Once you’re comfortable with each other’s singing style, you can practice how to harmonize. To make sure you’re singing at the same pitch, send each other a recording of the song you want to sing together. This will give you an idea of how each other sounds when they harmonize. Then, send the other singer a copy of your duet to assess whether you can harmonize well. If you’re not sure, record a second version, with yourself as the other singer.
Changing syllable emission rates
Previously, there has been limited evidence regarding the influence of voice quality on syllable emission rates in duet singing. However, a recent study has revealed a significant effect of voice quality on syllable emission rates during duet singing. This study has used a pair-wise design to analyze vocal performance using a main-effects ANOVA. It has also found that differences in vocal quality between duet pairs are caused by syllable emission rates.
Duet vocalization can be a complex process. Researchers have found that the rate of syllable emission within a phrase is determined by dividing the number of syllables by the total duration of the call. This method is remarkably accurate and may be a sign of an emerging social learning skill. However, determining individual call rates during a duet requires intensive listening and annotating spectrograms.
This method is applicable to many different vocal situations. One example is a duet between a male and female San Martin titi monkey. In this duet, the male’s bellows produce higher frequency sound energy than the female’s iii-yep syllables. Interestingly, both males and females emit syllables with different emission rates.
A recent study investigated the variation in vocal syllable emission rates in male and female titis species. The analysis revealed four basic patterns of duetting: the donacophilus pattern, the moloch pattern, and the oenanthe pattern. Those patterns differ in syllable emission rate and duration. Changing syllable emission rates while singing a duet is a crucial element of duet singing.
Changing syllable offset rates
While singing a duet with a partner, you might wonder if you should be changing your syllable offset rates. This study looked at the duration of syllables in duets sung by both males and females. In fact, male syllables had significantly longer durations than female syllables (median 267 ms, interquartile range 211-299 ms).
When comparing male and female birds, it was found that male birds’ syllables overlapped longer, while females’ overlapped only slightly. These gaps were present in around 20 to 30 percent of syllable transitions in duets. This result suggests that syllable overlaps are less common than previously thought. And in the study, male birds tended to compensate for the gaps by advancing a duet syllable earlier.
Another study showed that birds compensate for small variations in song rhythm when duetting with their partners. However, they cannot compensate for large deviations from the normal rhythm of duets with playback. To achieve a fine-grained understanding of how duets work, further studies need to be done on the syllable offset rates of male and female vocalizations. The results suggest that singers should aim to alter their vocal offset rates when singing duets.
Moreover, changing the syllable offset rates in a duet should be studied in contexts of synchronization. In male-female duets, syllable offset rates should be focused on male-to-female syllable transitions, avoiding variation in syllable duration and spectrotemporal composition.
Changing syllable onset rates
We have shown that birds can compensate for small differences in song rhythm when singing a duet with a partner. But we have not yet demonstrated that they can synchronize vocal onset rates with their partner’s. In our experiments, we were able to mimic the normal rhythm of duets between male and female birds. That’s because we manipulated the syllable onset rate of syllables.
We observed that male and female P. mahali produced duet syllables with a common rhythm, but their onset rates varied by 50% from their median rate. This suggests that males could compensate for small irregularities in their partner’s onset rates. In addition, we saw that males were more responsive to changes in their partner’s syllable onset rates, while females had slower onset rates.
The difference between male and female birds’ syllable onset rates was most noticeable in males’ duets. In male duets, female syllables overlapped each other, while males did not. In female duets, males compensated for these differences by advancing the syllable at a faster rate.
The degree of vocal coordination between the male and female singers is also important. However, it has not been studied in detail. Duets of avians are rarely quantified and their temporal properties are not well understood. Changing syllable onset rates in a duet can affect vocal harmony. And it could help you improve your voice with duets.
Changing syllable overlap rates
When singers sing duets with each other, a few factors affect syllable overlap rates. In males, syllable overlap rates are greater than those of females. When the male initiates a duet, he or she may be the first syllable to begin. During a duet, the other partner may join in after an average of four syllables.
Both males and female birds sang the same song in the study. The difference between male and female duet syllables was largely related to gender. The female initiated the duet, but her vocalization rate was half as fast as that of the male. The rate remained constant at four Hz, suggesting that auditory input triggered the change in the duet. Interestingly, the second bird immediately joined the duet and vocalized at a lower rate, about 2 Hz.
The median onset-onset latencies for male and female duet syllables differed significantly from those of their non-overlapped counterparts. It is also important to note that female duet syllables had a significantly smaller partner-onset-to-own syllable onset-onset latencies, and vice versa.
Duets occur year-round and are more common during non-breeding seasons. The males tend to sing in a higher-pitched voice and last for shorter durations than do the females. Despite these differences, duets are more common and tend to be shorter. In addition, female songs are generally higher pitched and have less syllable diversity than male songs.
During the alternating part of a duet, neural activity in both sexes was strongly correlated. The highest RMS envelopes were observed at 255 ms, and the interquartile range was from 217-326 ms. In other words, precise synchronization of neural activity between female and male singers may be important in duet performance.
