Beatbox Breakdown

Patil continued to hone her beatboxing skills while working on her degree in biomedical engineering—the application of engineering principles to biological systems—at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. Patil learned about a study conducted there several years earlier. Researchers had asked a beatboxer to perform inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, which provides images of internal body parts. The team looked at similarities between the way sounds are produced in beatboxing and in speech. Patil approached engineer Shri Narayanan, who had overseen the project, about updating and expanding it. He agreed.

Vocal percussion might seem like an unusual topic for research. But scientists are interested in how beatboxers use their anatomy, or bodily structures, to make such a stunning range of sounds. Researchers want to explore connections between beatboxing and language, as well as the use of beatboxing in speech therapy— training to improve people’s communication. Beatboxing studies showcase the incredible capabilities of the human body—and could help beatbox artists improve their performance. 

Patil continued to practice her beatboxing skills. At the same time, she worked on her degree in biomedical engineering. This field applies engineering principles to biology. Patil attended the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. She learned about a study done there several years earlier. Researchers had asked a beatboxer to perform inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. This device provides images of internal body parts. The team compared the way sounds are produced in beatboxing and in speech. Engineer Shri Narayanan had been in charge of the project. Patil asked him about updating and expanding it. He agreed.

Vocal percussion might seem like an unusual research topic. But beatboxers make a stunning range of sounds. How do they use their anatomy, or bodily structures, to do this? Scientists want to know. They want to study connections between beatboxing and language, and the use of beatboxing in speech therapy. This type of training improves people’s communication. Beatboxing studies showcase the human body’s amazing abilities. They could also help beatbox artists improve their performance.

As Patil developed her investigation, she thought about her own experience learning to beatbox. “It’s very self-taught,” she says. “There are no formal beatboxing lessons. With tutorials online, people learn by mimicking: You hear a sound and experiment until you get something that sounds like it.”

As Patil developed her study, she thought about how she learned to beatbox. “It’s very self-taught,” she says. “There are no formal beatboxing lessons. With tutorials online, people learn by mimicking: You hear a sound and experiment until you get something that sounds like it.”

That made her wonder: Do all beatboxers make a particular sound in the same way? Or do they use different vocal techniques? MRI observations could help her find out. But first Patil needed volunteers for her study. She reached out to the Los Angeles beatboxing community on social media. Patil found four beatboxers with different experience levels to participate— and she would take a turn in the MRI too.

Patil asked each beatboxer to create a list of all the sounds they make. Then they produced those sounds while undergoing an MRI scan. A microphone recorded their beatboxing while the MRI machine imaged their vocal tract—the parts of the human body that produce the voice (see The Vocal Tract). The beatboxers repeated each sound three times slowly, three times quickly, and then as part of a longer beat pattern.

That made her wonder: Do all beatboxers make a certain sound in the same way? Or do they use different vocal methods? MRI images could help her find out. But first Patil needed volunteers for her study. She reached out to Los Angeles beatboxers on social media. Patil found four beatboxers with different experience levels to take part. And she would go in the MRI too.

Patil asked each beatboxer to list all the sounds they make. Then they produced those sounds during an MRI scan. A microphone recorded their beatboxing, and the MRI machine imaged their vocal tract. These are the parts of the human body that produce the voice (see The Vocal Tract). The beatboxers repeated each sound three times slowly and three times quickly. Then they used it in a longer beat pattern.

Patil then reviewed the scans to see beatboxers’ body parts in action. “My first thought was, wow, the tongue is so big!” she says. “It takes up so much space in the mouth. That was wild to me.” Reed Blaylock, a researcher in linguistics—the study of language—joined Patil in analyzing the scans. He was blown away as well. “After years of study,” he says, “I thought I knew everything the vocal tract could do. Now I realize I can never say that. I kept thinking, wait, it can do that? And that? No way!”

Looking closely, the researchers found that experienced beatboxers produced certain sounds differently than some of the beginners. For example, for a kick drum sound, advanced participants lowered their larynx, or voice box, and closed their lips. The larynx then rapidly jumped upward in the throat, building up air pressure in the mouth just before the lips released, creating a strong percussive sound. A novice beatboxer didn’t perform these larynx movements, resulting in a less punchy sound. 

