Glottic configuration in wind instrument players

INTRODUCTION: Knowledge of occupational voice disorders has gained increased importance as more individuals rely on their voices for their work. Wind instrument players are a specific group of individuals that present intensive use of the vocal tract associated with blowing their instrument. Interestingly, only a small number of reports focus on the laryngeal function of such professionals. AIM: The current study evaluated the laryngeal and vocal tract movement of wind instrument players. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten adult wind instrument players were studied with flexible videolaryngoscopy while playing their instrument, in order to observe the movements of the glottis, the vocal tract and the base of the tongue. RESULTS: In all the participants it was observed that musical tones were played with adducted vocal folds and that the greater the technical difficulty reported by the player, the more it was associated with increased lateral tension in the larynx, as well as constriction in the vocal tract. CONCLUSIONS: The larynx controls the airflow that will reach the mouthpiece of the instrument, directly interfering in blowing. Therefore, wind instrument players should also be considered professional voice users.