Singing voice skills: Is there a difference in acoustically measured register transition between trained and untrained singers?

Details

Supervisors

Maryn, Youri

Faculty

Faculté de psychologie, logopédie, sexologie et des sciences de la famille

Degree label

Master [120] en logopédie, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

enIntroduction: The vocal register transition from chest voice to head voice, known as the passaggio, remains underexplored in the field of acoustic analysis, despite its relevance in vocal pedagogy and voice assessment. This study aims to investigate whether trained and untrained singers differ in the acoustic characteristics of their register transitions. Methods: A total of 22 female singers, aged between 18 and 30 years (7 trained, 15 untrained) performed ascending glissandi on the vowels /a:/, /i:/ and /u:/, each repeated three times after a standardized vocal warm-up. Recordings were anayzed using a custom Praat script, extracting measures of transition frequency (Hz), frequency range (Hz), duration (s) and dynamics (Hz/s) Results: Trained singers generally exhibited lower transition frequencies and produced more gradual, controlled register shifts. A statistically significant difference in transition dynamics was found for the vowel /i:/ (p < 0.05), with trained singers demonstrating slower transitions than untrained singers. No significant differences were found for /a:/ and /u:/. Test-retest reliability was high across repetitions, supporting the consistency of the measurements. Conclusion: This study highlights that vocal training influences not only the frequency but also the quality of register transitions, particularly in terms of control and smoothness. The vowel /i:/ appears to be especially sensitive to training effects, while /u:/ may reveal distinct strategies among trained singers, possibly due to its unique vocal tract configuration. These findings support the use of acoustic tools as a complementary approach for voice assessment in clinical and pedagogical settings.