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Titze, Ingo Voice Research: Lip and Tongue Trills--What Do They Do for Us? Journal of Singing - The Official Journal of the National Association of Teachers of Singing 52:3 (January-February 1996) p. 51-52 URL for this item: http://gateway.proquest.com.ezproxy1.library.usyd.edu.au /openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:iimp:&rft_dat=xri:iimp:article:citation:iimp00001798

INGO TITZE

Lip and tongue trills are common as vocal warm-ups. We see them more and more as a standard tool for loosening up the orofacial muscles and for getting the sensations of vibration established in the front of the mouth and in the lips. As I ask singing teachers and the theatre coaches (let's call them vocologists, collectively) about the benefit of these exercises, there usually emerges an answer like this: ''It's easy on the vocal folds, but gets the respiratory system going full steam.''

ingo titze

There is scientific validity in this. Let's look at the pressure-flow events that take place in a lip or tongue trill while voicing occurs. First, we recognize that there are two sources of vibration in this trill, one in the larynx and one in the front of the mouth, feeding from the same airstream. The fact that they are feeding (gaining their vibratory energy) from the same airstream is significant. It's a concept of sharing a common energy source. If the lip trill absorbs too much energy, the vocal folds don't get enough to vibrate; alternately, if the vocal folds absorb too much, the lips won't get enough to vibrate.

In terms of this energy balance, we know that the aerodynamic power available for this dual vibration is the lung pressure multiplied by the mean airflow produced (power = pressure × airflow). The main airflow is the same at the glottis as at the lips; otherwise, our cheeks or neck would bulge out. The only difference, then, between the power that is given to the two vibrators is the relative amount of pressure dropped across each of them. If the lung pressure is constant, then more pressure across one means less pressure across the other; we ''rob Peter to pay Paul,'' so to speak. This is because physical law dictates that the pressure across the lips plus the pressure across the vocal folds must equal the lung pressure.

Quite naturally, the vocalist learns how to budget the pressures appropriately to keep both the lips and the vocal folds vibrating. At warm-up, the exploration involves learning what minimum pressure is needed for the lips, especially as the pitch is raised.

Therein lies the skill and the value of the exercise. It is known that the phonation threshold pressure (the minimum pressure required to establish phonation) increases with increasing pitch. Unless the lung pressure is raised, the lips will cease to vibrate at higher pitches because the vocal folds will automatically require more pressure. This forces the vocalist to raise the lung pressure, thereby taxing the respiratory system more. The thoracic and abdominal muscles assume the load and build up their capability before full lung pressure is applied to the vocal folds, as in the ensuing open vowel sounds in practice. Thus, we

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have a way of immediately establishing the hierarchy of voice production: respiration first, phonation second, articulation third. This hierarchy is, I hope, maintained throughout the warm-up.

What seems a little mysterious to me a this point is what the lip or tongue trill does to warm up the orofacial tissues. Is the idea to move tissue around passively, without the specific contraction of tongue, lip, or jaw muscles; or is the idea to contract specific muscles selectively to get the articulatory processes going? Perhaps someone can write in to enlighten me on this.

Ingo R. Titze is a professor of speech and hearing science at the University of Iowa and Director of Research at the Recording and Research Center of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. His formal education is in physics and electrical engineering, but he has devoted much of his studies to vocal music and speech. Dr. Titze has published over 150 articles in scientific and educational journals, co-edited a book entitled Vocal Fold Physiology, and has recently completed a book called Principles of Voice Production. He has lectured throughout the world and has appeared

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on such educational television series as Innovation, Quantum, and Beyond 2000. He is a recipient of the William and Harriott Gould Award for laryngeal physiology, the Jacob Javits Neuroscience Investigation Award, the Claude Pepper Award, the Quintana Award, and is a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America. Dr. Titze has served on a number of national advisory boards and scientific review groups, including the Scientific Advisory Board of the Voice Foundation and the Division of Research Grants of the National Institutes of Health. He has recently become director of the National Center for Voice and Speech. In addition to his scientific endeavors, Dr. Titze continues to be active as a singer. He is married to Kathy Titze and has four children. Mail should be addressed to Ingo R. Titze, National Center for Voice and Speech, 330 Wendell Johnson Building, Iowa City, IA 52242. Telephone (319) 335-6600. National Association of Teachers of Singing

Membership in the National Association of Teachers of Singing is open to any citizen of Membership: any country whose professional training and experience qualify him or her as a teacher of singing.

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Membership includes a subscription to the Journal of Singing, the official journal of NATS, Publications: and to Inter Nos, the NATS Newsletter.

Application for Membership forms may be secured from the Executive Director, NATS, 2800 University Boulevard N., JU Station, Jacksonville, FL 32211. These forms contain Information: more detailed information about the qualifications for membership and the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Teachers and Singing.

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