Intensity Variations during Vocal Pry Phonation
Thomas Murry, Wendy S Brown · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1970
Investigations indicate that as one approaches the lower limit of the modal phonational register, the range of vocal intensities decreases until no variation is possible. Such results in modal and falsetto phonation led to predictions of the mechanics of intensity changes. No data are available relating frequency/intensity changes in vocal fry. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between fundamental frequency and vocal intensity in vocal fry. Subjects sustained fry for 3 sac at three points in their total fry range as intensity was recorded. Thereafter, they sustained fry at the three recorded intensities, previously obtained, while the frequency was recorded. Results indicate that vocal intensity during vocal fry is relatively low compared to other phonational registers. As subjects increased fundamental frequency, intensity also increased. Subjects did not always produce a particular frequency at a given intensity; however, when asked to increase or decrease intensity only, frequency also increased or decreased. These data and previous studies suggest that vocal fry frequency/intensity changes are primarily regulated aerodynamically.