#vocal learning

[sinretoques]

Vocal learning: a language-relevant trait in need of a broad cross-species approach, by Sonya Vernes

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

Orcas can imitate human speech, research reveals

Killer whales able to copy words such as ‘hello’ and ‘bye bye’ as well as sounds from other orcas, study shows.

This is a really cool study - but it’s important to be very precise about what it does and does not conclude. 

What this study indicates: some orcas are capable of mimicking sounds they hear other animals produce, which indicates a capacity for vocal learning.

What this study does not indicate: that all orcas are definitely capable of mimicking sounds they hear other animals produce (this is a case study of a single individual, so while it is probable most orcas can do so, this specific piece of research does not prove that), that orcas understand human speech, or that orcas will mimic human speech to communicate with humans. 

I’m working on getting a copy of the paper, but for now, here’s what information we have from the article and the abstract of the paper: a 14-year-old orca named Wikie, who lives in a facility in France, was taught to generalize a ‘copy me’ cue she knew previously from the meaning “imitate the other whale’s actions” to also meaning she should mimic noises that other whales or her trainers made.  

“After first brushing up Wikie’s grasp of the “copy” command,” the Guardian article says, “she was trained to parrot three familiar orca sounds made by her three-year old calf Moana. Wikie was then additionally exposed to five orca sounds she had never heard before, including noises resembling a creaking door and the blowing a raspberry.Finally, Wikie was exposed to a human making three of the orca sounds, as well as six human sounds, including “hello”, “Amy”, “ah ha”, “one, two” and “bye bye”. (...) Throughout the study, Wikie’s success was first judged by her two trainers and then confirmed from recordings by six independent adjudicators who compared them to the original sound, without knowing which was which.The team found that Wikie was often quickly able to copy the sounds, whether from an orca or a human, with all of the novel noises mimicked within 17 trials.”

While the co-author of the study notes that this may be the first evidence we have that orcas are learning sounds by vocal imitation, there are a number of extant anecdotes that support that hypothesis. 

A study published in 2014 noted that orcas who had been housed with bottlenose dolphins for a number of years both started using calls types more frequently that were similar to the types of calls made by bottlenose dolphins (clicks and whistles) and used call types less frequently that bottlenose dolphins don’t make (pulsed calls). What’s more, one orca learned to produce a chirp sequence that had been taught to the bottlenose dolphins before they were housed together. 

Luna (L98), an orphaned killer whale calf who lived off of the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Nootka Sound, was thought to be making calls that mimicked the barking of sea lions. While researchers were never able to definitively prove that Luna was mimicking another species of marine mammal, multiple calls matching the spectrograms and repetition pattern consistent with sea lions were recorded in the Sound - however, these had a much wider range of harmonics than normal sea lion calls, were included in bouts of calling that included typical killer whale vocalizations, and were recorded in the absence of sea lions but when Luna was known to be present. 

If you listen to the video, it’s obvious that Wikie isn’t actually pronouncing the words she’s being asked to copy - instead, she’s mainly mimicking the tone and emphasis patterns of the researcher she’s copying. The video doesn’t show us all six of the human sounds she was asked to mimic, but instead we get to hear her copying different intonations of the same phrase: the same words said twice, once with a rising intonation and once with descending vocal pattern. And we get to hear her blow a raspberry, because who wouldn’t want to hear a whale mimic that?

Overall, this is super cool new research - but it needs to not be blown out of proportion. What we’re learning from this is that orcas are capable of learning new vocalizations from the animals around them, and not even just from their conspecifics. That’s really important information about how they communicate - it gives more import, for instance, to the fact that matrilineal groups will increase the frequency of their use of calls specific to their family group after the birth of a new calf - but we have to interpret it through an orca-specific lens, not an anthropomorphic one. 

This study isn’t about orcas learning or understanding human language, or the beginning of being able to speak to humans - Wikie is just copying sounds she’s been asked to reproduce - but the fact that orcas have the capacity for vocal learning is still incredibly important. This type of study is vital for helping humans see the world through the experience of an orca - but to really understand it, we have to make sure we don’t interpret orca life through a human lens.  That’s a building block of language that not a lot of animals have, and it gets us one step closer to understanding how orcas interact with the world around them.

[gillianwormley]

Singing imperfections and the OK Plateau.

