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Intraoral Pressure and Sound Pressure During Woodwind Performance

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Intraoral Pressure and Sound Pressure During Woodwind Performance INTRAORAL PRESSURE AND SOUND PRESSURE DURING WOODWIND PERFORMANCE Micah Bowling Dissertation for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2016 APPROVED: Kathleen Reynolds, Major Professor Mary Karen Clardy, Committee Member Daryl Coad, Committee Member John Holt, Chair of the Division of Instrumental Studies for the College of Music Benjamin Brand, Director of Graduate Studies for the College of Music James Scott, Dean of the College of Music Costas Tsatsoulis, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Bowling, Micah. Intraoral pressure and sound pressure during woodwind performance. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), May 2016, 57 pp., 5 tables, 4 figures, references, 15 titles. For woodwind and brass performers, intraoral pressure is the measure of force exerted on the surface area of the oral cavity by the air transmitted from the lungs. This pressure is the combined effect of the volume of air forced into the oral cavity by the breathing apparatus and the resistance of the embouchure, reed opening, and instrument’s back pressure. Recent research by Michael Adduci shows that intraoral pressures during oboe performance can exceed capabilities for corresponding increases in sound output, suggesting a potentially hazardous situation for the development of soft tissue disorders in the throat and velopharyngeal insufficiencies. However, considering that oboe back pressure is perhaps the highest among the woodwind instruments, this problem may or may not occur in other woodwinds. There has been no research of this type for the other woodwind instruments. My study was completed to expand the current research by comparing intraoral pressure (IOP) and sound pressure when performing with a characteristic tone on oboe, clarinet, flute, bassoon, and saxophone. The expected results should show that, as sound pressure levels increase, intraoral pressure will also increase. The subjects, undergraduate and graduate music majors at the University of North Texas, performed a series of musical tasks on bassoon, clarinet, flute, oboe, and alto saxophone. The musical tasks cover the standard ranges of each instrument, differences between vibrato and straight-tone, and a variety of musical dynamics. The data was collected and examined for trends. The specific aims of this study are to (1) determine whether there is a correlation between IOP and sound pressure, (2) shed light on how well each instrument responds to rapid fluctuation, and (3) determine which instruments are most efficient when converting air pressure into sound output. Results of this study raised concerns shared by previous studies – that woodwind players are potentially causing harm to their oropharynx by inaccurately perceiving intraoral pressure needed to achieve a characteristic sound. Evidence found by this study suggests that while oboists generate high intraoral pressure for relatively little sound output (a fact corroborated by past studies), the same cannot be said for all of the woodwind instruments, particularly the flute. Copyright 2016 By Micah Bowling ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES . iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . v FOREWORD . vi Chapters 1. INTRODUCTION . 1 Statement of Purpose 2. BACKGROUND AND FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE . 7 3. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD . 13 Description of Musical Tasks Equipment and Experimental Setup Experimental Procedure Protocol for Data Analysis 4. RESULTS . 24 5. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS . 42 6. CONCLUSIONS . 51 7. APPENDIX . 54 8. BIBLIOGRAPHY . 57 iii LIST OF TABLES 1. TABLE 1 Demographic Information . 14 2. TABLE 2 Numerical Data from Selected Group Samples . 30 3. TABLE 3 Numerical Data from Selected Individual Samples . 32 3. TABLE 4 Numerical Data from Selected Multiple Woodwind Performer Samples . 34 3. TABLE 5 Vibrato Amplitude Data . 46 iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1. FIGURE 1 Musical Task 1 . 18 2. FIGURE 2 Musical Task 2 & 3 . 19 3. FIGURE 3 Linear Representation of Data . 25 4. FIGURE 4 Pearson Correlation Graphs . 