Acoustic loading exercises in singing training

Abstract

Singing teachers have devised vocal exercises that present variable acoustic loads to the sound source. These exercises consist of lip and tongue trills, nasal consonants, and vowels with small mouth openings (like /u/). Some pedagogues and clinicians have advocated phonating into long and narrow tubes. Since none of these exercises produce either a strong or aesthetically pleasing acoustic output in and of themselves, their merit must lie in facilitating the respiratory and phonatory systems. Recent Hopf bifurcation analysis has shown that inertive acoustic loads, resulting from deliberate constricting and lengthening of some portion of the vocal tract, can lower the oscillation threshold pressure, thereby facilitating the ease of vocal onset. Resistive acoustic loads, either upstream or downstream of the vocal folds, have a less beneficial effect on oscillation threshold pressure. [Work supported by Grant No. P60 DC00976 from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.]