Comparison of Four Different Warm-up Tasks, Using Special Tools Also

Abstract

"Introduction: In our investigation, we compared four different warming-up sections on the singing voice, always using the same task-melodies. In the first section, we used traditionally only “on vowel articulation based” – called vocalization – tasks. In the second section we used resonant tube, which is used for voice therapy mostly. In the third sections, the participants used the melodies for humming. In the fours we used - by us developed - unusual tool, called “nose-pipe” for singing voice warm-up. The theoretical basis of the first section is the so-called “linear-model” of the singing phenomenon, why the basis of the further three sections is the “non-linear” models as well as also the experiences of the SOVT (semi-occluded vocal tract) exercises, and practice. Methods: on all the four sections the same 33 people took part. 20 of them were females and 13 males. All the participants attended several years of classical singing education. We organized four independent sections one-week apart. The participants came on the sections without previous warming-up for the singing voice. Before the warming-up at first, we recorded three vowels – [y, u, ɒ] (according to IPA) – for females on G4, for males on G3 - sustaining for longer than 2 second-long, with comfortable volume, then came the 20’-25’ minutes long warming-up procedures. After the procedure, we repeated the recordings of the same vowels on the same pitches. For every warming-up procedure we used the same melodies. Recording the sustained vowels we used TASCAM DR-07 MKII equipment. With the help of a stage, the microphones were held before the mouth of every participant, at the same – 10cm – distance. For generating the FFT figure of the sound image and for analyzing we used SIGVIEW 2.4., to appreciate the values of the parameters we used the SPSS 20 software. We analyzed one-second-long part – in sound level well balanced - of the records. The investigated parameters were: mean of the FFT signal between 0-21kHz, 0-12kHz as well as 2-4 kHz; number from the noise overriding overtones; the volume of f0, and H1H7 overtones. We detected also during the warm-ups reached voice ranges. Results: according to our results all the sections have beneficial effects on the singing voice. Most of the significant effects on the analyzed parameters have the humming and the nose-pipe sections by every vowel. The reached voice range was the longest at the fours, nose-pipe section. Conclusion: we can enhance that each of the four sections is useful. The combined, conscious application of them is correct. Using the new tool – called nose pipe – has dominant preference for developing the voice range of the singing voice. Keywords: vocalization, resonant tube, humming, nose-pipe, voice range "