A selection of mini-courses have been developed as aids for understanding some of the more difficult concepts presented in the text, Principles of Voice Production. Note that a refresher on basic acoustics can serve as a jump-start for those who haven't had a recent course in college physics. The text's glossary is also available for easy reference.

The rest of the tutorials are organized by chapter. You will notice that we did not develop tutorial material for Chapters 1 (Laryngeal Anatomy) and 12 (Voice Disorders). We think that those topics are so well described by others that we've provided links to a few recommended sites created by their organizations.

Note: this section of the website is closed for necessary maintenance repairs. Check back soon!

Background Material

  • Acoustics Refresher
  • Glossary

Chapter 1: Laryngeal Anatomy - Suggested links to external websites:

  • The Larynx - Wikipedia description
  • Discover the Larynx - a McGill Student Project
Chapter 2: Biomechanics of Laryngeal Tissue
  • Stretchiness, Squishy-ness and Stiffness of Vocal Tissues

Chapter 3: Fluid Flow in Respiratory Airways (Breathing)

  • Lung Pressure & Power: A Potpourri of Topics

Chapter 4: Vocal Fold Oscillation

  • Models of Vocal Fold Oscillation
  • Normal Patterns or "Modes" of Vocal Fold Vibration
  • Phonation Threshold Pressure

Chapter 5: Generation and Propagation of Sound

  • Graphing Phonation: Waves & Spectra
  • Generation & Movement of Sound

Chapter 6: The Source-Filter Theory of Vowels

  • How the Vocal Tract Filters Sound
  • Rules for Modifying Vowels
  • The Spectrograph & Spectral Analysis

Chapter 7: Voice Classification & Lifespan Changes

  • Factors Influencing Fundamental Frequency
  • Voice Changes Throughout Life
Chapter 8: Control of Fundamental Frequency
  • Cover & Body-cover Models of Pitch Control

Chapter 9: Control of Vocal Intensity & Efficiency

  • 3 Levels of Intensity Control: Lungs, Glottis & Vocal Tract
  • Vocal Efficiency Q & A
  • The Singer's Formant

Chapter 10: Vocal Registers

  • Voluntary Register Changes
  • Involuntary Register Changes
  • Voice Qualities

Chapter 11: Fluctuations & Perturbations in Vocal Output

  • Fluctuations and Perturbations of the Voice
  • Sources of Vocal Fluctuations

Chapter 12: Voice Disorders - Suggested links to external websites (these will open in a new browser window)

  • Center for Voice Disorders of Wake Forest University
  • The Johns Hopkins Center for Laryngeal and Voice Disorders

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