Sound files from the instrument/lip-reed/vocal tract project

For some background about the instrument in which the vocal tract has the most spectracular coupling between vocal tract and instrument, see our didjeridu site.

Phyl's files. These are sound files of Phyl (Plyl stands for Physicsts' Lips). Phyl is our favourite artificial player: she has a simple cantilever spring as a lip--so she is more easily modelled by physicists. However, this introduces a lot of turbulent air noise around the edge of the valve--Phyl has a rather breathy sound. We have therefore filtered these files with a low pass filter (unfiltered files are below). Here she is playing a series of didjeridus of different lengths, and then a trombone whose length is successively reduced using the slide. Note the changes in pitch produced only by changing the tongue height. There are also clear changes in timbre.

In each of the following two sound files, the sounds come in successive pairs: the first sound is produced with a vocal tract representing the 'low tongue' embouchure (roughly corresponding to the vowel in the English word 'heard'). In the second of each pair, the sound is made using a vocal tract corresponding to the 'high tongue' embouchure (roughly corresponding to the vowel in the English word 'heed'.) So what you hear is Phyl playing 'heard', 'hid' (change to new note), heard', 'hid' (change to new note) etc.

File of Phyl playing didjeridus (filtered) 80 k.

File of Phyl playing the trombone (filtered) 60 k.

Al's files. Al stands for Artificial Lips) Al has water-filled latex lips. This is a sound file of Al playing a cylindrical didjeridu while the resonances of his vocal tract are smoothly varied by changing the position of an internal discontinuity. Note the changes in pitch as well as the changes in timbre.

Al plays the didjeridu.

• Tarnopolsky, A, Fletcher, N. Hollenberg, L., Lange, B., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2005) "The vocal tract and the sound of a didgeridoo", Nature, 436, 39. (A short report.)
• Tarnopolsky, A, Fletcher, N. Hollenberg, L., Lange, B., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2006)"Vocal tract resonances and the sound of the Australian didjeridu (yidaki) I: Experiment", J. Acoust. Soc. America , 119, 1194-1204.
  
• Fletcher, N., Hollenberg, L., Smith, J., Tarnopolsky, A. and Wolfe, J. (2006) "Vocal tract resonances and the sound of the Australian didjeridu (yidaki) II: Theory", J. Acoust. Soc. America, 119, 1205-1213. (These papers have supporting web pages, with sound files, spectra and animations.)
• Smith, J., Rey, G., Dickens. P., Fletcher, N. Hollenberg, L., and Wolfe, J. (2007) "Vocal tract resonances and the sound of the Australian didjeridu (yidaki): III. Determinants to playing quality", J. Acoust. Soc. America, 121, 547-558.
• Wolfe, J., Tarnopolsky, A.Z., Fletcher, N.H., Hollenberg, L.C.L. and Smith, J. (2003) "Some effects of the player's vocal tract and tongue on wind instrument sound". Proc. Stockholm Music Acoustics Conference (SMAC 03), (R. Bresin, ed) Stockholm, Sweden. 307-310.
• Fletcher, N., Hollenberg, L., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2001) "The didjeridu and the vocal tract" Proc. International Symposium on Musical Acoustics, Perugia. D.Bonsi, D.Gonzalez, D.Stanzial, eds, pp 87-90.
• Hollenberg, L. (2000) "The didjeridu: Lip motion and low frequency harmonic generation" Aust. J. Phys. 53, pp 835-850.
• Fletcher, N.H. (1996) "The didjeridu (didgeridoo)" Acoustics Australia, 24, pp 11-15.
• Wolfe, J. and Smith, J. (2008) "Acoustical coupling between lip valves and vocal folds", Acoustics Australia, 36, 23-27.
• Fletcher, N., Hollenberg, L., Smith, J. and Wolfe, J. (2001) "The didjeridu and the vocal tract" Proc. International Symposium on Musical Acoustics, Perugia. D.Bonsi, D.Gonzalez, D.Stanzial, eds, pp 87-90. (.pdf file)
• Hollenberg, L. (2000) "The didjeridu: Lip motion and low frequency harmonic generation" Aust. J. Phys. 53, pp 835-850.
• Fletcher, N.H. (1996) "The didjeridu (didgeridoo)" Acoustics Australia, 24, pp 11-15.(.html link)

• See also our didjeridu site.

[1] The University of New South Wales, [2]The Australian National University and [3] The University of Melbourne.

This project is supported by the Australian Research Council.