The Science of Voice and the Body

“Voice” is the complex interaction of the vocal mechanism with the rest of the body used to produce speech and song (melody, rhythm, and language) as well as so-called vegetative sounds, such as coughing, crying, screaming, and so on. The voice and vocal production for speech or singing is so much more than the lungs, larynx, and vocal tract depicted in many vocal pedagogy texts. Balance, as well as increased muscle tension of the neck, shoulders, and torso, can change the necessary finely tuned coordination of respiration, phonation, and resonance necessary for speaking, singing, and swallowing. Understanding of this exquisite mechanism has increased one-hundred-fold since the middle of the twentieth century due to improved technology and research opportunities in laryngeal imaging and acoustic analysis.

Survival in Vivo Canine Phonation Model Without Stimulation

Objectives: We describe a survival nonstimulated in vivo canine phonation model using distending laryngoscope, cramp frame, and constant humidified glottal airflow to elicit phonation. Methods: Five beagle dogs were involved in this study. One cuffed endotracheal tube was placed below the glottis through the tracheotomy and delivered humidified airflow to the glottis. Arytenoids approximation was maintained using a clamp under the distending laryngoscope. Acoustic and aerodynamic parameters were measured using synchronous signal collection system and analysis software. Vocal oscillation also was examined using stroboscope laryngeal imaging. Results: For the nonstimulated in vivo phonation animal, the sound intensity and fundamental frequency were 78.3 ± 6.8 dB and 127.6 ± 29.2 Hz in the first experiment and 82.9 ± 6.6 dB and 175.2 ± 4.4 Hz 4 weeks later. The aerodynamic analysis revealed the mean subglottal phonation threshold pressure (PTP) and phonation threshold flow (PTF) were 8.5 ± 4.0 cmH20 and 683.0 ± 356.4 mL/s in the first experiment and 16.1 ± 8.6 cmH20 and 384.8.0 ± 230.6 mL/s in the second experiment 4 weeks later. Stroboscope image revealed sustained vocal vibration during great airflow delivery to glottis in the phonation animal model. Conclusions: We developed a survival nonstimulated in vivo phonation canine model that allows the study of long-term animal phonation study as its own control.

Recent Innovations in Voice Assessment Expected to Impact the Clinical Management of Voice Disorders

This article provides a summary of some recent innovations in voice assessment expected to have an impact in the next 5–10 years on how patients with voice disorders are clinically managed by speech-language pathologists. Specific innovations discussed are in the areas of laryngeal imaging, ambulatory voice monitoring, and “big data” analysis using machine learning to produce new metrics for vocal health. Also discussed is the potential for using voice analysis to detect and monitor other health conditions.

Historical Approaches in Revealing the Singing Voice, PART 1

Reviewing hundreds of years of history, this chapter details the development of means of visualizing the larynx and the vocal folds, and explores how these technologies influenced theories of voice production. Key investigators in vocal physiology are discussed, and their contributions put into context with modern understandings of voice production. These leaders helped bring about the growth of the field of laryngology, which occurred in parallel with improvements in laryngeal imaging. The chapter tracks these developments, starting with Garcia’s laryngeal mirror, then continues through the rest of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Among the innovations described are the use of stroboscopy to study the opening and closing vibratory pattern in different vocal registers; the development and application in Groningen of videokymography to examine fast and irregular vibratory events; and the development of VoceVista, a non-invasive tool which combines electroglottography with acoustical information on the sung production.