Chest and Head Registers in Carnatic Singers and Non-Singers Using Linear Predictive Coding (LPC): A Comparative Study

Abstract

The present study aimed to compare the head and chest registers in trained Carnatic singers and non-singers in the age range 20 to 30 years using Linear Predictive Coding (LPC). Forty non-singers and forty trained Carnatic singers were selected after being informally assessed using a questionnaire developed for professional voice users to check for any vocal abnormalities. Each subject was asked to produce five successive /a/ sounds in their chest and head registers, and recordings were then analyzed using LPC. Results of the study showed that head and chest registers showed a significant difference from Formants F0 to F4 in all trained Carnatic singers. Comparison between singers and non-singers showed a significant difference in head register observed from F1 to F3. Study concludes that head register is higher than chest register in all trained Carnatic singers.