Gislaine Ferro Cordeiro

Comparative Analysis of the Closed Quotient for Lip and Tongue Trills in Relation to the Sustained Vowel /ε/

Various types of trill exercises have been used for a long time as a tool in the treatment and preparation of the voice. Although they are reported to produce vocal benefits in most subjects, their physiology has not yet been studied in depth. The aim of this study was to compare the mean and standard deviation of the closed quotient in exercises of lip and tongue trills with the sustained vowel /ε/ in opera singers. Ten professional classical (operatic) singers, reportedly in perfect laryngeal health, served as subjects for this study and underwent electroglottography. During the examination, the subjects were instructed to deliver the sustained vowel /ε/ and lip and tongue trills in a same preestablished frequency and intensity. The mean values and standard deviation of the closed quotient were obtained using the software developed for this purpose. The comparison of the results was intrasubjects; maximum intensities were compared only among them and so were minimum intensities. The means of closed quotient were statistically significant only in the strong intensities, and the lip trill was different from the tongue trill and the sustained vowel /ε/. The standard deviation of the closed quotient distinguished the sustained vowel /ε/ from the lip and tongue trills in the two intensities. We concluded that there is oscillation of the closed quotient during the exercises of tongue and lip trills, and the closed quotient is higher during the performance of exercises of the lip trill, when compared with the two other utterances, only in the strong intensities.

The Relationship Between Tongue Trill Performance Duration and Vocal Changes in Dysphonic Women

OBJECTIVE To assess the relationship between tongue trill performance duration and auditory perception and acoustic changes in dysphonic women. STUDY DESIGN Prospective clinical study, with intrasubject comparison. METHODS Twenty-seven women who had vocal nodules were in the experimental group (EG) (tongue trills), and 10 were also in the control group (CG) (placebo exercises). The voices were recorded before and after experimental and placebo exercises at the first (m1), third (m3), fifth (m5), and seventh (m7) minutes of performance. These recordings were randomized, and the auditory perception analysis was carried out by three judges trained in voice analysis. Individual recordings were analyzed using the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) protocol, the randomized pairs of recordings were compared, and the better voice was chosen. VoxMetria software (CTS, Parana, Brazil, www.ctsinformatica.com.br) was used to assess the acoustic. RESULTS In the EG, the CAPE-V results showed a predominance of vocal improvement, statistically proven, at m5 of tongue trill exercise, with the best overall rating, the least roughness and breathiness, and increase in pitch level. At m7, strain was significantly higher. In the paired comparison analysis, voices at m5 were considered the best of all moments. There was an increase of the F(0) and glottal-to-noise excitation after m3 and a decrease in noise as in m1. In the CG, vocal changes were discrete compared with those in the EG. CONCLUSION Tongue trill performance duration interfered with the vocal response of dysphonic women, with positive response predominance at m5. At m7, there was an increase of vocal tension and a drop in vocal quality.

Discriminação entre vozes adaptadas, levemente soprosas e tensas: diferenças entre os dois primeiros harmônicos

ABSTRACT Purpose: To verify the efficacy of the values of the difference between the first two harmonics to distinguish adapted voices from slightly breathy (B) or tense (S), during the emission of the long vowel /e/. Methods: Thirty women with normal and altered voices were evaluated. Each subject’s vowel “e” was recorded in order to extract the intensity of the first two harmonics, using the FFT graph. The range of the second harmonic was subtracted from the range of the first, and data were treated statistically. Results: The variation between the values of H1-H2 between subjects rated 0 breathiness and tension and subjects rated 1, also in both parameters, was very high, therefore the values were not statistically significant. However, when the degrees of breathiness and tension get to 2, the variation values become more compatible with descriptions in literature. Conclusion: The measure studied is not efficient to distinguish adapted voices from those slightly breathy and tense, during the emission of the long vowel /e/.

Cognitive Vocal Program applied to individuals with signals presbylarynx: preliminary results

PURPOSE To propose and verify the feasibility of a vocal program intervention in patients with presbylarynx signs with or without vocal complaints. METHOD Among 20 elder participants of the current research, 3 female patients with median age of 67 years were chosen for the pilot study. Laryngological examination, vocal recording with CAPE-V (Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice) protocol, and Screening Protocol of Risk of Dysphonia (SPRD) were conducted before and after the program intervention. They joined the Cognitive Vocal Program for presbyphonia based on the genetic epistemology by Jean Piaget associated with vocal techniques based on scientific literature. This program is structured with six sessions and each one of them is focused in different aspects of vocal production. RESULTS After the program intervention, some aspects such as loudness, coordination between breathing and speaking, accuracy in articulatory movements, jitter, and harmonics-to-noise ratio improved with parameters within the expected range for the age group. Three female participants were observed for better vocal quality, higher fundamental frequency, and better maximum phonation time. In two cases, tension related to loudness elevation and better scores on SPRD was observed. Using by high-speed laryngeal image, we also observed reduction of presbylarynx signs, and remarkable improvement in glottis closure competence and mucosal wave movement of the patients with and without vocal complaints. CONCLUSION The preliminary results suggest encouraging prospects for the proposal with improvement in the aspects analyzed. This program was well designed and did not require any further adjustments.

High-speed kymography identifies the immediate effects of voiced vibration in healthy vocal folds

Summary Introduction: The effects of voiced vibration technique can be assessed by laryngeal imaging. Kymographic images derived from high-speed videoendoscopy allow actual visualization of vocal folds vibration. Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify the immediate effects of the voiced vibration technique in healthy vocal folds using high-speed digital laryngeal imaging. Methods: Samples were obtained from 15 healthy subjects with no history of voice disorders (6 men and 9 women aged 21 to 43 years). High-speed videoendoscopy recordings were performed before and after the voiced vibration technique. Kymographic images were obtained using high-speed videoendoscopy. The vocal folds were examined in their open and closed positions and the characteristics of the opening and closing phases were determined. A customize computational routine was used quantify these parameters. The closing, opening, and speed quotients were also calculated. Results: In this study, women displayed statistically significant differences in opened phase (P = 0.05*), closed phase (P = 0.046*), and closing phase (P = 0.026*) phase characteristics. Men displayed the highest difference rate in opening time characteristics (P = 0.06). The closing and opening quotients for the female group showed significant differences (P = 0.029* and P = 0.049*, respectively). The speed quotient exhibited statistically significant differences in the male group (P = 0.048*). Conclusion: The kymographic images indicated that the immediate effect of the voiced vibration technique was smooth contact in healthy vocal fold vibration.

Comparison Among Phonation of the Sustained Vowel /ε/, Lip Trills, and Tongue Trills: The Amplitude of Vocal Fold Vibration and the Closed Quotient

Trill exercises are traditionally used in the clinical practice of speech-language pathology as vocal warm-ups in the treatment of dysphonia (Behlau & Pontes, 1995; Sataloff, 1991). They are also used by voice coaches (Aydos & Hanayama, 2004; Scarpel & Pinho, 2001) in the training of professional voice users, such as singers, actors (including voice actors), teachers, and lawyers. Although there are various types of trill exercises, including gargling, voiced fricatives, and simultaneous tongue/lip trills, the most commonly used exercises are tongue trills and lip trills (Scwarz & Cielo, 2009; Menezes et al., 2005).