It is Technique Tuesday. As a professional musician with a lifetime of technical vocal learning behind me and a trusty ongoing pursuit of future perfection in front of me, I regularly invest in telling my students to be at ease with where they are on their vocal journey. At ease, but not too comfy. To forgive their vocal imperfections BUT also be inquisitive, and questioning about the WHY. Be precise with how they invest their learning time when winkling out precious moments to focus on what they hope to achieve in their learning.

In 2013, I blogged a link to Joshua Foer’s wise words above and thereby also to a fabulous Brain Pickings post, by Maria Popova. It was called:  The Psychology of Getting Unstuck: How to Overcome the “OK Plateau” of Performance & Personal Growth. In a nutshell, it seemed to set out everything so clearly and I at once recognised my own vocal-learning journey in there, one which I built over the years around ‘Life’ and all its uncontrollable haphazardness. It was hard to maintain - but my focus, my resolve was to unravel technical mysteries and imperfections. I was not content to just be OK with learning my craft. If you can relate at all, this is a great read.

In the 1960s, psychologists identified three stages that we pass through in the acquisition of new skills. We start in the “cognitive phase,” during which we’re intellectualizing the task, discovering new strategies to perform better, and making lots of mistakes. We’re consciously focusing on what we’re doing. Then we enter the “associative stage,” when we’re making fewer errors, and gradually getting better. Finally, we arrive at the “autonomous stage,” when we turn on autopilot and move the skill to the back of our proverbial mental filing cabinet and stop paying it conscious attention.

Here, Foer explains, we arrive at the OK Plateau - where there is the potential to actually stop learning because it feels like we have arrived at that comfortable spot. So, in conclusion and support of my Technique Tuesday info-graphic, I will continue to urge my students to contemplate every time they think to practice: 

... expert musicians tend to focus on the parts that are hard, the parts they haven’t yet mastered. The way to get better at a skill is to force yourself to practice just beyond your limits.

[gillianwormley]

TT Revised: Singers, how do you practice?

This infographic from May 2017 offers some wise words of advice. Read them carefully! They include a reference to ‘myelin’ and an article written by Jason Shen about how, if we do not take care to practice correctly we continually build on bad muscle memories/pathways of learning.

The answer? Be guided, seek feedback. Focus. 

Usefully related blog posts:

Connection is a feeling, not a sound

It is all in the way you practice

Practice, certainly. But FOCUS!

Want to stay vocally informed? If singing well and safely is one of your goals, download a PDF copy of ‘Need Help with singing basics’. It’s a guide, an initial look at what consitutes great vocal technique basics.  Click HERE to find out more. 

[gillianwormley]

Let me update you ....

The original of this blog post appeared in January 2017. Time has moved on and I want to continue to share how things have progressed for Lyn Edwards since then, post ‘taking the leap’ and embarking upon her vocal journey. 

 Lyn and I met via Airbnb a few years ago when I was a guest at her gorgeous home in South Devon. I remember thinking that we had lots of things in common and how easily we chatted. We became friends on Facebook and kept in touch. 

In March 2015 Lyn told me that she wanted to learn how to sing and that she wanted to ‘pick my brains’ as she put it. Did I know of anyone in her area who might be willing to take on a beginner? I introduced Lyn to the idea of online-learning - so, having lessons with me, but being coached over the internet rather than in my studio. Lyn was still skeptical. Not about the technology or the overall concept, but actually her own delivery of vocal goods:

.... it sounds good to me, next best thing to coming to see you without the travelling!! I am a rank beginner! No idea what type of voice I have or what type of music I should aim to sing.... I am rather nervous about the whole thing, having thought all my life that I couldn't sing, being told I couldn't.... And then last Christmas singing away in church at the carol service a lady next to me said afterwards, ' you have a lovely voice, I enjoyed listening to you' I was gobsmacked. Now she may have been tone deaf, or deluded, but I want to find out.  

Does this sound familiar? Can you empathise? Could this be you talking? 

From a teaching point of view, Lyn was making all the right sounds - someone who wanted, needed to know if she could sing. Often people like Lyn make the best students because they are driven to know and really want to learn. However, after such an encouraging start, the summer came and passed and nothing further was mentioned. (It’s often the case, you know, especially when the sun is shining and the evenings are long, all those lofty ideals are held back a little while we enjoy other pleasures and pursuits.) 

