Abstract: Vibrato is a phenomenon that is often perceived in both instrumental and vocal music. It is believed that it adds beauty to the vocal tone. Hence, in Western Classical music, it is considered as a requirement in the singer’s voice. Vibrato is characterized by the speed of fluctuation and the extent of fluctuation. However, it is not very clear if these parameters (rate and extent) vary in males and females. Research has not focused so much on gender differences pertaining to vibrato rate and extent, although they may have included gender related information as a very small part of a study. Hence, the objective of the present study is aimed at investigating if vibrato rate and extent would vary in males and females. Method: 30 professional singers (untrained), both male and female were instructed to sing the chorus of a Hymn (common to all). Their voice signals were recorded in a sound treated room directly on Praat software and digitized at 44.1 KHz. Each of these samples was analyzed using the Voice and Tremor Protocol available in the Motor Speech Profile module in Computerized Speech Lab software model 4500. Mann-Whitney U test was carried out to find differences in vibrato rate and vibrato extent between males and females.
Keywords: vibrato, rate, extent, gender difference, untrained singers.
Title: Do Rate And Extent Of Vibrato Vary With Gender In Untrained Singers?
Author: A.Anita Reddy, Uma Subramanian
International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations
ISSN 2348-1226 (online), ISSN 2348-1218 (print)
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