Effect of Training and Level of External Auditory Feedback on the Singing Voice: Pitch Inaccuracy.
Pasquale Bottalico, Simone Graetzer, Eric J Hunter
PMID 26948385WHAT IT FOUND
Professional singers had better pitch accuracy than non-professionals.
Fast tempo, staccato, and descending phrases increased pitch error in both groups. Unexpectedly, blocking external hearing with protectors improved non-professionals' accuracy, while professionals remained unaffected by the change.
Key findings
01Professional singers had lower mean pitch inaccuracy than non-professionals, with a difference most apparent in the high tessitura.
02Pitch inaccuracy was greater in fast tempo, staccato articulation, and descending semi-phrases compared to slow, legato, and ascending.
03Non-professional singers showed lower pitch inaccuracy when wearing hearing protectors than in normal conditions, whereas professional singers were not influenced by external auditory feedback levels.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only 20 participants. The unexpected improvement in non-professionals' accuracy with hearing protectors contradicts previous literature and the study's own hypothesis, requiring cautious interpretation. The difference between professional and non-professional groups approached but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.07) in the primary model comparison, though it was significant in the high tessitura.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that hearing protectors improve pitch accuracy for all singers. This effect was seen only in non-professionals and contradicted the hypothesis that blocking feedback hurts performance; professionals were unaffected.