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Navigating Vocal Challenges: Singing Difficulties in a Carnatic Singer with Clinically Normal Voice

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Abstract

This study aimed to describe the clinical presentation and therapeutic course of a trained Carnatic singer with perceptually clinically normal voice who presented with singing difficulties. The participant of the study was a 25-year-old male individual who reported to the speech and language diagnostics unit with complaints of reduced vocal range for singing and strained voice while singing. After the routine voice evaluations, the subject was allotted Resonant Voice Therapy. The baseline recordings were compared with the subsequent voice recordings of the subject, on different parameters, along the course of the training. The post-training recordings showed an increase in the singing range of the subject from 9 semitones to 19–20 semitones with modifications in adharashruthi. There were reductions in the perturbation and noise-to-harmonic ratio found in post-training samples. This case study highlights the innovative application of RVT to expand pitch range in a Carnatic singer with normative vocal parameters but encountering singing difficulties. The findings underscore the potential of RVT as a transformative intervention, offering promising avenues for enhancing vocal performance and addressing challenges specific to Carnatic singing techniques.

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Acknowledgements

The authors extend their gratitude to the singer for signing the informed consent form and agreeing to present his treatment course as a case study. The authors acknowledge the Director and the Professional Voice Care Unit, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysuru, India, for providing the resources to carry out the study.

Funding

The research presented received no external funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Speech-Language Sciences, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Manasagangothri, Mysuru, 570 006, India

    Yeshoda Krishna & Revathi Raveendran

Authors
  1. Yeshoda Krishna
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  2. Revathi Raveendran
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Contributions

The first author contributed to conceptualization and report writing. The second author contributed to the conceptualization, data collection, analysis, and report writing.

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Correspondence to Revathi Raveendran.

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Appendix 1

Appendix 1

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Krishna, Y., Raveendran, R. Navigating Vocal Challenges: Singing Difficulties in a Carnatic Singer with Clinically Normal Voice. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-024-04629-4

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