Amount and Characteristics of Speaking and Singing Voice Use in Vocally Healthy Female College Student Singers During a Typical Week

Toles, Laura E.; Ortiz, Andrew J.; Marks, Katherine L.; Mehta, Daryush D.; Stan, Jarrad H. Van; Hillman, Robert E.

doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.04.029

Cited by 15 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Findings for the main effects largely replicated results from previous studies. First, with respect to phonation type, results showing that singers spend significantly more time speaking than singing in a typical week and that singing is produced with higher and more variable levels of SPL, f 0 , and H 1 -H 2 , completely corroborates results from a previous ambulatory monitoring study of vocally healthy student singers (Toles et al, 2020). Findings in the present investigation of lower and less variable values for CPP in singing are also in agreement with this previous work.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Findings in the present investigation of lower and less variable values for CPP in singing are also in agreement with this previous work. Toles et al (2020) noted that the results for SPL and f 0 were expected based on obvious perceptual differences between singing and speech and that increased levels and variability of these parameters is indicative of the higher demands that singing places on the vocal system. However, the authors went on to suggest that the somewhat unexpected findings Table 2.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Using this objective singing classifier, our group recently conducted a study investigating weeklong ambulatory voice recordings among a large cohort ( n = 64) of vocally healthy female college student singers and found (not surprisingly) that speaking and singing voice characteristics were significantly different when the two types of phonation were separated ( Toles et al, 2020 ). Female college student singers were found to have only phonated for 8.4% of the total time monitored, 26% of which was spent singing and 74% of which was spent speaking.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Differences Between Female Singers With Phonotrauma and Vocally Healthy Matched Controls in Singing and Speaking Voice Use During 1 Week of Ambulatory Monitoring

Toles

Ortiz

Marks

et al. 2021

Am J Speech Lang Pathol

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Purpose Previous ambulatory voice monitoring studies have included many singers and have combined speech and singing in the analyses. This study applied a singing classifier to the ambulatory recordings of singers with phonotrauma and healthy controls to determine if analyzing speech and singing separately would reveal voice use differences that could provide new insights into the etiology and pathophysiology of phonotrauma in this at-risk population. Method Forty-two female singers with phonotrauma (vocal fold nodules or polyps) and 42 healthy matched controls were monitored using an ambulatory voice monitor. Weeklong statistics (average, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis) for sound pressure level (SPL), fundamental frequency, cepstral peak prominence, the magnitude ratio of the first two harmonics ( H 1 –H 2 ), and three vocal dose measures were computed from the neck surface acceleration signal and separated into singing and speech using a singing classifier. Results Mixed analysis of variance models found expected differences between singing and speech in each voice parameter, except SPL kurtosis. SPL skewness, SPL kurtosis, and all H 1 –H 2 distributional parameters differentiated patients and controls when singing and speech were combined. Interaction effects were found in H 1 –H 2 kurtosis and all vocal dose measures. Patients had significantly higher vocal doses in speech compared to controls. Conclusions Consistent with prior work, the pathophysiology of phonotrauma in singers is characterized by more abrupt/complete glottal closure (decreased mean and variation for H 1 –H 2 ) and increased laryngeal forces (negatively skewed SPL distribution) during phonation. Application of a singing classifier to weeklong data revealed that singers with phonotrauma spent more time speaking on a weekly basis, but not more time singing, compared to controls. Results are used as a basis for hypothesizing about the role of speaking voice in the etiology of phonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction in singers.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Differences Between Female Singers With Phonotrauma and Vocally Healthy Matched Controls in Singing and Speaking Voice Use During 1 Week of Ambulatory Monitoring

Toles

Ortiz

Marks

et al. 2021

Am J Speech Lang Pathol

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“…Frames of the raw acceleration signal were classified as containing singing or speech using an objective singing classifier (Ortiz et al, 2019;Toles et al, 2020Toles et al, , 2021. To address our research aims, only voiced frames classified as speech were analyzed.…”

Section: Ambulatory Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships Among Personality, Daily Speaking Voice Use, and Phonotrauma in Adult Female Singers