I next heard from Lyn in October 2015. She wrote:

I haven't given up on the idea of singing lessons, just felt rather intimidated at having to record myself singing for you and not knowing what to sing for a start.  

So, rather than being buoyed along by initial enthusiasm, time lapsed and Lyn began to THINK about it all too much. Self-judgement got in the way and that niggly little inner voice said enough, often enough to make her second-guess whether she could sing at all! 

Anyway, more than a year later in March 2017,  Lyn summoned the courage to attend my ‘Love Your Voice’ weekend mini-retreat for singers in Devon - in PERSON. She admitted to very real feelings of nervousness and trepidation:

That first morning,  I walked into Studio 32, absolutely petrified. But I walked out two days later feeling positive and uplifted and the happiest I had been in months.  Everyone had been so kind and supportive, Gillian gave me the confidence to have a go. I know everyone smiles at the memory of my first impromptu unaccompanied solo performance of ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’  (the only song I knew the words to). 

Six months later, Gillian asked me to try singing it again just so that I could hear how far I have come. Progress!

To bring the story completely up to date - it’s now May 2018 - Lyn went on to vocally challenge herself still further by being one of the first to sign up for ‘Virtually Vocalise’ our lovely mentoring community for singers, where she regularly adds value and enjoys the collaborative benefits of the group. PLUS, she now has two further weekend workshop courses under her belt. Here’s how Lyn sums up how she feels about her vocal voyage:

When attending the ‘Sing Joyfully’ workshop in autumn 2017 I walked in with a totally different feeling - eager anticipation! I was attempting things I had never thought possible.  Reading music! Six months before, my cry had been, ‘I can't read music’.  I'm still not brilliant at it, but it's improving.  I loved singing part songs! The most challenging to me I thought would be memorising harmony - but with the support of the group I really enjoyed it.

I'm  loving my journey,  I never dreamt back then that I would now be working on ‘Caro Mio Ben’ and singing in Italian! 

Singing has given my life another dimension, it gives me huge pleasure, and I know I am doing it for ‘ME’ not for anyone else.  If no-one but me (and Gillian) ever hears me sing,  I shall still get the satisfaction of knowing, I CAN do it.

As a teacher, what more can I say? This is MUSIC to my teaching ears and heart. If any of this resonates with you and you too would like to get involved with any Little Soprano vocal activities, just click on the relevant links below:

Workshop Weekends at Dartington Hall: (Places are available for other weekend courses for singers, Oct 12-14 2018). Visit the webpage and make contact if you’d like to be involved.) 

Virtually Vocalise mentoring group: experience the singing journey in a structured and supportive community of singers. 

Vocal Coaching: 1-1 teaching in studio or online.

Free online resources: vocal warm-up audio/video and MORE to get you started.

[gillianwormley]

Need help with singing basics? Let’s get you started...

30+ years’ experience as a vocal teacher tells me that people have very different reasons for wanting to learn how to sing, and even more for not taking steps to actually DO it! 

Learning how to use your singing voice is a big subject, and it can be daunting, and confusing, right? Yes, it can - but it shouldn’t stop you having a go!

A simple fact

Getting to grips with or making improvements to your singing and the methods to achieve progress are all far easier and accessible than you think. Consider this: we all have a speaking voice and we utilise our vocal folds every single day, so you’re actually already familiar with how powering your voice from the inside out feels.

Learning to use your singing voice is just an extension of that same vocal process, using the same equipment. Ease your way in with one of my takeaways, a free PDF companion guide to this article: Need Help with Singing Basics.

First steps

As a singer, which of the following best describes you?

You love singing, but feel self-conscious and unsure about your sound and range?

You already belong to a choir or a group but you’re experiencing some vocal problems/discomfort that you’d like to get to understand?

You’re just curious – you’ve got a good sound going, you always wanted to have singing lessons but you’d like to get some basics understood and go from there?

Did you know?

What if I told you that there only a few very basic vocal ‘tools’ that you need to know about which will serve you well in every singing situation? Would you believe me? Sure, there are all sorts of vocal exercises - you know, the ones that everyone imagines singers do - but a good vocal sound is nearly always reliant on a firm grasp and knowledge about the basics. Simply explained in my free PDF companion guide to this article: Need Help with Singing Basics.

