Breaking Research: How the vocal tract changes when speaking and singing

Benjamin Schultz, Joao Correia, and Michel Belyk have been examining changes in the vocal tract while speaking, whistling, and singing. Here, one of our singers aims to sing with as clear a tone as possible. Notice how the throat is nice and open:

Here, the same singer aims to mimic Louis Armstrong’s raspy vocal style. The throat pathway is considerably smaller and tense:

And here an example of whistling. Notice the difference in the muscular control of throat and tongue:

More videos will arrive soon – watch this space!