Surface EMG Activity of the Suprahyoid and Infrahyoid Muscles along the Pitch Changes in Trained and Untrained Singers

성악전공자와 비전공자에서의 음도에 따른 성대외근의 표면근전도 변화

Extrinsic laryngeal muscles are well known to be important for the classical singers. We tried to elucidate any differences in the function of above muscles between trained and untrained singers by non-invasive surface electromyography(EMG). Four trained sopranos and four untrained singers sang vowel /i/ at different pitch(E3, G3, C4, E4, G4, C5, E5, G5, C6). The EMG activities of the suprahyoid, infrahyoid and omohyoid muscles were measured using surface electrodes. In trained singers, infrahyoid muscle activities increased more than those of suprahyoid in most of pitch. To the contrary, in untrained singers, the pattern of EMG activities were variable among each subjects and the EMG activities of suprahyoid muscles were relatively greater than those of infrahyoid.