The semi-occluded vocal tract exercise with LaxVox® tube promotes immediate positive effects on the self-assessment and acoustic analysis of voice in professional singers without vocal complains. No immediate significant changes were observed with respect to auditory-perceptual evaluation of speech and singing.

It is possible to characterize metallic voice quality as a normal fundamental frequency, with increasing frequency of the F2 formant, and values of frequencies of formants F2, F3, and F4 higher when compared to the CG.

Introduction  Pitch-matching refers to the ability to vocally reproduce an acoustic model in a corresponding tone to the presented sound. This ability, which is dependent on pitch perception ability, can vary among individuals, and some are not able to sing in the correct tune or discriminate differences between tones. Objective  To correlate pitch-matching accuracy and auditory processing in individuals without musical training. Methods  A Pitch-Matching Test (vocal reproduction of synthesized and human voice sounds) and two commercially available tests of auditory temporal processing (the Pitch Pattern Sequence Test and the Random Gap Detection Test) were administered to all participants. A total of 62 college students of both genders, aged between 18 and 35 years old, were divided into 2 groups, according to their performances in the Pitch-Matching Test (the accurate match group and the inaccurate match group). Results  In the Pitch-Matching Test, both groups achieved better results when reproducing vocalized sounds. The accurate match group achieved a significantly higher pitch pattern sequence test performance. In the Random Gap Detection Test analysis, there were no differences between the two groups. The Pearson's chi-squared test showed a direct correlation between the Pitch-Matching Test and the Pitch Pattern Sequence Test. Conclusion  The findings of this study suggest the existence of a significant relationship between temporal auditory processing and pitch-matching, through which accurate pitch-matching individuals perform better in the Pitch Pattern Sequence Test. Inaccurate pitch-matching individuals may be skilled at discriminating pitch, despite their poor performance in the Pitch-Matching Test.

Objetivo Correlacionar os sintomas vocais e os dados da avaliação perceptivo-auditiva da voz de indivíduos disfônicos. Métodos Foram analisados os prontuários de 30 indivíduos com queixas vocais, atendidos em um serviço de Fonoaudiologia, sendo 22 mulheres e oito homens, com média de idade de 51,8 anos (±15,5). Foram coletadas as seguintes informações: resultados da Escala de Sintomas Vocais (ESV) dos domínios Limitação, Emocional, Físico e Total; resultados da avaliação perceptivo-auditiva por meio do protocolo CAPE-V (grau geral do desvio vocal, rugosidade, soprosidade, tensão, pitch, loudness e ressonância). Ambos os procedimentos foram realizados pela fonoaudióloga responsável, na primeira consulta do paciente. Os dados foram analisados estatisticamente. Resultados Houve correlações positivas consideradas boas apenas para os cruzamentos entre as variáveis “Escores totais da ESV” x “Grau geral do desvio vocal” e “Escores Limitação da ESV” x “Grau geral do desvio vocal”. Os escores dos domínios Limitação e Total da ESV tiveram correlação regular com o parâmetro rugosidade. Os demais parâmetros perceptivo-auditivos, de forma isolada, principalmente soprosidade de tensão, não se correlacionaram com os sintomas vocais. Conclusão A relação entre os sintomas vocais e as características perceptivo-auditivas da voz não é direta. No entanto, os sintomas relacionados à funcionalidade, ou seja, às limitações vocais e de comunicação, parecem ter maior correlação com a avaliação clínica, especificamente com o parâmetro “grau geral do desvio vocal”.

Purpose: to compare the results of maximum phonation times (MPTs) under two different forms of speech-language pathology orientation to extract these measures. Methods: 60 women between 17 and 23 years divided equally into two groups participated: Study Group (SG) - that performed the task under the two forms of orientation (traditional orientation and with control request of the air outlet); and the Control Group (CG) - which carried out the task in a single form of orientation (traditional one). The procedures performed comprised the extraction of MPT in the vowels /a/, /i/ and /u/, the fricatives /s/ and /z/ and numbers counting. The data were tabulated and statistically analyzed (p<0.05). Results: by comparing the two groups at the first instant of the MPT emissions, no statistically significant differences were found. However, when the second instant was compared, there were differences in most emissions, which indicates that the air control request promotes the increase of MPTs. Conclusion: the way the speech-language pathologist guides the performance of the maximum phonation times, during the evaluation of these measures, requesting the individual tomaximally control air exit, modifies the result of the extraction of the temporal measures of the voice, which must be considered in the daily vocal clinical practice.