Toles

Roy

Sogg

et al. 2021

J Speech Lang Hear Res

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Purpose This study sought to determine whether personality traits related to extraversion and impulsivity are more strongly associated with singers with nodules compared to vocally healthy singers and to understand the relationship between personality and the types of daily speaking voice use. Method Weeklong ambulatory voice recordings and personality inventories were obtained for 47 female singers with nodules and 47 vocally healthy female singers. Paired t tests investigated trait differences between groups. Relationships between traits and weeklong speaking voice measures (vocal dose, sound pressure level [SPL], neck surface acceleration magnitude [NSAM], fundamental frequency, cepstral peak prominence [CPP], and the ratio of the first two harmonic magnitudes [ H 1 –H 2 ]) were examined using pairwise Pearson r coefficients. Multiple regressions were performed to estimate voice parameters that correlated with two or more traits. Results Singers with nodules scored higher on the Social Potency scale (reflecting a tendency toward social dominance) and lower on the Control scale (reflecting impulsivity) compared to the vocally healthy singers. In vocally healthy singers, vocal dose measures were positively correlated with a combination of Wellbeing (i.e., happiness) and Social Potency, mean SPL was positively correlated with Wellbeing, SPL variability was positively correlated with Social Potency and negatively with Harm Avoidance, and CPP mean was positively correlated with Wellbeing. Singers with nodules had a negative correlation between NSAM skewness and Social Potency. Both groups had negative correlations between H 1 –H 2 mean and Social Potency and Social Closeness. Conclusions Singers with nodules are more socially dominant and impulsive than vocally healthy singers. Personality traits are related to daily speaking voice use, particularly in vocally healthy singers. Individuals with higher levels of traits related to happiness and social dominance and lower Harm Avoidance tended to speak more, with higher laryngeal forces, with more SPL variability, and with more pressed glottal closure, which could increase risk of phonotrauma.

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“…Although the studies listed here performed a multi-sensor analysis, a significant number of researchers have studied the singing voice with the use of solely accelerometers, which can be employed for the examination of various voice-related measures, such as fundamental frequency, open quotient, glottal airflow [ 27 ], and subglottal pressure [ 28 ], that are traditionally captured with a microphone, an EGG, or airflow measurement devices. Accelerometers have also been used in ambulatory voice monitors for analysis of singers’ vocal qualities, vocal habits, phonotrauma risk assessment [ 29 , 30 ], and detection and classification of singing [ 31 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Singing Voice Multi-Sensor Analysis Tool: System Design, and Assessment Based on Vocal Breathiness

Angelakis

Kotsani

Georgaki

2021

Sensors

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Singing voice is a human quality that requires the precise coordination of numerous kinetic functions and results in a perceptually variable auditory outcome. The use of multi-sensor systems can facilitate the study of correlations between the vocal mechanism kinetic functions and the voice output. This is directly relevant to vocal education, rehabilitation, and prevention of vocal health issues in educators; professionals; and students of singing, music, and acting. In this work, we present the initial design of a modular multi-sensor system for singing voice analysis, and describe its first assessment experiment on the ‘vocal breathiness’ qualitative characteristic. A system case study with two professional singers was conducted, utilizing signals from four sensors. Participants sung a protocol of vocal trials in various degrees of intended vocal breathiness. Their (i) vocal output, (ii) phonatory function, and (iii) respiratory behavior-per-condition were recorded through a condenser microphone (CM), an Electroglottograph (EGG), and thoracic and abdominal respiratory effort transducers (RET), respectively. Participants’ individual respiratory management strategies were studied through qualitative analysis of RET data. Microphone audio samples breathiness degree was rated perceptually, and correlation analysis was performed between sample ratings and parameters extracted from CM and EGG data. Smoothed Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPPS) and vocal folds’ Open Quotient (OQ), as computed with the Howard method (HOQ), demonstrated the higher correlation coefficients, when analyzed individually. DECOM method-computed OQ (DOQ) was also examined. Interestingly, the correlation coefficient of pitch difference between estimates from CM and EGG signals appeared to be (based on the Pearson correlation coefficient) statistically insignificant (a result that warrants investigation in larger populations). The study of multi-variate models revealed even higher correlation coefficients. Models studied were the Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI) and the proposed multiple regression model CDH (CPPS, DOQ, and HOQ), which was attempted in order to combine analysis results from microphone and EGG signals. The model combination of ABI and the proposed CDH appeared to yield the highest correlation with perceptual breathiness ratings. Study results suggest potential for the use of a completed system version in vocal pedagogy and research, as the case study indicated system practicality, a number of pertinent correlations, and introduced topics with further research possibilities.

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Amount and Characteristics of Speaking and Singing Voice Use in Vocally Healthy Female College Student Singers During a Typical Week

Cited by 15 publications

References 38 publications

Differences Between Female Singers With Phonotrauma and Vocally Healthy Matched Controls in Singing and Speaking Voice Use During 1 Week of Ambulatory Monitoring

Differences Between Female Singers With Phonotrauma and Vocally Healthy Matched Controls in Singing and Speaking Voice Use During 1 Week of Ambulatory Monitoring

Relationships Among Personality, Daily Speaking Voice Use, and Phonotrauma in Adult Female Singers

Towards a Singing Voice Multi-Sensor Analysis Tool: System Design, and Assessment Based on Vocal Breathiness

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