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At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Effects of testosterone replacement on a male professional singer.

Testosterone has been known to play an important role in the development of the postpubertal male voice for many centuries. In fact, the prevention of pubertal development of the voice by castrating young male singers was a well-known practice, especially in Italy beginning in the sixteenth century. The "castrati" were well known for their clear, high-pitched voices. Because of the resulting small larynx and vocal folds, castrati apparently produced a distinctive resonance as well as the high pitch, which cannot be matched even by the counter tenors of today. Busy voice labs occasionally see males with sex hormone deficiencies secondary to chromosomal or gonadal problems. This is a presentation of an unusual patient who was a trained tenor singer and was found to have hypogonadism on a premarital health examination. Administration of replacement testosterone resulted in significant vocal register and voice quality changes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Acoustical comparison between samples of good and poor vibrato in singers.

The purpose of this research was to analyze samples of frequency vibrato taken from recordings of eight different singers, which were classified as examples of good or poor singing. The samples were analyzed by a software package, which makes use of the linear prediction coding (LPC) method to determine the time varying rate and extent of the frequency vibrato wave. Four parameters, which relate to the periodicity of the samples, were extracted from the time varying rate and extent and investigated in order to verify or reject the hypothesis that the best vibrato samples were the most symmetric ones. Ten samples per singer were analyzed, 5 good and 5 poor, for a total of 80 samples. The results show that the samples judged as good were the most periodic ones.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Significance of mechanoreceptors in the subglottal mucosa for subglottal pressure control in singers.

According to Wyke and Kirchner (Wyke B, Kirchner J. Neurology of the larynx. In: Hinchcliffe R, Harrison D, eds. Scientific foundation of otolaryngology. London: William Heinemann Medical Books, 1976:546-66) mechanoreceptors in the subglottal mucosa play a significant role in the control of laryngeal muscle activity in response to changes of subglottal pressure during phonation. In singers this pressure is adapted not only to phonatory loudness but also to fundamental frequency. By spraying Xylocaine solution with a needle inserted into the trachea through the anterior gap between the cricoid and thyroid cartilages, the subglottal mucosa was anesthetized in three singers. The effects on subglottal pressure and fundamental frequency of this anesthesia were examined. The pressure effects varied between the subjects, whereas the fundamental frequency accuracy was adversely affected in all three subjects. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Phonational profiles of male trained singers and nonsingers.

The purpose of this study was to compare the mean speaking fundamental frequency (SFF), speaking frequency range, and mean speaking intensity for a group of trained male singers and a group of age-matched non-singers in three age ranges: 20 to 35 years old; 40 to 55 years old; and older than 65 years. Each subject was recorded as he read "The Rainbow Passage" and produced the vowel /a/ to the limits of his phonational frequency range. The data indicated that the mean SFF of the nonsingers was significantly lower among the middle-aged speakers than with the young or elderly. In contrast, the tenors exhibited no age-related SFF trends, and the young bass/baritones exhibited lower SFF levels than the middle-aged or elderly. The elderly nonsingers produced frequency ranges that were smaller than any other group. Finally, the young nonsingers used greater speech intensity than did the other groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The effects of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) on the female singer.

A review of the medical literature concerning the psychological, physical, and vocal effects of premenstrual syndrome reveals a wide range of significant effects for the female singer and a larger number of proposed treatments. A survey was conducted to evaluate the frequency and severity of 67 general physical and psychological symptoms and 20 vocal symptoms experienced by 104 female singers. The variables of age, menstrual history, voice type, and performing experience were examined. The average number of general symptoms was 33 and the average number of vocal symptoms three. The most frequently reported general symptom was abdominal bloating, while the most frequently reported vocal symptom was difficulty in singing high notes. The subjects reported that symptoms occurred with moderate regularity and severity. At age 35 symptoms decreased in number and severity.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Dynamic intensity variations of individual choral singers.

Twenty adult singers from one choral group were asked to produce sustained vowels and a short hymn sample while using three different dynamic levels: pianissimo, mezzoforte, and fortissimo. Large differences were found in total dynamic range among the subjects. Sustained vowels were slightly higher in output than was a song sample. Mezzoforte levels were produced closer to fortissimo than to pianissimo. When the individual results were combined mathematically, the average levels of the singers were consistent with earlier data from other choral groups. Implications for "choral blend" are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The perceptual features of vocal fatigue as self-reported by a group of actors and singers.

