Simple Motor Gestures for Birdsongs

TIM GARDNER; GUILLERMO CECCHI; MARCELO MAGNASCO; RODRIGO LAJE; GABRIEL B. MINDLIN

PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

AMER PHYSICAL SOC

Año: 2001 vol. 87 p. 2081011 - 2081014

0031-9007

We present a model of sound production in a songbird’s vocal organ and find that much of the complexity of the song of the canary (Serinus canaria) can be produced from simple time variations in forcing functions. The starts, stops, and pauses between syllables, as well as variation in pitch and timbre are inherent in the mechanics and can often be expressed through smooth and simple variations in the frequency and relative phase of two driving parameters.