HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Modal voice is the
vocal register A vocal register is a range of tones in the human voice produced by a particular vibratory pattern of the vocal folds. These registers include modal voice (or normal voice), vocal fry, falsetto, and the whistle register. Registers originate in ...
used most frequently in speech and singing in most languages. It is also the term used in linguistics for the most common
phonation The term phonation has slightly different meanings depending on the subfield of phonetics. Among some phoneticians, ''phonation'' is the process by which the vocal folds produce certain sounds through quasi-periodic vibration. This is the defin ...
of
vowels A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness and also in quantity (len ...
. The term "modal" refers to the resonant mode of
vocal folds In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speec ...
; that is, the optimal combination of airflow and glottal tension that yields maximum vibration. In
linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Ling ...
, modal voice is the only phonation found in the vowels and other
sonorant In phonetics and phonology, a sonorant or resonant is a speech sound that is produced with continuous, non-turbulent airflow in the vocal tract; these are the manners of articulation that are most often voiced in the world's languages. Vowels ar ...
s (consonants such as ''m, n, l,'' and ''r)'' of most of the languages of the world, but a significant minority contrasts modal voice with other phonations. Among
obstruent An obstruent () is a speech sound such as , , or that is formed by ''obstructing'' airflow. Obstruents contrast with sonorants, which have no such obstruction and so resonate. All obstruents are consonants, but sonorants include vowels as well as ...
s (consonants such as ''k, g, t͡ʃ/ch, d͡ʒ/j, s,'' and ''z),'' it is very common for languages to contrast modal voice with
voiceless In linguistics, voicelessness is the property of sounds being pronounced without the larynx vibrating. Phonologically, it is a type of phonation, which contrasts with other states of the larynx, but some object that the word phonation implies ...
ness, but in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
, many supposedly-voiced obstruents do not usually have modal voice. In
speech pathology Speech is a human vocal communication using language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which hum ...
, the modal register is one of the four identifiable registers within the human voice. It is above the vocal fry register and overlapping the lower part of the falsetto register. That view is also adopted by many vocal pedagogists, but some vocal pedagogists may view vocal registration differently. In singing, the modal register may also overlap part of the
whistle register The whistle register (also called the flute register or flageolet register) is the highest register of the human voice, lying above the modal register and falsetto register. This register has a specific physiological production that is different f ...
. A well trained singer or speaker can phonate two octaves or more within the modal register with consistent production, beauty of tone, dynamic variation, and vocal freedom. The modal register begins and ends in different places within the human voice. The placement of the modal register within the individual human voice is one of the key determining factors in identifying
vocal type A voice type is a group of voices with similar vocal ranges, capable of singing in a similar tessitura, and with similar vocal transition points ('' passaggi''). Voice classification is most strongly associated with European classical music, t ...
.


Physiological process

In the modal register, the length, the tension, and the mass of the
vocal folds In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speec ...
are in a state of flux which causes the frequency of vibration of the vocal folds to vary. As pitch rises, the vocal folds increase in length and in tension, and their edges become thinner. If a speaker or singer holds any of the three factors constant and interferes with the progressive state of change, the laryngeal function of the voice becomes static and eventually breaks occur resulting in obvious changes in vocal quality. While some vocal pedagogists identify such breaks as register boundaries or transition areas between registers, other vocal pedagogists maintain that the breaks are a result of vocal problems caused by a static laryngeal adjustment that does not permit the necessary changes to take place within the modal register. On the lower pitches in the modal register, the
vocal folds In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speec ...
are thick and wedge-shaped. Because of the thickness, large portions of the opposing surfaces of the vocal folds are brought into contact, and the
glottis The glottis is the opening between the vocal folds (the rima glottidis). The glottis is crucial in producing vowels and voiced consonants. Etymology From Ancient Greek ''γλωττίς'' (glōttís), derived from ''γλῶττα'' (glôtta), v ...
remains closed for a considerable time in each cycle. The glottis opens from the bottom first before it opens at the top, which imparts a fluid, wavelike motion to the cords. The modal voice has a broad harmonic spectrum, rich in
overtones An overtone is any resonant frequency above the fundamental frequency of a sound. (An overtone may or may not be a harmonic) In other words, overtones are all pitches higher than the lowest pitch within an individual sound; the fundamental i ...
, because of the rolling motion of the cords. It is comparatively loud to the other vocal registers because of the vibratory energy present, but it is capable of dynamic variation. For the lowest tones, only the thyroarytenoid muscles are active, but as the pitch rises, the cricothyroids enter the action, which begins to lengthen the folds. As longitudinal tension increases, the glottis tends to develop a gap in the middle. To counteract the tendency, the lateral cricoarytenoids are brought into action, pulling forward on the muscular process of the arytenoids. The process is sometimes referred to as medial compression. In addition to the stretching of the vocal folds and the increasing tension on them as the pitch rises, the opposing surfaces of the folds, which may be brought into contact, becomes smaller and smaller, as the edges of the folds become thinner. The basic vibratory or phonatory pattern remains the same, with the whole vocal fold still involved in the action, but the vertical excursions are not as large and the rolling motion is not as apparent as it was on the lower pitches of the modal register. The physical limits of muscular strength of the internal thyroarytenoids or vocalis muscle are being approached. To sing or speak above this pitch level the voice must adopt a new phonatory pattern to change registers.


See also

*
Voice (phonetics) Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds (usually consonants). Speech sounds can be described as either voiceless (otherwise known as ''unvoiced'') or voiced. The term, however, is used to ...


References


Sources

* {{Range (music) Phonation Voice registers