Dynamics of Facial and Neck Muscle Activities during Horn Playing: A Case Study of Intermediate and Expert Players

Abstract

Brass instrument players alter the sound by regulating lip and oral conditions. Previous studies have measured the perioral muscles’ activity during performance and identified the main muscles contributing to phonation and its change. However, the dynamics and synergies of muscle activity during phonation and its individual differences have not been sufficiently clarified. In the present study, muscle activity of the perioral muscles and the masseter and sternocleidomastoid muscles were measured during the performance of two horn players (an expert and an intermediate player: the intermediate was a pupil of the expert). Time series waveforms of their muscle activities were visually compared between the players. Rapid changes in the muscle activity of the expert player were observed at the timing of the rise and fall of muscle activity, which were commonly reported in previous studies that investigated muscle activity in playing the piano and percussion instruments. The combination of muscles that coordinatedly activated differed between players. Individual differences were also observed in the activity of the masseter and sternocleidomastoid muscles. The results were discussed in terms of neural adaptation and motor control.