Vocal Warm-up Increases Phonation Threshold Pressure in Soprano Singers at High Pitch

Abstract

Summary: Vocal warm-up is thought to optimize singing performance. We compared effects of short-term, submaximal, vocal warm-up exercise with those of vocal rest on the soprano voice (n = 10, ages 19–21 years). Dependent variables were the minimum subglottic air pressure required for vocal fold oscillation to occur (phonation threshold pressure, P th ), and the maximum and minimum phonation fundamental frequency. Warm-up increased P th for high pitch phonation ( p = 0.033), but not for comfortable ( p = 0.297) or low ( p = 0.087) pitch phonation. No significant difference in the maximum phonation frequency ( p = 0.193) or minimum frequency ( p = 0.222) was observed. An elevated P th at controlled high pitch, but an unchanging maximum and minimum frequency production suggests that short-term vocal exercise may increase the viscosity of the vocal fold and thus serve to stabilize the high voice.