An MRI Reveals How the Vocal Tract Changes When the Same Song Is Sung Four Different Ways

Using an MRI machine at the NYU Langone Voice Center, the very talented vocalist and teacher Tyley Ross brilliantly demonstrated the changing physicality of his vocal tract as he sang the classic Puccini aria "Nessun Dorma" in four different ways; a light and heady mix, "forward facing Broadway", "back and down Opera" and in a rock style. As seen through the MRI, each vocal style had its own set physical features.

What you're looking at here are comparative images of the same vowel being sung at the same moment in each vocal style. "take a moment to see for yourself how the anatomical features of the vocal tract that we can see here align differently in each style. How does the tongue position differently? How about the view on the mouth opening? How about the height of the larynx?

via Digg

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