Effects of Increase in Laryngeal Cross-sectional Area on Vocal Tract Characteristics in Human Whistling

Abstract

The principle of sound production in human whistling is not well-known. A good understanding of the principle would be very beneficial to both the trainer and the trainee. We previously built a physical model of a human vocal tract on whistling developed from a CT image of the vocal tract during whistling, and demonstrate that the whistle pitch increased by narrowing the oral cavity. However, some whistle performers change the whistle pitch without almost changing the oral cavity shape. No studies have investigated how the larynx affects the whistling. For this reason, we assumed that the whistling method that does not change the oral cavity may be caused by the influence of the laryngeal change on the resonance frequency. This letter studies how changes in the larynx affect whistling. As a result, we found that the whistle pitch can change without changing the oral cavity shape when the larynx was enlarged.