Singers' physical perception of singing: Visualization of the organs by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and acoustic analyses

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25370117
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Aesthetics and studies on art
• Research Institution: Showa University of Music
• Principal Investigator: HANEISHI ERI 昭和音楽大学, 音楽学部, 教授 (70350684)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KAWAHARA HIDEKI 和歌山大学, 名誉教授 (40294300) ; KISHIMOTO HIROKO 昭和音楽大学, 音楽学部, 教授 (10107336)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): TAKEMOTO HIRONORI 独立行政法人情報通信研究機構, ユニバーサルコミュニケーション研究所多感覚・評価研究室, 研究員 (40374102) ; HOSOKAWA KUMIKO 昭和音楽大学, 音楽学部, 客員教授 (70209237) ; SAKAKIBARA KEN-ICHI 北海道医療大学, 心理科学部, 准教授 (80396168) ; NIIMI SEIJI 国際医療福祉大学, 保険医療学部, 教授 (00010273) ; HAGIWARA KAORI 昭和音楽大学, 音楽学部, 教授 (50649449) ; SAITOU TAKESHI 金沢大学, 理工学域電子情報学類, 助教 (70446962)
• Research Collaborator: 藤村 靖 オハイオ州立大学, 名誉教授 ; 本多 清志 天津大学, 教授 ; 城本 修 県立広島大学, 教授 ; 北村 達也 甲南大学, 教授 ; 八尋 久仁代 昭和音楽大学, 非常勤講師 ; 中巻 寛子 愛知県立芸術大学, 教授 ; エリクソン ドナ 金沢医科大学, 非常勤講師
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 歌唱 / 身体感覚 / 横隔膜 / MRI / 音響特性 / 声道 / 可視化 / 発声学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Singers cannot look at their own organs responsible for singing. Based on the interviews for singers, the diaphragm was identified as one of the important organs for singing techniques. The motions of the diaphragm were visualized by real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and acoustic analyses were performed. In our cases, MRI movies of the professional singers, compared with those of beginners, indicated more controlled diaphragm motions, which reflected their own subjective descriptions of physical perception during singing. The shapes of the vocal tract and the tongue as well as stable vibratos also suggested professional singing techniques. The MRI motion imaging techniques and its analyses that we proposed in this study may be one of the useful methods to elucidate singing techniques.

Free Research Field

音楽療法、発声学（Vocology)