Abstract
The vocal instrument viewed from a materials science point of view
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol.73(S1), pp.S72-S72
05/01/1983
DOI: 10.1121/1.2020532
Abstract
The quality of musical instruments is determined by their shape and material properties. Strings, membranes, plates, bars, and tubes have predictable and dependable elastic moduli and resonant Q's and their geometry is stable. The human larynx, on the other hand, is made of materials that vary considerably with time, frequency, temperature, and biochemical composition. A stress applied along the length of the vocalis muscle by step elongation relaxes to 90% of its original value in about a second and continues to relax for several hours. Hooke's law is not obeyed, the stress-strain curves of vocal fold tissue being quite nonlinear. The damping ratio of the vocal fold tissue averages around 0.2, but may decrease under edematous conditions and increase under infectious conditions. Geometrically, the larynx sometimes displays left-right asymmetries. Given these variable properties, the larynx as a musical instrument would appear to be in the class of a plastic ukulele with rubber strings, and control of such an instrument to maintain accurate pitch and consistent quality would seem to be a formidable problem.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The vocal instrument viewed from a materials science point of view
- Creators
- Ingo R. Titze - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Abstract
- Publication Details
- The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol.73(S1), pp.S72-S72
- DOI
- 10.1121/1.2020532
- ISSN
- 0001-4966
- eISSN
- 1520-8524
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 05/01/1983
- Academic Unit
- School of Music; Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Record Identifier
- 9984719852802771
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