Performers (10 actors/10 singers) rated via a self-report questionnaire the severity of their voice-related changes when vocally fatigued. Similar frequency patterns and perceptual features of vocal fatigue were found across subjects. Actors rated "power" aspects (e.g., voice projection) and singers rated vocal dynamic aspects (e.g., pitch range) of their voices as most affected when vocally fatigued. Vocal fatigue was evidenced by changes in kinesthetic/proprioceptive sensations and vocal dynamics. The causes and context of vocal fatigue were vocal misuse, being "run down," high performance demands, and using high pitch/volume levels. Further research is needed to delineate the perceptual features of "normal" levels of vocal fatigue and its possible causes.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Average loudness level, mean fundamental frequency, and subglottal pressure: comparison between female singers and nonsingers.

Subglottal pressure, measured indirectly as the oral pressure during /p/ occlusion, was studied in 10 classically trained female singers and 10 female nonsingers, as they uttered the syllable /pa/ as softly and as loudly as possible over their entire voice ranges. There were no discernible differences between the subject groups for soft vowel phonation, but for the loudest vocalizations the singers used considerably higher subglottal pressures. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Phonational profiles of female professional singers and nonsingers.

Measures of the SFF, vocal intensity, phonational range, and habitual pitch level are reported for 39 professional singer and 39 nonsinger females, who were divided into three age groups (young, middle, and old age), with the professionals further divided into sopranos and altos. Each read the "Rainbow Passage" and spoke extemporaneously, from which measures of the SFF and vocal intensity were calculated; phonational range and habitual pitch levels were also determined. No significant differences were noted between the reading and speaking tasks. The SFF and intensity levels were significantly higher for the professionals in comparison to the nonsingers, but only for certain age groups. Moreover, whereas the nonsinger SFF levels varied significantly as a function of age, those for the professional singers did not. Although trends occurred, no significant differences were found for the mean phonational range or habitual pitch levels when the professionals and nonsingers were compared.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Vocal fold microsurgery in singers.

Some singers with benign vocal fold mucosal lesions remain unacceptably impaired vocally in spite of compliance with a regimen of medical treatment and voice therapy lasting several months-or even years. I present here my experience with 62 singers who, because of this predicament, chose to undergo vocal fold microsurgery. This series is the second largest reported to date in English literature. Procedures are presented which were used for patient selection, education, and vocal retraining, as well as for surgery itself and postoperative care. Results reported here include (a) comparison of my auditory-perceptual ratings of singing voice impairment before and after surgery, (b) preoperative versus postoperative videostroboscopic findings, (c) postoperative rate of return to public singing, and (d) postoperative patient questionaires which sought to uncover patient/singer perceptions of the results of vocal fold surgery. Excellent results were achieved overall with a very low incidence of untoward results, and no complications were encountered.

Cysts↗
PubMed1997

Estimated subglottal pressure in six professional country singers.

Estimates of subglottal pressure in six professional male country singers were obtained during the /p/ occlusion while the subjects spoke, sang a country tune, and sang the tune of the United States national anthem. The subglottal pressure values, which were very similar in both the speech-like and singing-mode syllables, usually measured below 45 cm of water column, but they ranged as high as 59 cm. The sound pressure level in singing was also measured and was lower than that discovered in classically trained singers at high subglottal pressures.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Movement of the velum during speech and singing in classically trained singers.

The present study addresses two questions: (a) Is the action and/or posture of the velopharyngeal valve conducive to allow significant resonance during Western tradition classical singing? (b) How do the actions of the velopharyngeal valve observed in this style of singing compare with normal speech? A photodetector system was used to observe the area function of the velopharyngeal port during speech and classical style singing. Identical speech samples were produced by each subject in a normal speaking voice and then in the low, medium, and high singing ranges. Results indicate that in these four singers the velopharyngeal port was closed significantly longer in singing than in speaking samples. The amount of time the velopharyngeal port was opened was greatest in speech and diminished as the singer ascended in pitch. In the high voice condition, little or no opening of the velopharyngeal port was measured.

