Potential link between playing wind instruments and vocal tract disorders. A literature review

Introduction and purpose: Currently, we can distinguish three basic groups of instruments. These are wind instruments, percussion instruments, and plucked instruments. In the case of wind instruments, the source of sound is a vibrating column of air, which is created by blowing by the player. It is suspected that such vibration may cause specific vocal and laryngeal symptoms. The aim of the study was to present the current state of knowledge regarding the potential relation between playing wind instruments and vocal tract disorders. Material and methods: The article reviews 19 publications available on the PubMed and Google Scholar, Web of Science databases meeting assumed criteria: published as a full text, without time limit and conducted on humans. The studies were found using initially established searching strategies as well as subsequent manual searching in order not to miss adequate articles. State of knowledge: Laryngeal symptoms may be combined with vocal symptoms. The main raised vocal manifestations among instrumentalists are dysphonia, hoarseness, and altered voice quality. Comparing a group that used wind instruments with control, VHI-10 (Voice Handicap Index) and F0 (fundamental frequency) and HNR (harmonics-to-noise ratio) were higher while jitter % and shimmer %, which are perturbation parameters, were lower in the study group. The majority of studies has a limitation because they were performed in a limited number of volunteers. Conclusions: The symptoms of the vocal tract related to playing wind instruments are characterized by a low frequency of occurrence and intensity. However, further research is needed to assess this relation.

Development and Evaluation of a Novel Mechatronic Percussion System

<p>While numerous attempts at creating mechatronic percussion systems exist, many have been limited to only playing a single membranophone or idiophone. These systems inherently lack the ability to reproduce the expressive nature of strikes which human players are capable of and often require manual reconfiguration in order to vary the striking location, type of beater or striking angle. The few which are able to pan across multiple instruments often lack the ability to perform expressively. We designed a mechatronic percussion system that provides expressivity through controllable variability of the acoustic properties inherent to percussion instruments. Our system can play across the range of an entire traditional drum kit, whether it is set up in a completely horizontal formation, vertically staggered or includes other percussion instruments. When continuously operating at maximum speed, the system is capable of playing for five hours before one subsystem is at risk of failing. Our system possesses two "wrists", each capable of gripping a variety of beaters. A single wrist can reliably perform single drum strokes at a frequency of 21 Hz, surpassing that of the world's fastest drummer. Operating both wrists results in a striking frequency of 51.9 Hz. The level of force behind each stroke and resultant acoustic quality can be controlled to produce an expressive performance. A unique feature of this system is the use of a compliant grip, applying variable pressure to the beater held and allows for a variety of beater diameters to be incorporated.</p>

Development and Evaluation of a Novel Mechatronic Percussion System

<p>While numerous attempts at creating mechatronic percussion systems exist, many have been limited to only playing a single membranophone or idiophone. These systems inherently lack the ability to reproduce the expressive nature of strikes which human players are capable of and often require manual reconfiguration in order to vary the striking location, type of beater or striking angle. The few which are able to pan across multiple instruments often lack the ability to perform expressively. We designed a mechatronic percussion system that provides expressivity through controllable variability of the acoustic properties inherent to percussion instruments. Our system can play across the range of an entire traditional drum kit, whether it is set up in a completely horizontal formation, vertically staggered or includes other percussion instruments. When continuously operating at maximum speed, the system is capable of playing for five hours before one subsystem is at risk of failing. Our system possesses two "wrists", each capable of gripping a variety of beaters. A single wrist can reliably perform single drum strokes at a frequency of 21 Hz, surpassing that of the world's fastest drummer. Operating both wrists results in a striking frequency of 51.9 Hz. The level of force behind each stroke and resultant acoustic quality can be controlled to produce an expressive performance. A unique feature of this system is the use of a compliant grip, applying variable pressure to the beater held and allows for a variety of beater diameters to be incorporated.</p>

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS IN THE MUSICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL CONCEPT OF K. ORFF

The essence of K. Orff’s musical and pedagogical concept is considered in the article; the importance of the creative development of students of secondary schools is revealed. The meaning of 'elementary music,' which is connected with movement, dance, and word and creates a basis for the child’s development, is clarified. The five-volume collection 'Orff-Schulwerk. Musik für kinder' is analyzed; its role in creating analogues in different countries is revealed. The problem of stimulating the creative potential of the individual by means of the music-pedagogical system is highlighted. The instruments of the children’s orchestra developed by K. Orff together with K. Sachs are described, which included melodic and noise percussion instruments, the simplest wind, and strings. The principle of active music-making and creative development of personality on the basis of playing children’s musical instruments, rhythmic movements, dance, and pantomime is analyzed. The role of rhythmic, vocal, and instrumental improvisations for the creative development of students is revealed. The curriculum at the Orff’ Institute is covered, which included the methods of teaching children’s musical instruments, a course of rhythmic exercises, choreography, conducting, solfeggio, instrumentation. The work ‘Theory and practice of music and aesthetic education according to the system of K. Orff’ (by E. Kurishev, L. Kurisheva) is analyzed, which highlights the practical experience of Ukrainian teachers in the classroom and extracurricular activities with students. The countries that have shown interest in Orff's pedagogy and continue to work actively on this system are listed. K. Orff's conviction is formulated that the art of the future is inherent in the nature of human abilities and it is only necessary to create conditions for the creative development of the individual.