Learning journey resources

I have additional helpful online freebies ways/means to help get things moving:

an introduction to The Voice School Hub, a FREE private Facebook group for singers. Come and join us.

if you prefer a quieter space to communicate/learn, there’s the Friday at Five Community. Again membership is free.

a useful partnership of audio and PDF resources for singers, great for building early vocal confidence and essential  know-how-to skills.

If you already know that you want to make more of a commitment to improving your vocal sound and learning about basic vocal technique in a structured way within a cohesive group and community of like-minded people, you should consider a bolder step.

JOIN our online mentoring group, Virtually Vocalise. Click the link. Simples. 

Contact: Little Soprano and The Voice School

[what3v3r-spac3]

9/15/16 - Erich Jarvis Talk Notes

“Dissecting the molecular mechanisms of vocal learning and spoken language”

·        Vocal production learning is rare. Humans, songbirds, dolphins, and a few more. Probably evolved independently. Different than auditory learning (e.g. dog learns to sit when he hears “sit”). Parrots can reproduce human speech, even though non-human primates can’t – separable from intelligence.

·        “Motor theory of vocal learning origin.” Vocal learning evolved due to certain brain circuits becoming interconnected.

·        Evidence? Look at homologies and differences between songbirds and non-songbirds. In songbirds, vocal innate and motor learning circuits are interconnected, allowing for vocal learning. Consequence – “only vocal learners can dance.” Dance areas of the brain are adjacent to vocal learning areas. To dance, you must be able to synchronize movement to sounds/a beat. Whole genome sequencing of bird species suggests our previous speciation based on morphology may be incorrect. Supports convergent evolution of vocal learning (independent gains, rather than a single gain, and then losses).

·        “Gene expression tree” – compare gene expression in key vocal learning regions between humans and songbirds, find best alignment between trees. Song nucleus of songbirds = laryngeal motor cortex in humans (part of primary motor cortex, direct connections with nucleus ambiguus –laryngeal motor nucleus in brainstem). Area X = anterior striatum (most active when imitating speech sounds).

·        What genes are responsible for this connectivity? SLIT1, ROBO1. SLIT1 downregulation during critical vocal learning development period allows motor learning circuits to connect to vocal innate circuits.

·        “Continuum hypothesis of vocal learning.” Humans have pushed circuit to its fullest. Other animals have the potential (mice make ultrasonic vocalizations but are not vocal learners), but are missing the necessary ingredients to utilize it.

·        Future directions: Turn non-vocal learners into vocal learners by manipulating the genes that regulate development of these circuits. B10K – sequence all 10,000 bird species. G10K – sequence all 10,000 vertebrate genera.

[gillianwormley]

Another day, another song.

It has been a musically meagre year by necessity. Life has instead required me to take a detour, a different path. Taking my eye off that faithful road, steering away from that familiar direction has been both uncomfortable and to date, uncharted. 

But, I can be brave, I can think clearly when I feel a bit lost, because my true life-path never fails and will always guide me in the end. The skills in which I have taken the time to invest, have not deserted me, but instead, like true friends, are waiting for me to return home.

And now, here I am, a year further along the track and can feel I am nearing that point of return. The strategy is working, and I am almost at liberty to round the final bend, if I will risk it.

Last February, I shared this beguiling thought:

“In the shapeliness of a life, habit plays its sovereign role… Most people take action by habit in small things more often than in important things, for it’s the simple matters that get done readily, while the more somber and interesting, taking more effort and being more complex, often must wait for another day. Thus, we could improve ourselves quite well by habit, by its judicious assistance, but it’s more likely that habits rule us.”

Long Life: Essays and Other Writings (public library), Mary Oliver considers the mesmerism of habit – a peculiar manifestation of rhythm – and how it frames and paces the rampant messiness of our lives.

I particularly like the bit about waiting for another day and also the rhythm and associated pace of rampant messiness. Perhaps not for the faint-hearted, more for the stalwart* and true disciple:

*stalwartˈstɔːlwət,ˈstal-/

adjective

1.loyal, reliable, and hard-working."he remained a stalwart supporter of the cause"synonyms:staunch, loyal, faithful, committed, devoted, dedicated, dependable,reliable, steady, constant, trusty, hard-working, vigorous, stable, firm,steadfast, redoubtable, resolute, unswerving, unwavering, unhesitating,unfaltering"a stalwart supporter of the cause"