title: Articulation and vocal tract acoustics at soprano subject's high fundamental frequencies.
abstract: The role of the vocal tract for phonation at very high soprano fundamental frequencies (F0s) is not yet understood in detail. In this investigation, two experiments were carried out with a single professional high soprano subject. First, using two dimensional (2D) dynamic real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (24 fps) midsagittal and coronal vocal tract shapes were analyzed while the subject sang a scale from Bb5 (932 Hz) to G6 (1568 Hz). In a second experiment, volumetric vocal tract MRI data were recorded from sustained phonations (13 s) for the pitches C6 (1047 Hz) and G6 (1568 Hz). Formant frequencies were measured in physical models created by 3D printing, and calculated from area functions obtained from the 3D vocal tract shapes. The data showed that there were only minor modifications of the vocal tract shape. These changes involved a decrease of the piriform sinus as well as small changes of tongue position. Formant frequencies did not exhibit major differences between C6 and G6 for F1 and F3, respectively. Only F2 was slightly raised for G6. For G6, however, F2 is not excited by any voice source partial. Therefore, this investigation was not able to confirm that the analyzed professional soprano subject adjusted formants to voice source partials for the analyzed F0s.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Musicians' Medicine, Freiburg University Medical Center, Breisacher Str. 60, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Echternach
authors.affiliation: Institute of Acoustics and Speech Communication, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Birkholz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Musicians' Medicine, Freiburg University Medical Center, Breisacher Str. 60, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Louisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Traser
authors.affiliation: Department of Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, Freiburg University Medical Center, Hugstetterstr. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Tabea V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Flügge
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Simulation, Department of Microsystems Engineering-IMTEK, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 102, 79110 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kamberger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Musicians' Medicine, Freiburg University Medical Center, Breisacher Str. 60, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Burk
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Medical Physics, Freiburg University Medical Center, Breisacher Str. 60a, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burdumy
authors.affiliation: Institute of Musicians' Medicine, Freiburg University Medical Center, Breisacher Str. 60, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Richter
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D007830:Larynx / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D010699:Phonation; D066330:Printing, Three-Dimensional; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D063346:Singing; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D014833:Voice Quality