Quantifying Vocal Repertoire Tessituras Through Real-Time Measures.
Matthew Schloneger, Eric J Hunter, Lynn Maxfield
PMID 34315650WHAT IT FOUND
Four singers’ self-rated ease matched their Voice Range Profiles better than expert listeners’ ratings did.
When a key aligned with a singer’s dynamic agility, they reported less strain. Experts showed weak agreement and missed these fit differences, so trust the singer’s own feedback over outside opinion.
Key findings
01Singers’ self-perception of ease aligned with dosimeter-derived contours showing dynamic agility, whereas expert panel ratings showed weak inter-rater reliability and little alignment with the singers’ own reports.
02Score-based tessituragrams closely matched the pitch distribution of real-time performance data, but actual phonation time was lower and recovery time higher than predicted.
03Keys that aligned with the portion of a singer’s range with the greatest dynamic agility were perceived as more free and efficient.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only four singers were studied, so results are a demonstration of technique rather than generalizable evidence. Expert panel inter-rater reliability was weak, limiting confidence in perceptual judgments. Accelerometer data measures neck skin vibration, which may not perfectly correlate with acoustic sound pressure levels or perceived effort. Raters were not trained or allowed to practice with the visual analog scale, introducing potential uncertainty in perceptual scores.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that expert listeners can reliably judge vocal strain or repertoire fit. In this study, expert ratings showed weak agreement and missed the differences in ease that singers clearly felt and that objective measures confirmed. Trust the singer’s self-report over outside perceptual opinion.