Acoustic Analysis to Characterize Mizo Folk Songs

This study is conducted on acoustic examination of six categories of Mizo Folk Songs originating from Mizoram, a North-East Indian state. The identified categories from different sources consist approximately 3 hours of songs in Hunting chants (Hlado), War chants (Bawh hla), Elderly group songs (Pi pu zai), Children's songs (Pawnto hla), and Celebration songs performed on gongs (D â r hla). The primary aim of this study is to identify unique characteristics of Mizo folk songs and facilitate the classification of distinct categories. This paper provides a concise overview of the songs in the database and delves into the analysis conducted, employing fundamental frequency
$(F_{0})$
, signal energy (E), formants (F1-F5), and spectrograms. The acoustic analysis leverages features derived from both the source and source-system through speech signal processing techniques. Observations suggest that
$F_{0}$
and
$E$
in chanting songs are typically higher than normal singing voice. Songs sung in groups are observed to have low
$F_{0}$
and
$E$
. The insights gained from the analysis show similarities with folk song studies of other languages and contribute valuable perspectives to the characterization and analysis of Mizo folk songs.