Interference between normal vibrato and artificial stimulation of laryngeal muscles at near-vibrato rates

J Voice. 1994 Sep;8(3):215-23. doi: 10.1016/s0892-1997(05)80292-9.

Abstract

A stabilized tremor hypothesis for vocal vibrato is investigated. The stabilizer is assumed to be a mechanical oscillator that may contain reflex loops. Artificial stimulation of the cricothyroid muscle in one subject showed a well-defined resonance curve of this peripheral oscillator at approximately 5.0 Hz. Combined artificial stimulation with natural vibrato showed that the vibrato could be entrained by a peripheral stimulus, provided the two frequencies are separated by no more than approximately +/- 0.5 Hz. This suggests that vibrato frequencies are not "hard-wired" centrally, even though a collection of centrally generated tremors may serve as excitation to the peripheral oscillator.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Electric Stimulation
  • Humans
  • Laryngeal Muscles / innervation
  • Laryngeal Muscles / physiology*
  • Laryngeal Nerves / physiology
  • Male
  • Models, Neurological
  • Muscle Contraction / physiology
  • Music*
  • Phonation / physiology
  • Sound Spectrography*
  • Speech Acoustics
  • Voice Quality / physiology*
  • Voice Training