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A voice coach from the University of Alberta has hit upon a somewhat surprising technique to boost singers' vocal range. Using a vibrator to massage singers' throats and alleviate tension, he finds that he receives results.

According to Metro News, David Ley says that the technology has always existed. After all, massage eliminates tension. That principle is particularly important to people who make their living with their voices, like singers. Ley says that many singers are uncomfortable with having therapists massage their throats, or even doing it themselves. As a result, Ley found that the perfect solution was a vibrator.

"I know it's a bit different ... I know there's a giggle factor, but it works," Ley, a professor in the university's drama department, said to Metro News. "It relaxes tension in the larynx...it improves range and projection."

Ley's search for the perfect tool landed him in his local sex shop, where he found a small purple personal massager. The size of a computer mouse, it has a frequency between 100 and 120 hertz, which is about the range of the human voice.

Though he would expect that the use of a vibrator to simulate the human larynx would be obvious, he can find no evidence of its usage in his research.

He will speak about his findings at the Voice Foundation Symposium in Philadelphia this spring.

A video on the subject can be found below.