Isabelle Cossette

Respiratory parameters during professional flute playing

We studied three professional flautists while playing to determine: (1) what respiratory muscles and percent vital capacity (%VC) were used; (2) how mouth pressure (Pm), embouchure resistance (Rem), embouchure aperture (Aem), flow (V) and velocity (Vel) affect sound loudness (I) and frequency (F). We measured Pm, esophageal, gastric, transdiaphragmatic, transpulmonary (PL) pressures, diaphragmatic EMG, sound and chest wall displacements directly. Lung volume (VL) was estimated from PL during playing and the static deflation PL-VL curve measured separately; V from Delta VL/Delta t; Rem from Pm/(Delta VL/Delta t). Staccati and sustained notes at different F and I were performed. I increased mainly with V and F with Vel. V and Vel are independently controlled by Pm and Aem. The variation of mean Pm was small (6-11 cm H(2)O) and large for VC (72-83%) suggesting braking inspiratory muscle activity while playing. However, rib cage (RC) and abdominal (Ab) motion were different for each subject. One displaced Ab>RC at high VL and RC>Ab at low VL, another the opposite pattern; the third was in between. We conclude that while different flautists use different strategies to control Pm, the results are similar. Independent control of V and Vel by Pm and Aem allow flautists to control I and F regardless of how Pm is generated.

From Breath to Sound: Linking Respiratory Mechanics to Aeroacoustic Sound Production in Flutes

This paper combines measurements from two different experimental set-ups (Montreal and Paris) in order to provide a global view, from breath to sound, of one flautist playing the flute. The main goal of the Montreal experiment was to provide data on the flautists respiratory behavior during flute playing while the aim of the Paris experiment was to gather data for hydrodynamical and aeroacoustical analyses of the flute playing control parameters. The same professional standard player was studied in both experiments. Both locations included sound and mouth pressure recordings. In addition, Montreal measurements included: chest wall compartment volumes (with optoelectronic plethysmography) and the main respiratory muscle electrical activation. In Paris, additional direct measurements included lip opening area and the lip distance to the blowing hole of the flute. Global descriptions of flute playing, from the respiratory to hydrodynamical perspectives, are given. The results show that the blowing patterns are very similar, especially during performance of musical excerpts. Merging the data from the two experiments shows that the hydrodynamical control parameters are directly linked to the melodic structure of the music, independently of the pulmonary volume. This is interpreted as the result of the players training to produce the muscular activation that is highly adapted to the pulmonary volume.

Measures of Facial Muscle Activation, Intra-oral Pressure and Mouthpiece Force in Trumpet Playing

Abstract Trumpet performance builds on the synergy of multiple factors. From a physiological point of view, the production of a simple musical tone relies on the control of the pressure at the lips, the contact force on the mouthpiece, and the oral articulatory gestures and configurations. Whereas previous studies described the magnitude of these control parameters in the quasi-static regime of the oscillation, the present investigation focuses on their temporal evolution and interrelation. Intra-oral pressure, mouthpiece force, facial muscular activity of two groups of muscles, and the radiated sound were recorded from three professional players performing isolated and articulated tones with three different dynamics. Results showed that the experimental conditions affected the amount and location of variability in the performance, and the behaviour of intra-oral pressure at note initiation. All together, this suggests that different dynamics and sequencing may cause a reorganization of the mechanisms underlying the production of a tone.

A hearing-care toolkit for young musicians: Combined use of a noise dose measurement app and acoustical manekin

Within a joint initiative with the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, the authors developed an original approach to raise awareness about hearing health by combining a participative assessment with a novel noise exposure risk indicator. The overall noise exposure is estimated using two complementary measurement systems addressing, respectively, the contribution determined by (i) the use of portable music players and (ii) music and non-music activities. The first system is a “listening-level measuring kiosk,” a freely accessible station on which students can place their own headphones or earphones and playback (at their preferred listening levels) music excerpts from their own playlist on an acoustical manikin. The second system is a personal, smartphone-based, “noise exposure” portable measurement device. Users start with an initial training and an audiometry screening, followed by the collection of exposure data during a 4-week assessment period. Personalized results are provided based on individual exposure profile and initial audiogram. The validation of the design of a novel noise exposure risk indicator is based on the feedback from a focus group of young musicians. This paper describes the measurement systems, assessment process, and preliminary results from the ongoing pilot studies.Within a joint initiative with the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, the authors developed an original approach to raise awareness about hearing health by combining a participative assessment with a novel noise exposure risk indicator. The overall noise exposure is estimated using two complementary measurement systems addressing, respectively, the contribution determined by (i) the use of portable music players and (ii) music and non-music activities. The first system is a “listening-level measuring kiosk,” a freely accessible station on which students can place their own headphones or earphones and playback (at their preferred listening levels) music excerpts from their own playlist on an acoustical manikin. The second system is a personal, smartphone-based, “noise exposure” portable measurement device. Users start with an initial training and an audiometry screening, followed by the collection of exposure data during a 4-week assessment period. Personalized results are provided based on ind...