A Formant Range Profile for Singers.
Ingo R Titze, Lynn M Maxfield, Megan C Walker
PMID 28029556WHAT IT FOUND
Singers could map their own vowel space with vocal-fry recordings, but the method did not produce a maximum vowel-space chart; the measured space varied widely.
Key findings
01F2 ranges for the /i/ and /u/ vowels were 600 Hz to 2900 Hz in females and 500 Hz to 2600 Hz in males.
02For the four individuals with the greatest vowel quadrangle differences, female formant ranges were 0.195 kHz2 and 0.911 kHz2, and male formant ranges were 0.337 kHz2 and 0.625 kHz2.
03The /æ/ and /a/ vowels had F1 about 100 Hz higher than values reported for males and females by Peterson and Barney, but the students did not reach the 1000 to 1200 Hz F1 values achieved by top-rank professional theatre singers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The data were gathered as a regular classroom activity, not as a controlled clinical study. Students varied widely in age, experience, and vocal training. Only recordings of 24 subjects were reviewed by the authors to check student measurements. Different microphones were used, and the recording space was not a sound isolation booth. The study used formant frequencies as an approximation of vocal tract resonance frequencies. The authors state that the intended maximum formant range profile was not accomplished. Quantification of formant space reduction was not addressed well.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that a formant chart improves singing or that singers can reach professional belt formant values with these instructions. The authors state the maximum formant range profile was not accomplished, and the students did not reach the values of top-rank professional theatre singers.