Adduction
The closing movement of the vocal folds toward the midline, needed for them to vibrate. See: The five muscles that decide your note
Harmonic
Each of the exact frequency multiples of the fundamental note that sound alongside it, giving body and brightness to the sound. See: Harmonics: your voice’s fingerprint
Belting
A power technique in the high range based on adjusting the vocal tract’s first resonance. See: Formants: why the same note sounds different in every mouth
Brightness
The sense of projection and presence in a voice, contributed mainly by the higher harmonics (above roughly 2 kHz). See: Harmonics: your voice’s fingerprint
Cricothyroid (CT)
A laryngeal muscle that stretches and thins the vocal folds; dominant in head register. See: The five muscles that decide your note
Pushing
Forcing the chest register beyond its natural zone with excess air pressure while crossing the passaggio.
Energy (acoustic)
The intensity of a specific frequency at a given moment, as shown on a spectrogram. See: What does a spectrogram see that your ear can’t hear?
Spectrogram
A visual representation of a sound over time: horizontal axis = time, vertical axis = frequency, color = energy. See: What does a spectrogram see that your ear can’t hear?
Spectrum
The set of all frequencies present in a sound and their relative intensity. See: Harmonics: your voice’s fingerprint
Filter
The vocal tract: the part of the voice that shapes the sound generated by the source through its natural resonances. See: Your voice is a guitar inside a trumpet
Flip
An abrupt jump to a lighter register (head voice or falsetto) when crossing the passaggio, instead of a gradual blend.
Formant
A resonance of the vocal tract that naturally amplifies a specific band of frequencies. See: Formants: why the same note sounds different in every mouth
Frequency
The number of vibrations per second of a sound wave; determines the pitch we perceive. See: What does a spectrogram see that your ear can’t hear?
Fundamental frequency
The lowest frequency of a note, the one the ear identifies as “the pitch” being sung. See: Harmonics: your voice’s fingerprint
Source
The origin of vocal sound: the vibration of the vocal folds as air passes through them. See: Your voice is a guitar inside a trumpet
Larynx
The organ at the front of the neck where the vocal folds are located. See: The five muscles that decide your note
Passaggio
The transition zone between vocal registers, where the muscular balance sustaining the note shifts. See: The five muscles that decide your note
Register
Each “zone” of vocal behavior (chest, head, mixed) depending on which muscles dominate the vibration of the folds. See: The five muscles that decide your note
Noise (acoustic)
Sound energy without organized harmonic structure, like air escaping without turning into regular vibration. See: What does a spectrogram see that your ear can’t hear?
Singer’s formant
A cluster of high resonances (roughly 2.5–3.5 kHz) characteristic of classical singing technique, allowing the voice to project over an orchestra. See: Formants: why the same note sounds different in every mouth
Vocal cords (or vocal folds)
The two folds of tissue inside the larynx that vibrate as air passes through and produce vocal sound. See: The five muscles that decide your note
Timbre
The “color” of a sound: what lets you tell one voice apart from another even when singing the same note. See: Your voice is a guitar inside a trumpet
Thyroarytenoid (TA)
A laryngeal muscle that forms the body of the vocal fold; contracting it thickens the fold and dominates in chest register. See: The five muscles that decide your note
Vocal tract
The combination of pharynx, mouth, and nasal cavity through which sound passes before leaving the body. See: Formants: why the same note sounds different in every mouth
Twang
A vocal tract configuration that reinforces the 2–4 kHz range, producing a bright, highly projected sound. See: Formants: why the same note sounds different in every mouth
Vibrato
A regular, periodic oscillation in the frequency of a sustained note. See: What does a spectrogram see that your ear can’t hear?
Mixed voice
A gradual balance between registers when crossing the passaggio, without an abrupt jump from one to the other. See: The five muscles that decide your note
