Perceiving Vowels in Singing Voice: The Effects of Listeners' Singing Experience and Fundamental Frequencies

Abstract

It is more difficult to accurately perceive vowels that are produced in singing than those uttered in normal speech. Previous studies have shown that the perceptual difficulty of vowel perception increases as F0 goes higher. However, no studies have examined whether having experiences of classical singing influences the ability to perceive vowel quality produced in high-pitched singing, the gap which the current study intends to fill. The results of the current study suggest that higher F0 makes sung vowels difficult to perceive, replicating the previous findings, and that singers and non-singers show different perception patterns under some circumstances.