Mapping vowel color and morphology: A cross-cultural analysis of vocal timbres in four yodeling traditions

A close up, comparative analysis of timbre in four samples of yodeling is presented. Yodeling, as a way of singing with asemantic syllables in different voice registers, relies strongly on timbre for musical expression. Timbre emerges as an integral structural variable whereas in many other European musical traditions, timbre fulfills a secondary, supporting role. This cross-cultural examination includes yodeling from Austria, the Central African Republic, Gabon, and the United States, and focuses on two aspects of timbre: vowel space and spectral morphology. Results show how various, non-related practices of yodeling rely on timbral features of interlocking low harmonics and a division of vowel space between physical voice registers (head voice, chest voice). Under close inspection, highly heterogeneous vowel spaces and timbral morphologies are revealed among the relevant practices. Culturally-based spectral expressions observed contrast with earlier studies that had focused on commonalities such as a rough division between grave and acute vowels.