Theoretical backgroundUndergraduate singers confront a variety of technical issues, encompassing all aspects of vocal production. One such difficulty is pressed phonation, which Sundberg (1993) defines as possessing “...exaggerated glottal adduction” and a “strained” quality. Habitual pressed phonation can lead to technical dysfunction, and eventually to the development of voice disorders (Lepock, 2019; Zhang, 2021). For this reason, Seesholtz (2022) asserts that “(voice) teachers should learn to…habilitate pupils who exhibit (habitual pressed phonation).” Teachers have historically assumed that pressed phonation stems from vocal fold hyperadduction, which may decrease with the use of a more breathy tone and hypoadducted vocal folds. However, recent research (Toles et al, 2025) investigates more nuanced approaches. Although vocal fold configuration may directly relate to pressed phonation in most singers, this may not always hold true.Research focusI will establish a definition of pressed phonation and synthesize some literature surrounding this issue. This will include an exploration of glottal adduction’s role in pressed phonation, while also investigating other potential causes of this tone quality. I will also present the results of a preliminary study investigating objective measures of pressed phonation. Finally, I will discuss future possibilities for inquiry in this area, including my ongoing development of a technical exercise routine to address pressed phonation in students. MethodsThis research encompasses both a literature review and a preliminary study. The literature review incorporates sources drawn from vocal pedagogy and speech pathology research. The study will examine selected methods of measuring pressed phonation - electroglottography (EGG), transglottal airflow measurement through inverse filtering, and acoustic analysis using Praat. Participants will be asked to produce a pressed, breathy, and balanced tone. The measurements of contact quotient, transglottal airflow and H1-H2 relationship obtained during this process will be analyzed in order to determine an optimal method for analysis of phonation type. The expected results will confirm previous findings concerning strong correlations between contact quotient, airflow and subglottal pressure in the assessment of a pressed voice quality (Milgard et al, 2016; Sundberg, 2022), and validate that the H1-H2 acoustic measure effectively predicts pressed phonation (Kumar et al, 2011; Zhang, 2016).Conclusions and implicationsMy work seeks to further define the causes of pressed phonation, and to explore potential interventions for this issue. While a hyperadduction model can be useful in conceptualizing a pressed tone, this research speculates that pressed phonation is multifactorial - resulting from intersecting laryngeal, muscular and acoustic factors.