HOW TO HEAR RESONANCE | patron video

Hi everyone! Here is a video which discusses and demonstrates how to hear and identify the sound of resonance. We have discussed resonance in the past at a theoretical and application level but in this video I want to focus on aural skills (ability to hear). Sorry about the plosives clipping the mic! 

This video is broken into a few parts:

• Basics
• R1 vs R2
• Hearing R1 change
• Demonstrations with thick and thin
• Illustrations of how this applies to voices 
• Extra information

Spoken vowel sounds are composed of different resonant loud spots in the sound. These clusters of loudness are introduced by the shape and structure of the vocal tract. In some ways, the vocal tract naturally subdivides itself into two larger chambers -- the oral cavity and pharynx/epilarynx area. The size of these areas can be controlled together or psuedo-independently.

To help learn physical control of these chambers, it's essential to understand what to listen for. The pharynx resonance chamber creates the lower and stronger of the two primary resonances. We refer to this as R1 or the undervowel. It's the bottom half of your sound. The oral cavity, by contrast, generates a very active and dynamic resonance as the tongue moves and lips change. This part of the sound is the R2, or overvowel.

When you listen to a vowel sound, work to selectively listen in two parts. First focus on the bottom "undertone" of the sound (as students often describe it in their own voices). This video will help you hear that "undertone" (R1). It's created by the overall throat space. When fluctuating in size, it always has the same general sound. When I demonstrate the R1 changing in this video, try to internalize that sound. It's the fundamental quality of the throat changing size in a sustainable way. 

The latter part of this video illustrates how to hear this in your own voice and example voices. 

I will likely edit this further and post an updated version on my YT and here. The format of these videos is kind of organized rambling. They are much easier for me to produce while providing great educational value for you all. Let me know if you like this format and I can make a lot of videos like this (but better).

<3 thank you for your support as always.

warmly,

z