Physiological aspects of a vocal exercise

The physiological aim of vocal exercises is mostly understood in intuitive terms only. This article presents an attempt to document the phonatory behavior induced by a vocal exercise. An elevated vertical position of the larynx is frequently associated with hyperfunctional phonatory habits, presumably because it induces an exaggerated vocal fold adduction. Using the multichannel electroglottograph (MEGG), the laryngeal position was determined in a group of subjects who performed a voice exercise that contained extremely prolonged versions of the consonant/b:/. This exercise is used by the coauthor (N.E.) as part of a standard vocal exercise program. Two of the seven subjects were dysphonic phonastenic patients, and the rest were normal trained or untrained persons. Different attempts to calibrate the MEGG confirmed a linear relationship with larynx height, provided electrode positioning was correct. The results showed that the exercise induced substantial vertical displacements of the larynx. Comparison with larynx height during voicing of other consonants showed that the/b/, in particular, tended to lower the larynx.