Respiratory function during speaking and singing in professional country singers.

Respiratory function during speaking and singing was investigated in six male professional country singers. Function was studied using magnetometers to transduce anteroposterior diameter changes of the rib cage and abdomen while subjects performed various respiratory maneuvers, speaking activities, and singing activities. Results indicated that respiratory behavior during speaking was generally the same as that of other normal subjects. Respiratory behavior during singing resembled that of speaking. Discussion includes comparison of respiratory performance of present singers with untrained singers and classically trained singers. Implications are offered regarding how the results might be applied to the prevention of voice disorders by education and training of country singers.