39 v FOREWORD My interest in intraoral pressure stemmed from my own personal experiences with nasal leaks during performance. As a woodwind performance major, I sought out information pertaining to nasal leaks in search of a solution to the problem. These searches led me to the topic of intraoral pressure and its effects on performance. vi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION In recent research by Michael Adduci, the model for this study, oboe performance was studied to show the trends in the relationship between intraoral pressure and sound pressure levels. His study was designed to create a scientific basis for pedagogical techniques among oboe performers.1 For many years, the study of musical instruments has been an oral tradition in an apprenticeship-like setting. Often, the instructor will try to best describe the results desired from their music students. This common tradition lacks a methodical or scientific basis. The topic of respiration is a key example of this discrepancy. Many instructors tell their students to exhale using the diaphragm muscle, but an anatomical study of the body proves that the diaphragm only acts as an active muscle during the inspiratory process. During forced expiration, the body relies on the use of the muscles of the abdominal wall (rectus abdominus, internal and external obliques, and transversus abdominus muscles) and the internal intercostal muscles. As these muscles contract, there is an increase in abdominal pressure and compensatory decrease in thoracic volume, resulting in air being forced out of the lungs. Contrary to what is commonly taught, during this entire process of exhalation, the diaphragm serves only in a passive capacity.2 This generalization (“support from the diaphragm”) by performance instructors is not meant to cause confusion for the student or mislead them about the way the body functions; rather, this imprecise description and generalized instruction is a result of the body’s inability to 1 Adduci, M. D. (2011). Dynamic Measurement of Intraoral pressure and Sound Pressure With Laryngoscopic CharacteriZation During Oboe Performance. Denton, Texas. 2 Patton, K., & Thibodeau, G. (2009). Anatomy & Physiology (7th Edition ed.). Mosby. 1 physically distinguish the delicate intricacies of the respiration process. Involuntary respiration activates the autonomic nervous system, the system that controls involuntary actions and reflexes in the body. Several factors outside of the control of consciousness regulate the different variables of ventilation, such as the level of carbon dioxide in the blood (PaCO2), oxygen tension (PaO2), and pH. Respiratory control is achieved through involuntary activation of neural and chemical receptors located throughout the body. This activation signals respiratory centers in the brain to alter breathing patterns accordingly. Although it is true that, to an extent, some breath control is voluntary, it can never be completely regulated by the conscious. Musicians are perhaps more aware of their body than the general population, but this accuracy diminishes greatly as the amount of respiratory pressure increases. A. J. Payne determined that humans are capable of distinguishing expiration pressures within the magnitude required for speaking. As the expiration pressure increases past the speaking magnitude, however, the ability of humans to accurately distinguish these pressures diminishes as the pressure magnitude target level increased.3 These findings were further supported in a study by A. Anastasio and Bussard, which showed that during oboe performance, oboists were only capable of producing 1 PSI (pounds per square inch), lower than their maximum pressure of 2.5 – 3.5 PSI and substantially lower than the self-estimations of 20-90 PSI made by the oboists prior to performance.4 This concept suggests that performers’ perceptions of their maximal expiration pressures vary greatly from the reality, serving as the 3 Payne, A. J. (1987). Intraoral Air Pressure Discrimination for an Open Versus Closed Tube Pressure System. University of Florida. 4 Anastasio, A. a. (1971). Mouth Air Pressure and Intensity Profiles of the Oboe. Journal of Research in Music Education , 19, 62-76. 2 impetus for Adduci’s study on intraoral pressure and sound pressure level during oboe performance. The research conducted by Michael Adduci demonstrates that intraoral pressure during oboe performance can exceed the capabilities for corresponding increases in sound output levels (SPL).5 He found that, prior to producing a sound, the oboist would typically build up intraoral pressure (IOP) before releasing the tongue and allowing the reed to vibrate. A similar anomaly was found following the end of each note, with the oboist sustaining pressure past the end of the current sounding note. Additionally, Adduci determined that oboists often increased the intraoral pressure beyond the amount needed to increase the dynamic of each note. He found that performers often created more intraoral pressure than their instrument and reed could handle, leading to the instrument reaching its maximum volume output potential before the performer had achieved his or her maximum potential for intraoral pressure. The performers may not be aware of this situation, causing a consistent excessive force when playing woodwind instruments, particularly in loud dynamics, which may lead to an extraneous amount of stress within the oral cavity. This excess force can create a potentially hazardous situation. The force can allow for the development of soft tissue disorders of the throat and potential
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