VOCAL TRACT EFFECTS ON THE TIMBRE OF THE SAXOPHONE

For notes sounded over the normal and altissimo playing range, experienced saxophonists can produce changes in the spectral envelope of the radiated sound by adjusting their vocal tract configuration. Measurements of the vocal tract acoustic impedance, Zmouth, during performance showed that, when Zmouth was comparable with the input impedance of the bore, Zbore, i.e. several MPa∙s∙m or more, harmonics of the radiated sound falling near these peaks in Zmouth were substantially enhanced. In contrast, the broadband noise in the radiated sound produced by upstream turbulence was attenuated in the frequency range over which the magnitude of Zmouth was large.

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