Magazine article
The human instrument - When judged by its size, our vocal system fails to impress as a musical instrument. How, then, can it produce all those remarkable sounds?
Scientific American, Vol.298(1), pp.94-101
01/01/2008
DOI: 10.1038/scientificamerican0108-94
PMID: 18225701
Abstract
Although the human vocal system is small, it manages to create sounds as varied and beautiful as those produced by a variety of musical instruments. All instruments have a sound source, a resonator that reinforces the basic sound and a radiator that transmits the sound to listeners. A human's sound source is the vibrating vocal folds of the larynx while the resonator is the sound-boosting airway above the larynx and the radiator is the opening at the mouth. The human voice can create such an impressive array of sounds because it relies on nonlinear effects, in which small inputs yield surprisingly large outputs.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The human instrument - When judged by its size, our vocal system fails to impress as a musical instrument. How, then, can it produce all those remarkable sounds?
- Creators
- Ingo R. Titze - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Magazine article
- Publication Details
- Scientific American, Vol.298(1), pp.94-101
- Publisher
- SCI AMERICAN INC; NEW YORK
- DOI
- 10.1038/scientificamerican0108-94
- PMID
- 18225701
- ISSN
- 0036-8733
- Number of pages
- 8
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/01/2008
- Academic Unit
- School of Music; Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Record Identifier
- 9984719750602771
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