TY - JOUR
T1 - Overtone focusing in biphonic Tuvan throat singing
AU - Bergevin, Christopher
AU - Narayan, Chandan
AU - Williams, Joy
AU - Mhatre, Natasha
AU - Steeves, Jennifer
AU - Bernstein, Joshua G.W.
AU - Story, Brad
N1 - Funding Information:
A heartfelt thank you to Huun Huur Tu, without whom this study would not have been possible. Input/suggestions from Ralf Schlueter, Greg Huber, Dorothea Kolossa, Chris Rozell, Tuomas Virtanen, & the reviewers are gratefully acknowledged. Support from York University, the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences, and the Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics is also gratefully acknowledged. C.B. was supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Grant RGPIN-430761-2013. The identification of specific products or scientific instrumentation does not constitute endorsement or implied endorsement on the part of the author, DoD, or any component agency. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of Army/Navy/Air Force, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government.
Funding Information:
A heartfelt thank you to Huun Huur Tu, without whom this study would not have been possible. I nput/suggestions from Ralf Schlueter, Greg Huber, Dorothea Kolossa, Chris Rozell, Tuomas Virtanen, & the reviewers are gratefully acknowledged. Support from York University, the Fields Research in Mathematical Sciences, and the Kavli I nstitute of Theoretical Physics is also gratefully acknowledged. C.B. was supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Grant RGP I N-430761-2013. The identi instrumentation does not constitute endorsement or implied endorsement on the part of the author, DoD, or any component agency. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not re ect the o cial policy of the Department of Army/Navy/Air Force, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/2
Y1 - 2020/2
N2 - Khoomei is a unique singing style originating from the Central Asian republic of Tuva. Singers produce two pitches simultaneously: A booming low-frequency rumble alongside a hovering high-pitched whistle-like tone. The biomechanics of this biphonation are not well-understood. Here, we use sound analysis, dynamic magnetic resonance imaging, and vocal tract modeling to demonstrate how biphonation is achieved by modulating vocal tract morphology. Tuvan singers show remarkable control in shaping their vocal tract to narrowly focus the harmonics (or overtones) emanating from their vocal cords. The biphonic sound is a combination of the fundamental pitch and a focused filter state, which is at the higher pitch (1-2 kHz) and formed by merging two formants, thereby greatly enhancing sound-production in a very narrow frequency range. Most importantly, we demonstrate that this biphonation is a phenomenon arising from linear filtering rather than a nonlinear source.
AB - Khoomei is a unique singing style originating from the Central Asian republic of Tuva. Singers produce two pitches simultaneously: A booming low-frequency rumble alongside a hovering high-pitched whistle-like tone. The biomechanics of this biphonation are not well-understood. Here, we use sound analysis, dynamic magnetic resonance imaging, and vocal tract modeling to demonstrate how biphonation is achieved by modulating vocal tract morphology. Tuvan singers show remarkable control in shaping their vocal tract to narrowly focus the harmonics (or overtones) emanating from their vocal cords. The biphonic sound is a combination of the fundamental pitch and a focused filter state, which is at the higher pitch (1-2 kHz) and formed by merging two formants, thereby greatly enhancing sound-production in a very narrow frequency range. Most importantly, we demonstrate that this biphonation is a phenomenon arising from linear filtering rather than a nonlinear source.
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U2 - 10.7554/eLife.50476
DO - 10.7554/eLife.50476
M3 - Article
C2 - 32048990
AN - SCOPUS:85081169329
SN - 2050-084X
VL - 9
JO - eLife
JF - eLife
M1 - e50476
ER -