Singing and speech differ systematically in pitch control, spectrum, vibrato, and range

Evidence

Singing has, in most cases, a controlled and easily definable pitch, which shifts often in rapid shifts from one frequency to another according to the melody and rhythm of the musical piece. In speech prosody, the changes in pitch can also be rapid, but the pitch typically changes smoothly all the time, while in singing the pitch is often relatively constant during each note. Quite often, each phone corresponds to a single note, although it can be divided to last for several notes. … The spectrum of the vowels is quite often different from normal speech. The first harmonic or some other harmonics may be louder in singing than in speech. This effect is accomplished with such changes as lowering the larynx, opening the jaws more, advancing the tip of the tongue, and protruding the lips (Rossing et al., 2001). … Vibrato is used in singing much more often than in speech. When singing with vibrato, the pitch and/or the level is modulated at a rate close to 7 Hz (Sundberg, 1977). The depth and modulation frequency depend on the artist and on the musical style. … The fundamental frequency may range more widely in singing than in speech. When the range of pitches in speech prosody is about one octave, the range may extend two octaves in singing (Rossing et al., 2001). — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 629

Categorization

• CANDY: Speech spans about one octave of pitch while singing extends to two, and vibrato sits near 7 Hz — neat numbers for casual conversation.