Guwahati: A research study on the unique humming style of popular Assamese singer Zubeen Garg has been published in the international voice science journal Journal of Voice.
The study, conducted by researchers Kishore Dutta and Jyotsna Saikia, examines the acoustic, spectral and vocal stability characteristics of Zubeen Garg’s humming style. The research also compares his humming with his regular singing style as well as with the humming patterns of other professional singers.
The study used advanced voice analysis parameters such as Jitter, Shimmer, Harmonic-to-Noise Ratio (HNR), Spectral Centroid, Spectral Roughness and Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) to evaluate different aspects of his voice.
According to the findings, this is the first systematic acoustic analysis of Zubeen Garg’s humming style. The research highlights subtle differences between his humming and normal singing voice. Various vocal characteristics, including pitch variation, intensity variation, voice stability and tonal quality, were measured in detail.
The study found that Zubeen Garg’s humming has a well-controlled and stable vocal pattern. The use of a comparatively lower fundamental frequency gives his humming a deep, soothing and melodious quality. Researchers also noted that the higher jitter values in his voice add a sense of liveliness, emotional depth and uniqueness to the humming style.
One of the key findings of the study was the statistically significant differences observed in timbral features such as MFCC 2 and MFCC 11. According to the researchers, these characteristics contribute to the distinctive sound quality that makes his humming instantly recognizable to listeners.
Reacting to the publication, Garima Saikia Garg said the scientific analysis establishes that Zubeen Garg’s humming is not merely a musical expression but a unique physical and biological vocal phenomenon arising from the natural structure of his vocal system and vocal cord vibrations.
She further said that finding an appropriate Assamese term to describe Zubeen Garg’s distinctive humming style remains an intellectual challenge and an area of interest for language and music enthusiasts alike.
The publication of the study in an international journal is being seen as a significant recognition of the unique vocal identity of one of Assam’s most celebrated singers.
