Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises (SOVTE) for Healthy Phonation

Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises have been popular among Singers, Vocal Coaches, Speech Pathologists and Voice Professionals. Let's take a look why that is. We will start with an anatomic overview of the vocal folds and larynx, then we will explore the execution of SOVTE and lastly we will talk about the benefits of those amazing exercises.
 

Vocal Folds

The vocal folds (vocal cords) consist of structured layers of tissue: epithelium, lamina propria (superficial, intermediate, and deep), and the thyroarytenoid muscle.

Each layer has a different degree of viscosity and density that allow the surface (referred to as the cover) to move independently of the deeper layers (referred to as the body). It is the structured composition that enables the vocal folds to oscillate in a wavelike fashion, creating what is often referred to as the mucosal wave. 

Intrinsic laryngeal muscles (muscles within the larynx) and extrinsic laryngeal muscles (muscles of the larynx connected to elsewhere in the body) play a critical role within the phonatory system. These muscles are responsible for closing (adduction), opening (abduction), lengthening, shortening, and stiffening of the vocal folds, as well as elevating and depressing the larynx. In singing, the interconnections of these muscles impact pitch, loudness, modes of vibration, onsets/offsets, and vertical position of the larynx.

SOVTE

With the aforementioned scientific knowledge of the anatomy of the larynx, voice research has revealed that healthy voicing is achieved with a barely abducted/abducted vocal fold posture. Singers can achieve this with exercises known as semi-occlusions of the vocal tract (SOVT), which are excellent at influencing low effort for vocal efficiency. 

All voiced sounds involve the phonation system. SOVT exercises are a scientific way of referring to a partial closure of the mouth during voicing. The main exercise is the use of a straw (straw phonation), however, other common exercises include lip trills, tongue trills, raspberries (tongues between the lips), fricatives (e.g., /v/ and /z/), nasal consonants (e.g., /n/, /m/), hand-over-mouth, or phonation into a variety of tube sizes with the free end kept in air (straw phonation) or immersed in water (water bubbles).


 

Benefits of SOVTE

Three significant effects from SOVT exercises:

  1. Vocal fold configuration: SOVT creates increased air pressure in the vocal tract due to the narrowing of the mouth with the use of a tube, straw, tongue, lips, or other means of semi-occlusion, therefore, air pressure is more balanced and avoids a pressed voice quality.

  2. Vibrational amplitude and collision force: how far apart the vocal folds move during each cycle of vibration.

Vocal tract inertance: this facilitates sustained oscillation with lower subglottal pressure; and less effort.

The best part about straw phonation in particular is that it is quiet, and you can practice anywhere! Happy singing!

Author: Coach Mikaela Elson!

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