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The Sound of the Snow Queen: An Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Clarity in "Let it Go"

Smith, Megan Marie
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1461277153

Abstract Details

2016, Bachelor of Science (BS), Ohio University, Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Vowels can become difficult to understand when sung at exceptionally high frequencies. This is because the resonances that make up each vowel’s unique identity, called formants, are sometimes adjusted in order to maintain good voice quality and volume in such high fundamental frequencies. According to the current literature, professional singers are often trained to intentionally adjust their formants. Additionally, current research shows extensive differences between the male and female singing voice, which make formant adjustment likely in female singers. Using Disney’s Frozen, this thesis examines the relationships between formant adjustment and singer experience and singer sex. The hypotheses of this thesis include: 1) professional singers engage in formant tuning significantly more than amateur singers, and 2) female singers engage in formant adjustment significantly more than male singers. The procedure designed to test these hypotheses includes five tasks: 1) pronouncing eight vowels in the “hVd” context, 2) reading the lyrics to “Let it Go” without music, 3) reading the lyrics to “Let it Go” while listening to the instrumental music, 4) singing scales in two differing keys with two different vowels, for a total of four scales, and 5) singing “Let it Go” in two differing keys. Once each participant was recorded, the data was analyzed acoustically and statistically. The results indicate significantly more formant adjustment in professional and female singers across various tasks. These results confirm the hypotheses of this thesis. Future research should implement larger sample sizes and a more stringent definition of `professional’, and future areas of interest include the “singer’s formant”, the impact of different singing styles, and the intentional lack of formant adjustment as a professional stylistic choice.
Chao-Yang Lee (Advisor)
57 p.
Music; Speech Therapy
formants; vowel clarity; singing; Frozen

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Smith, M. M. (2016). The Sound of the Snow Queen: An Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Clarity in "Let it Go" [Undergraduate thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1461277153

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Smith, Megan. The Sound of the Snow Queen: An Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Clarity in "Let it Go" . 2016. Ohio University, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1461277153.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Smith, Megan. "The Sound of the Snow Queen: An Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Clarity in "Let it Go" ." Undergraduate thesis, Ohio University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1461277153

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ouhonors1461277153
803
© 2016, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License The Sound of the Snow Queen: An Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Clarity in "Let it Go" by Megan Marie Smith is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University Honors Tutorial College and OhioLINK.