Prevalence of Dysphonia in Metal Singers and the Impact of Vocal Education: A Subjective Analysis.

On average, the prevalence of subjectively indicated dysphonia in singers is higher than in the general population. When using extreme vocal techniques supraglottic structures are involved to protect the vocal folds. Most of the metal singers learn this specific singing style autodidactically. Vocal training can have a positive effect on the voice and prevent voice problems. The aim of the study was to find out the prevalence of dysphonia in metal singers and the impact this has on the profession or the vocal education. The subjects had to fill out an online questionnaire including two validated and standardized questionnaires about the speaking and singing voice: The short version of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI 12) and the Singing Voice Handicap Index (SVHI). The prevalence of dysphonia in metal singers is 12.2%. 9 out of 74 participants showed an increased (S)VHI score. 6 of these participants learned singing autodidactically. No dysphonia was found in any singer who sings full-time or studied singing. The correlation between education or profession and dysphonia was statistically not significant. More women than men studied or took singing lessons. This difference was statistically significant. The prevalence of 12.2% in our study is quite low and contrary to our assumption. We can assume, that a vocal education for the metal singing style is useful but not mandatory and the number of persons with dysphonia through metal singing is low. A healthy vocal technique does not necessarily have to be the result of voice lessons.

Acoustically Induced Vocal Training for Individuals With Impaired Hearing.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Articulation, phonation, and resonance disorders in the speech of hearing-impaired-speakers reduces intelligibility. The study focusses on (1) whether nonacoustic feedback may facilitate the adjustment of the vocal tract, leading to increased vocal tract resonance, and (2) whether training with the feedback would be helpful for the subsequent formation of vowels. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective. METHODS: Seven profoundly hearing-impaired participants used acoustic sound waves in the frequency range of the first two vocal tract resonances applied in front of the open mouth at intensities above 1 Pa. They were asked to amplify the sound via adjusting the vocal tract. The sound waves corresponded to the first and second resonance frequencies of the vowels [u], [o], and [a]. The self-assessment of the participants and a software-based/auditory analysis was reported. RESULTS: The participants were able to enhance the acoustic signal by adjusting the vocal tract shape. The self-perception of the participants, the auditory voice analysis, and the acoustic analysis of vowels were consistent with each other. While the maximum sound pressure levels were constant, the mean sound pressure levels increased. Breathiness and hoarseness declined during the exercises. Resonance/harmonic-to-noise ratio increased, especially for the vowels [u], [o], [a]. Furthermore, the positively connoted feedback from the participants indicated easier sound production. CONCLUSION: Nonauditory feedback, based on acoustic waves, could be suitable for improving the formation of vowels. The findings are in accordance with a reduction of acoustic losses within the vocal tract.

Vocal Tract and Subglottal Impedance in High Performance Singing: A Case Study.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The respiratory process is important in vocal training and in professional singing, the airflow is highly important. It is hypothesized that subglottal resonances are important to the singing voice in high performance singing. STUDY DESIGN: Single subject, prospective. METHOD: A professional soprano singer shaped her vocal tract to form the vowels [a], [e], [i], [o], and [u] at the pitch d4. We measured phonated vowels and the vocal tract impedance spectra with a deterministic noise supplied by an iPhone buzzer in the range of 200 to 4,000 Hz at closed glottis, during exhalation and during inhalation while maintaining the shape of the vocal tract. RESULTS: Measurements of the phonated vowels before and after the different glottal adjustments were highly reproducible. Vocal tract resonances and the ones resulting during respiration are reported. The impedance spectra show vowel dependent resonances with closed and open glottis. The formants of the vocal spectra are explained by including both, the vocal tract, and the subglottal resonances. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that subglottal resonances influence the first formant as well as the singers's formant cluster in high-performance singing. The instrumental setup used for the impedance measurement allows a simple and lightweight procedure for a measurement of vocal tract and subglottal resonances.

Laryngeal and Pharyngeal Movements During Inner Singing: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Laryngeal and pharyngeal activity during inner singing is discussed in the context of vocal hygiene. Inner singing is defined as imagined singing, reading music silently, and listening to vocal music. When vocal rest is prescribed, doctors, speech therapists, and voice pedagogues recommend avoiding listening to music or reading music silently, since it is suggested that inner singing unconsciously influences the glottis, and thus moves the vocal folds involuntarily. The aim of this study was to compare the degree to which involuntary laryngeal and/or pharyngeal activity occur during inner singing, inner speech, and at rest, and to evaluate if current recommendations concerning vocal hygiene are still reasonable. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Thirty vocally healthy participants were examined transnasally with a flexible videoendoscope. The sample consisted of 10 nonsingers, 10 lay singers, and 10 professional singers. Participants were examined during five tasks including rest, silent reading, imagining a melody, listening to music, and reading music. Two medical doctors specializing in phoniatrics analyzed the videos both qualitatively and quantitatively. RESULTS: During the endoscopic examination, the raters identified movements at the base of the tongue, the posterior and lateral pharynx wall, the arytenoid cartilage, and the vocal folds. The inner singing tasks showed significantly more laryngeal movements as well as significantly more glottal closures than the control tasks (at rest, silent reading). Pharyngeal structures did not show an increase in activity during inner singing. These findings were independent of the level of proficiency in singing. CONCLUSION: When total vocal rest is prescribed, patients should also be advised to avoid music imagination. Still, further research is needed to survey in detail the actual effects of these involuntary movements during inner singing on the regeneration process of vocal fold healing.