A Study for Composition and Comparison of the Music Perception Tests for Normal Hearing and Cochlear Implant Users

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compose the test for music perception and analyze the characteristic of cochlear implant users’ music perception.Methods: The test was made up with the pitch, melody, and timbre factors, using three low and high frequencies, six music genres, and four types of musical instruments correspondingly. The tests were conducted to 10 normal-hearing (NH) young adults and 10 young cochlear-implant (CI) users.Results: All the music perception tests showed significant differences between NH and CI group [F(1, 4) = 0.018, p = 0.019]. In the pitch test, CI group showed significantly lower correction rate(51.3%) than NH group (82.7%) did with higher correction rates in low frequencies. In the melody test, CI group showed significantly lower correction rate (29.7%) than NH group (95.8%) did with the highest performance in folk songs (51.7%). In the timbre test, CI group showed significantly reduced performance (22.5%) than NH group (65.8%) did. For both CI and NH groups, the pitched percussion showed the highest scores (45% and 100%) while the woodwind showed the lowest scores (13.3% and 48.3%).Conclusion: Out of three tests, CI group showed better performance in pitch perception than melody and timber perception. CI group showed better performances in low pitch sounds, melodies of familiar genre, and sound of pitched percussion instruments’ timber showing complicated music perception ability. To enhance the music perception ability for CI users by aural rehabilitation, more specified and systematic music perception test material should be developed.

‘Feeling Brazilian’: The search for authenticity in drum kit playing

The influence of Brazilian rhythms is pervasive in modern drum kit practices. Information about them can be accessed through drumming books or online searches, with ostinatos for the feet and sticking combinations for the hands, which usually are adaptations from patterns traditionally played with hand percussion instruments. Those patterns instruct drummers on what to play; however, the discussion on how to play them to sound authentic is scarce. This article explores this topic and suggests that timing nuances and performance gestures are fundamental for its comprehension. In that sense, an exclusively analytical approach to the rhythmic nuances, in which grooves are described in terms of milliseconds, is not considered sufficient. In order to fully grasp the ‘Brazilian feel’, it is suggested that a broader spectrum of elements of expression should be observed, as dancing, religion, spoken language and other aspects of everyday life might have effects on musical outcomes.

Is There a Need for a Fundamentally New Classification of Musical Instruments?

В статье предлагается новый принцип классификации музыкальных инструментов, основанный не на первичности источника звука при неизменной вторичности способа извлечения, а на полном равноправии этих компонентов. Для композитора и исполнителя всегда важнее способ извлечения звука, поскольку его источник - не более чем предпосылка тонообразования. Нелогичность общепринятой классификации становится очевидной уже при обращении к ударным инструментам: например, удар по мембране малого барабана делает его мембранофоном, а по обручу - идиофоном. Однако для музыкальной практики в первую очередь имеет значение способ извлечения звука на малом барабане и его принадлежность к ударным инструментам. В качестве примера также доказывается, что большое семейство гармоник надо определять не как «идиофоны с дутьем» и не как аэрофоны, согласно систематике выдающихся классиков инструментоведения Э. Хорнбостеля и К. Закса, а как пневматико-клапанные ламеллафоны. Автор статьи приходит к выводу, что музыкальные инструменты целесообразно классифицировать так, как это принято в академическом инструментарии: не на идиофоны, мембранофоны, хордофоны и аэрофоны, а, к примеру, на струнные смычковые, духовые и ударные - в симфоническом оркестре; целесообразно изменить принципы классификации и в других инструментальных составах. The article proposes a new principle of classification of musical instruments, based not on the primacy of the sound source with the constant secondary of the extraction method, but on the full equality of these components. For the composer and performer, the method of sound extraction is always more important, since its source is no more than a prerequisite for tone formation. The illogic of the generally accepted classification becomes obvious when referring to percussion instruments: for example, a blow on the membrane of a snare drum makes it a membranophone, and on a hoop-an idiophone. However, for musical practice, the method of extracting sound on a snare drum and its belonging to percussion instruments is primarily important. As an example, it is also proved that a large family of harmonics should be defined not as “idiophones with blowing” and not as aerophones, according to the systematics of the outstanding classics of instrumentation E. Hornbostel and C. Sachs, but as pneumatic-valve lamellaphones. The author of the article comes to the conclusion that it is advisable to classify musical instruments as it is customary in academic instruments: not into idiophones, membrano-phones, chordophones and aerophones, but, for example, into strings, brass and percussion-in a symphony orchestra; it is advisable to change the principles of classification in other instrumental sets also.