Control of voice fundamental frequency in speaking versus singing Ulrich Natke, Thomas M. Donath, and Karl Th. Kalveram The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America -- March 2003 -- Volume
113, Issue 3, pp. 1587-1593 Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf,
Germany Abstract: In order to investigate control of voice fundamental frequency (F0) in
speaking and singing, 24 adults had to utter the nonsense word ['ta:tatas]
repeatedly, while in selected trials their auditory feedback was frequency-shifted
by 100 cents downwards. In the speaking condition the target speech
rate and prosodic pattern were indicated by a rhythmic sequence made of
white noise. In the singing condition the sequence consisted of piano
notes, and subjects were instructed to match the pitch of the notes. In
both conditions a response in voice F0 begins with a latency of about
150 ms. As predicted, response magnitude is greater in the singing condition
(66 cents) than in the speaking condition (47 cents). Furthermore the
singing condition seems to prolong the after-effect which is a continuation
of the response in trials after the frequency shift. In the singing condition,
response magnitude and the ability to match the target F0 correlate significantly.
Results support the view that in speaking voice F0 is monitored mainly
supra-segmentally and controlled less tightly than in singing. Comment: The results of this study show for the first time that the precision
of automatic pitch control in speech is related to a basic musical
ability. In recent years automatic intonation control in the speaking
voice had repeatedly been measured by the technique of pitch-shifted auditory
feedback. If speakers hear their own voice only via headphones and if
it is then pitch-shifted by electronic manipulation, a reflex-like and
subconscious compensation sets in. An unnoticed down-shift in the feedback
leads to an equally unnoticed compensatory up-shift in the voice, and
vice versa. Thus it was demonstrated that speakers have internal representations
of pitch targets. |