Humans↗
PubMed1998

Vocal fold strain and vocal pitch in singing: radiographic observations of singers and nonsingers.

The relationship between vocal fold strain and vocal pitch in singers and nonsingers singing a rising pitch series has been indirectly investigated by means of lateral radiographs. Nonsingers tend to exhibit more strain than singers. To standardize the degree of strain, an index of strain per semitone is proposed. The semitone strain indicates the average amount of strain per 1 semitone of pitch increase or decrease. The index has been shown to be affected by several factors: gender, singing training, singing technique, voice class, age, and status of muscle function. Observations suggest that similar groups of individuals occupy different positions on the stress-strain curve, indicated by their semitone strain values.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Reflux and vocal disorders in singers with bulimia.

Dysphonia associated with bulimia has been described in the literature associated with vocal fold edema and polypoid changes. Laryngopharyngeat reflux (LPR) has been documented to cause reflux vocal fold pathology including edema and polypoid changes. We studied eight singers with bulimia and documented vocal fold pathology, including edema, posterior commissure hypertrophy, ventricular obliteration, and telangiectasia. Reflux was demonstrated in all eight. The results of this study showed that LPR may be a contributing factor to vocal disorders in singers with bulimia.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Voice source characteristics in six premier country singers.

Voice source characteristics as derived from inverse filtering were analyzed in 6 country singers' speech and singing. Results showed that the closed quotient varied systematically with vocal loudness, and that glottal compliance (the ratio between transglottal AC volume displacement and subglottal pressure) decreased with increases in fundamental frequency but remained unaffected by vocal loudness. No striking differences were found in source characteristics between speech and singing within subjects. The degree of phonatory press, as judged by a panel of 19 expert listeners, appeared related to the range in which the singer was singing and to the sound pressure level gain from a doubling of subglottal pressure.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Vocal fold nodules in adult singers: regional opinions about etiologic factors, career impact, and treatment. A survey of otolaryngologists, speech pathologists, and teachers of singing.

This study was undertaken to better understand current regional opinions regarding vocal fold nodules in adult singers. A questionnaire was sent to 298 persons representing the 3 professional groups most involved with the care of singers with vocal nodules: otolaryngologists, speech pathologists, and teachers of singing. The questionnaire queried respondents about their level of experience with this problem, and their beliefs about causative factors, career impact, and optimum treatment. Responses within and between groups were similar, with differences between groups primarily in the magnitude of positive or negative responses, rather than in the polarity of the responses. Prevailing opinions included: recognition of causative factors in both singing and speaking voice practices, optimism about responsiveness to appropriate treatment, enthusiasm for coordinated voice therapy and voice training as first-line treatment, and acceptance of microsurgical management as appropriate treatment if behavioral management fails.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

(Mis)understanding Singer: replaceability of children or intellectual endeavour?

Should doctors have the possibility to save children from incurable suffering and end their lives?. At first glance, the standpoints in the debate around this question seem translucent and well known and the debate intelligible. I contend that this is not the case and I will illustrate this in analysing the debate between Peter Singer and Ulrich Bleidick. Whomever wants to answer the question whether it is acceptable to end the lives of suffering small children will have to do some careful reading and thinking about the different and differing moral arguments in the debate. This demands emotional restraint and intellectual honesty. Trying to understand Singer and his opponents is a challenging way of charting what exactly is at stake in this debate.

Child↗
PubMed1986

Airway resistances of Blom-Singer and Panje Low Pressure tracheoesophageal puncture prostheses.

Airway resistances were calculated for two newly commercialized tracheoesophageal (TE) puncture prostheses: the Panje Low Pressure Voice Button and the Blom-Singer Low Pressure device. The airway resistances of newly commercialized Panje Low Pressure devices could not be distinguished from those calculated for previously commercialized, Regular Pressure Voice Button devices. Airway resistances of Blom-Singer Low Pressure devices increased systematically as a function of flow rate. Findings are compared with existing data to provide readers with an opportunity to evaluate the relative efficiency of air shunting among contemporary TE puncture prostheses. Results are interpreted in relation to their implications for selecting surgical-prosthetic options for laryngectomized patients.

Airway Resistance↗