Patil reviewed the scans. She saw the beatboxers’ body parts in action. “My first thought was, wow, the tongue is so big!” she says. “It takes up so much space in the mouth. That was wild to me.” Reed Blaylock is a researcher in linguistics, the study of language. He looked at the scans with Patil. And he was blown away too. “After years of study,” he says, “I thought I knew everything the vocal tract could do. Now I realize I can never say that. I kept thinking, wait, it can do that? And that? No way!”

The researchers looked closely. They found that experienced beatboxers produced certain sounds differently from some beginners. Take a kick drum sound, for example. Experienced beatboxers lowered their larynx, or voice box, and closed their lips. Quickly, the larynx jumped upward in the throat. This built up air pressure in the mouth just before the lips released. It created a strong percussive sound. A new beatboxer didn’t perform these larynx movements. The result was a less punchy sound.

After carefully describing dozens of beatboxing sounds, the researchers compared them with sounds documented in language. Many beatboxing elements are used in speech. But a few, such as the inward click roll—which involves curling the tongue inside the mouth while inhaling to make it vibrate—don’t show up in any known language. 

The researchers carefully described dozens of beatboxing sounds. Then they compared them with sounds from language. Many beatboxing sounds are used in speech, but a few aren’t found in any language. One of these is the inward click roll. To make it, beatboxers curl the tongue inside the mouth. At the same time, they breathe in to make the tongue vibrate.

Although the MRI scans were completed a few years ago, Blaylock is still studying them. He’s now analyzing the longer beat patterns that the beatboxers produced. He wants to find out whether and how individual sounds change when they’re combined with others.

The MRI scans were completed a few years ago. But Blaylock is still studying them. Now he’s looking at the longer beat patterns that the beatboxers produced. When a sound is combined with others, does it change? How? He wants to find out.

Separate research suggests that beatboxing could help people with speech difficulties. “If you can learn vocal coordination through something fun like beatboxing, you might be able to incorporate that into your speech,” says Blaylock. A 2019 study by another research team compared two groups of adults undergoing speech therapy. Those whose therapy incorporated beatboxing showed greater improvements than those who received speech instruction alone.

Blaylock also sees a potential benefit in using imaging like MRI scans to improve the teaching of beatboxing. “If you’re learning to dance, a teacher can move your elbow into the right position,” he says. “But nobody can reach in and grab your tongue to show you what to do when you’re learning to beatbox.” Seeing scans of vocal techniques could help learners understand how to perform them.

Since graduating from USC in 2017, Patil has remained active in beatboxing and now performs solo shows. She appreciated getting an inside view of her passion through the MRI study. The project also enhanced her own beatboxing skills, she says: “I’d watch videos online about doing a click roll that said to curl your tongue, and I’d be like, I am curling my tongue! Watching the MRI recordings, I realized—oh, I’m curling it the wrong way. Now I can do a real click roll. I hope other artists can benefit as well.”

Other research suggests that beatboxing could help people with speech difficulties. “If you can learn vocal coordination through something fun like beatboxing, you might be able to incorporate that into your speech,” says Blaylock. A different research group did a study in 2019. It compared two groups of adults doing speech therapy. One group’s therapy included beatboxing. That group improved more than the people who received only speech instruction.

Blaylock sees another possible benefit of methods like MRI scans. They could improve the teaching of beatboxing. “If you’re learning to dance, a teacher can move your elbow into the right position,” he says. “But nobody can reach in and grab your tongue to show you what to do when you’re learning to beatbox.” Learners could look at scans of vocal movements to see how to perform them.

Patil graduated from USC in 2017. She is still active in beatboxing. Now she performs solo shows. She was glad to get an inside view of her passion through the MRI study. She says the project also improved her own beatboxing skills. “I’d watch videos online about doing a click roll that said to curl your tongue, and I’d be like, I am curling my tongue! Watching the MRI recordings, I realized—oh, I’m curling it the wrong way. Now I can do a real click roll. I hope other artists can benefit as well.”