Every Christmas season, it becomes clear once again that there are amazingly accomplished singers like Mariah Carey and George Michael. Their songs stir strong emotions. Singing involves perhaps the most complex and mostly hidden movements that humans and animals can perform. To become a good singer, you need to learn how to coordinate the movements of hundreds of muscles in your body with great precision. Therefore, it requires a lot of talent and practice.
Voice box training: unexplored territory We all know that athletes spend a lot of time exercising their limbs and body muscles, but why not try training your voice box muscles? “Surprisingly, little is known about the effects of exercise on these muscles or whether they respond to training in humans,” said Professor Koen Elemans of the University of Southern Denmark, an expert in sound production. says. Close to their precious voice box.
This study found that male songbirds require daily singing practice to improve vocal muscle health and song quality. This is an important factor in attracting mates and maintaining social bonds.
Insights from Songbirds
New research published today (December 12th) in a prestigious journal nature communications Male songbirds report that they need to sing daily to strengthen their vocal muscles and produce beautiful songs. And if the female didn’t notice, she notices. “Singing is extremely important for songbirds. They sing to impress potential partners, protect their territory, and maintain social bonds,” said Iris, lead author of the study. Dr. Adam says.
Researchers have shown that songbirds’ vocal muscles require training to keep them at peak performance. And it’s not just training; what’s especially important is singing practice. The study was carried out by an international team of researchers from the University of Southern Denmark, Leiden University, Umeå University and the University of Vermont, and led by Assistant Professor Iris Adam and Professor Koen Elemans from the Department of Biology at the University of Southern Denmark. .
Vocal muscles also need exercise
“It has long been known that songbird calls are controlled by fast vocal muscles, but it remains to be seen whether and how these muscles respond to exercise, similar to leg muscles. “Until now, we knew very little about it,” says Iris Adam. In their study, the researchers showed that when songbirds don’t use their vocal muscles at all, their voices become significantly slower and weaker within a few days. But even if the bird only made a mumble, after seven days the vocal muscles had already lost 50% of their power.
Therefore, in order for songbirds to remain attractive, they may need to invest a lot of time and energy into singing every day.
Unique features of the vocal muscles While studying the vocal muscles of zebra finches, the research team made another very important discovery. “When we go to the gym to work out our leg and arm muscles, we typically slow down our movements,” said study author Pell Stoll, an expert in human muscle exercise physiology. To tell. But songbird vocal muscles, like the muscles in their limbs, don’t get stronger or slower with exercise, they get weaker and faster. This is the opposite of normal limb and body muscles. “We think this reverse training may be unique to the vocal muscles and may be true for everyone.” vertebrateBecause all vocal muscles are developmentally related, ”says Iris Adam.
Source: scitechdaily.com
