Barb Roberts <mikebarb@n...> wrote:
> One poster alluded that some, Miller especially, equate
> this ring to "the singer's Formant of 2800 Hz" except for certain
> voices that lack this formant, notably high, light sopranos. These
> voices have a different kind of ring. (How different?)
Dear Barb,
Yes, it's true to a certain extent. Most opera singers have a
discreet band of "ringing" frequencies beginning around 2800 and
ending around 4000Hz. This phenomenon exists primarily for
fundamentals sung below 500 Hz (tenor high c). It is especially
prevalent in singers using the "heavy" vocal mechanism, like dramatic
tenors. For higher fundamentals than 500Hz, this band stops being a
band of frequencies, but rather a repeating pattern of stripes that
look like a fan.
To see this, check out this picture:
http://people.mills.edu/toda/music/arpeggio_spectral.gif
In this spectrogram, I am singing a 2 octave arpeggio up from a low
alto G and then back down. Notice where I am singing low (beginning
and end) there is a distinct band of energy between 2800 and 4000 Hz.
In my higher range (see center of graphic) you see distinct harmonics
fanning out. Many people don't call this a singer's formant when it
takes this formation. It still has plenty of carrying power
and "cut", though - all the high band energy is still there, it's
just not discernable stripe anymore.
People have various theories about why this is, but it is partly
about the relativity of fundamental frequency and size of resonant
cavities. There is also an aspect of source tone complexity. A pure,
high tone is less likely to have a diffuse showing of partials in a
relatively low spectral range.
It's not just about fach, but also about how the voice is used. For
instance, I am not a soprano, but this phenomenon happens to me when
I sing in a typically soprano range. I should mention I have
a "stripier" formation than some larger voiced sopranos, who
sometimes just have a wide wash of frequencies that taper off as they
get higher.
Anyway, for a lyric soprano, the fundamentals sit high, and the
source tone relatively simple (thin vocal fold formation in the upper
range). Hence, less singer's formant. On the other hand, a lyric who
chooses to "chest belt" on a tenor high A, will get a clear singer's
formant.
Hope this is useful information...
Tako Oda,
Countertenor
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