THE EFFECTS OF VOCAL TRAINING ON= SINGERS AERODYNAMIC MEASURES
Jill Connolly B.S., Holli Gerwin, B.S. & Bridget= A. Russell, Ph.D.
Department of Speech Pathology & Audiology
INTRODUCTION
Professional singers have greater vocal efficiency as a result of years of vocal training and exercise. Singing training creates increased vocal efficiency in comparison to an untrained voice because of their superior control over breathing and phonation. Specifically, trained singers have independent pitch and loudness control through regulating subglottal pressure (Sundberg, 1987). Speaking does not require this separate control of pitch and loudness; in fact they are coupled and are dependent on gross changes in subglottal pressure. Singers learn to minimize effort by using only necessary muscles, decreasing subglottal pressure, and conserving air in order to efficiently complete the vocal task . Trained singers have vocal and respiratory control that is not present in nonsingers.
The emerging vocal performer or student in training has to learn specific vocal exercises and techniques to improve the quality and precision of vocal productions. It is unclear when these physiological alterations to the respiratory and phonatory systems occur and have not been investigated systematically from trainee to professional. The purpose of this study was to determine how training improves vocal efficiency and breathing control. Measuring aerodynamic and acoustic parameters of voice during both singing and speaking at 70 dBSPL will provide information on both phonatory and respiratory alterations due to training.
METHODS
The subjects who participated in the study included five classically trained singers and five untrained singers. Female and male subjects were used in both groups. The classically trained singers were recruited from the School of Music at SUNY College at Fredonia. Subjects in the classically trained group had four or more years of professional voice training. All subjects had normal speech, language, and voice. They were also medically healthy and had normal hearing as screened at 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz.
All subjects performed speaking and singing tasks using the Aerophone II Model 6800ä (Kay Elemetrics Inc.) system, which measured the subjects subglottal pressure (Ps), mean airflow rate (Vtl), Sound pressure level (SPL), and average pitch (FO). Subglottal pressure, which is the driving pressure beneath the vocal folds, was measured indirectly by measuring intraoral pressure. Mean airflow rate is the average flow rate of air through the vocal folds and was measured in l/sec. Fundamental frequency is the rate of vibration of the vocal folds and was measured in Hertz (Hz). Sound pressure level is loudness or intensity of the voice and was measured in decibels (dB). Each subject spoke and sang a syllable train consisting of seven repetitions of the syllable /pa/ and the sentence "I hear papa popping popcorn" three times at 70 dBSPL. Data was collected, and statistically analyzed using a three way ANOVA.
RESULTS
Sound pressure level was not significantly different between trained and untrained singers as this was controlled by the subject in order to determine if changes in aerodynamic measures were caused by a training effect and not changes in SPL (see Figure 1).
FIGURE 1
The results showed that classically trained singers had
lower subglottal pressure during comfortable speech and singing. Subglottal
pressure was lower in classically trained singers during speaking and
singing a comfortably produced syllable train (i.e. /p
FIGURE 2
Mean airflow rate values were lower in trained singers for all singing tasks but showed no differences during speech tasks. (Figures 3).
FIGURE 3
DISCUSSION
Classically trained singers seem to have improved vocal control over subglottal pressure and the airflow expended during singing due to many years of professional voice training. Classical voice training improves breath control by decreasing the amount of airflow and subglottal pressure necessary to complete difficult singing tasks. These results suggest that techniques used in vocal training improve the control over some aerodynamic events of vocal fold vibration during speech and singing.
Classical voice training produces increased aerodynamic efficiency in the singer. Training techniques could be used in those patients with pathological voice conditions, in which higher subglottal pressure and mean airflow rate may occur, such as hyperfunctional voice disorders. Specific training techniques used in vocal training of singers has not yet been applied to voice pathologies systematically in order to identify specific techniques that effect phonatory control during speech.