Breathy

Breathy/Paralysis voice sample (Article)
This short audio clip is of a middle-aged woman with a vocal fold paralysis. The definition of breathiness is turbulence noise of air escaping through the incompletely closed glottis. This is clearly heard in this sample. You can also hear that she runs out of breath quickly. (posted 2:34 PM, August 27, 2014)

breathy/vascular lesion voice sample (Article)
This short audio clip is of a high school aged female singer with a vascular (blood filled) lesion of the right vocal fold. The vocal fold is also irregular, swollen and stiff, and therefore does not vibrate well. Because of the irregularity of the vibratory margin of the vocal fold, the glottis does not close completely. The definition of breathiness is turbulence noise of air escaping through the incompletely closed glottis. This can be heard in this sample. You can also hear that she runs out of breath quickly. However, the breathiness is not as severe or apparent as it is in the breathy/paralysis clip. One could think that she is simply using a breathy style in the context of the song, or that she is young and needs to "focus" or "support" the tone. In fact, however, the vocal fold is badly damaged. (posted 2:34 PM, August 27, 2014)

The Application of Vocal Fry (Article)
Vocal fry is a vocal production that is marked by a low fundamental frequency (below 70 Hz), low subglottic pressure, and minimal air flow. This article describes in detail how vocal fry is produced, explores a variety of pedagogical opinions about fry and its utility in the teaching of singing, and provides sample exercises the authors have found successful for addressing specific vocal problems. (posted 2:34 PM, August 27, 2014)

Awesome Voices! (Article)
In this article Dr. Austin discusses the importance of eliminating breathiness from the tone of young singers who are interested in the bel canto tradition. The breathy onset is described as the most common fault in young voices. Teaching a ‘neat and clean’ beginning to the sung tone as experienced when one speaks the word ‘awesome’ can lead to a tone that is clear and ringing. (posted 2:34 PM, August 27, 2014)

Vocal Fold Hypomobility (Article)
Vocal fold hypomobility can result from a myriad of disorders of nerves, muscles, or cricoarytenoid joint function. Vocal fold hypomobility may manifest with symptoms that range from breathiness, vocal fatigue, and decreased range to aphonia, aspiration, and shortness of breath. (posted 2:34 PM, August 27, 2014)

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