I think it feels tingly because of all the overtone interactions between those whole numbers. The bass's overtones reinforce all the other fundamentals; then there'll be strong overlaps at 12, 15, 20, etc.
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In my experience, this effect is much stronger when singing with less vibrato and quite a bright timbre (i.e. more upper overtones!). I hadn't really understood this—I sing mostly contemporary pop—but barbershop stylistic choices are mostly in pursuit of this effect.
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They lean heavily on dominant sevenths, which (tuned in just temperament) are the 4, 5, 6, and 7th harmonics of a root two octaves down. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_ Lots of interesting overtone interactions create an angelic "fifth voice" singing high above! "Ringing chords".
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How do inversions/dispositions influence the effect?
eg If the Notre Dame cadence resolved to root triad instead of second inv above bass: 1, 2, 5/2, 3 instead of 1, 3, 4, 5. That'd emphasize a root-fifth interaction, which might detract from the sus resolution of the third.
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I experience something like this effect with close dissonant chords, too, which barbershop eschews. What's going on there?
e.g. in Eric Whitacre's music, there are lots of so-called "fist chords". These sometimes produce the effect for me too! Why? Overtones aren't very aligned.
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Why is this effect so much stronger for the singer than for the listener?
There's something in being the *causer*, but it's also physical: when the effect occurs, It feels like my voice, my chest, the air in my lungs, my muscles, all resonate with the room and the other singers.
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Why is this physical sensation so powerful?
It feels almost overwhelming sometimes! Like being given over to a "higher power" for a moment. It's beautiful, moving… and a little eerie. Why do we respond this way? Odd!
"Sense and Sensation in Barbershop": jstor.org.sci-hub.se/stable/41700111
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Goofy question I've been noodling with: it's not easy for an amateur to produce this effect—so could one design a simple cybernetic exhibit to give an untrained person the experience of causing this with their voice? I have a few ideas…
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I suspect the internal feelings of proper support and such are part of the embodied sensation of resonant lock-in, so it might not be possible to give this experience to someone who hasn’t put in the time to develop that set of skills.
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Speaking of upper partials: one thing I’ve noticed about the “God chord” sensation is that it’s easier to summon while using overtone singing techniques.
Check out these Tenores for an example in the context of European polyphony:
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