periodic sound?
a sound with pitch
Define frequency and fundamental frequency
number of vibrations per second; the lowest frequency in a complex sound wave
Define amplitude
the magnitude of comression, rarefaction
Define wavelength
the spatial separation between compression rarefaction
Define overtone
additional frequency above the fundamental that is present in a tone
Define harmonic and inharmonic overtones
harmonic overtones are whole number multpiles of F0- inharmonic overtones are not whole number multiples of F0
Define spectral envelope
The relationship between F0 and the overtones
What is spectral slope?
the rate at which harmonics decline in amplitude with increased frequency- expressed as a ratio through decibels per octave
What are the two fundamental types of resonance that occur in the human body?
free and forced
Why are the chest and head not good resonators for the projection of sound?
because they are covered woth muscle and flesh which inhibit vibration
What are the four traits common to all musical instruments?
power source- vibrator- resonator- articulator
Why is the vocal tract considered to be a quarter-wave resonator?
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
What is the relationship between the harmonic series and the resonance series of a quarter-wave system?
resonance series contains only odd numbered harmonics
Define musical resonance.
the intesification and enriching of a musical tone by supplementary vibration
What anatomical structures function as free resonators in the human voice?
the trachea- laryngopharynx- oropharynx- oral cavity- nasopharynx- and nasal cavity
How is the vocal tract like the amplifier and tone controls of a stereo system?
it selectively amplifies and attenuates frequencies present in the vocal tract
Define the term formant.
a formant is a resonance in the vocal tract
Which formants are responsible for vowel creation?
F1 and F2
What is formant tuning?
the synchronization of F1 with the fundamental frequency or a harmonic overtone
Why is the singers formant important?
it allows the voice to project over an orchestra or to be heard in other situations
Are there alternatives to using the singer’s formant?
yes-it is not needed by high sopranos- some tenors use F2 instead of Fs for their high notes
How are formants viewed differently inlinear and non-linear descriptions of vocal resonance?
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
What is the average pitch for F1 of the cardinal vowels?
/i-e-a-o-u/=E4-C5-G5-C5-E4 (plus about a major third above or below these pitches)
How are formants different from resonance frequencies in a fixed-diameter quarter-wave resonator?
Formant frequencies can be changed by moving the articulators; resonances of a fixed diameter tube are locked in place
If the vowel -a is sung on F4 which of the first three harmonics is likely to be strongest?
2F0-it is in close proximity to F2 of -a which centers around the pitch G5
