Search

Objective: The present study aimed to vocally assess a group of rock singers who use growl voice and reinforced falsetto. Method: A group of 21 rock singers and a control group of 18 pop singers were included. Singing and speaking voice was assessed through acoustic, perceptual, functional and laryngoscopic analysis. Results: No significant differences were observed between groups in most of the analyses. Acoustic and perceptual analysis of the experimental group demonstrated normality of speaking voice. Endoscopic evaluation showed that most rock singers presented during singing voice a high vertical laryngeal position, pharyngeal compression and laryngeal supraglottic compression. Supraglottic activity during speaking voice tasks was also observed. However, overall vocal fold integrity was demonstrated in most of the participants. Slightly abnormal observations were demonstrated in few of them. Singing voice handicap index revealed that the most affected variable was the physical sphere, followed by the social and emotional spheres. Conclusions: Although growl voice and reinforced falsetto represent laryngeal and pharyngeal hyperfunctional activity, they did not seem to contribute to the presence of any major vocal fold disorder in our subjects. Nevertheless, we cannot rule out the possibility that more evident vocal fold disorders could be found in singers who use these techniques more often and during a longer period of time. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: While clinical successes and descriptions have been reported in a few texts, no data exist to define the utility of flow phonation to improve voice quality in patients with laryngeal hyperfunction. Aims: To provide pilot data regarding the utility of three exercises (gargling, cup bubble blowing, and stretch-and-flow) to improve phonatory airflow during voicing in patients with laryngeal hyperfunction. Settings and Design: Outpatient Voice and Swallowing Center in a University Medical Center. Materials and Methods: Participants received five treatment sessions and were evaluated prior to treatment and after each session using a Phonatory Aerodynamic System to measure airflow during voicing tasks. Noise-to-harmonic ratio and perceptual voice measures were also obtained, as was self-perception of voice handicap. Statistical Analysis Used: Repeated All increased airflow and decreased laryngeal airway resistance over five sessions. Measures Analysis of Variance. Results: Six participants completed the protocol. All participants decreased self-perception of voice handicap and improved on noise-to-harmonic ratio and perceptual ratings of vocal quality. Conclusions: Data derived on a small sample of patients in an exploratory investigation suggest further research into the use of these three exercises to improve airflow with voicing and improve vocal quality in patients with laryngeal hyperfunction is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim was to investigate how female patients with vocal nodules use their voices when trying to make themselves heard over background noise. Ten patients with bilateral vocal fold nodules and 23 female controls were recorded reading a text in four conditions, one without noise and three with noise from cafés/pubs, played over loudspeakers at 69, 77 and 85 dBA. The noise was separated from the voice signal using a high-resolution channel estimation technique. Both patients and controls increased voice sound pressure level (SPL), fundamental frequency (F0), subglottal pressure (Ps) and their subjective ratings of strain significantly as a main effect of the increased background noise. The patients used significantly higher Ps in all four conditions. Despite this they did not differ significantly from the controls in voice SPL, F0 or perceived strain. It was concluded that speaking in background noise is a risk factor for vocal loading. Vocal loading tests in clinical settings are important and further development of assessment methods is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A few clinical investigations of children's voices have suggested a relation between voice deviation and oral motor and sensory dysfunction. This motivated the present retrospective study of the occurrence of voice disorders in a group of children with oral motor problems. A further aim was to evaluate the effect of an oral motor and articulatory treatment programme upon voice function in this patient group. Subjects were 38 children with oral motor deficits who had received and finished therapy at the clinic. The recordings of a picture naming task, before onset of therapy and at therapy ending, were selected. The voices were presented in random order on a test tape and perceptually evaluated by an expert panel of speech pathologists. Eleven perceptual parameters were selected, based on previous investigations of children's voices. Ten of these parameters were represented by a 100 mm visual analogue scale. Register was represented by a categorical scale with the options chest, falsetto, and child voice register. The results were compared with previous investigations of child voice function. Results indicated: 1) The occurrence of voice disorders in the present group of children with oral motor difficulties was somewhat lower than in children with normal articulation. 2) Oral motor treatment also influenced and improved the perceptual impression of voice quality in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]