Hello.

Have you ever listened to a song in which you have listened and thought "that is what true/proper/real belting should sound like!!"

These songs can be classical or pop/r'n'b...

For me it is "All the man i need" and "One moment in time" by Whitney houston. You could also include clips of these songs so that people can judge whether THEY think that that particular song corresponds to their view of what belting should sound like.

Thanks.

You really like belting, don't you?
Just so that I'm actually contributing, yes, there is one person in particular who I think does belting very well, a metal singer from the Netherlands named Floor Jansen. In fact, in voice class we just talked about and experimented with belting, and I'm going to bring in an After Forever (the band she sings for) cd so that people can hear a good professional belt, which my teacher says she's not the best at.

What IS belting, actually? I have never understood what it means, beyond singing loudly.

It's the extending of a strong chest register beyond it's natural limits, whilst keeping the larynx high and tight. It requires a lot of physical effort, and, if done incorrectly, can put unnecessary strain on the muscles of the larynx and vocal folds. The National Association of Teachers of Singing in the USA describe it as the apex of a spoken crescendo. There is no vibrato. Those who teach it often start with "classical" taining first, to establish safe voice production, then introduce it gradually, and never too high. There is no belt in the high register (for women).
Some singers belt naturally.
Hope this helps.

Ann

Thanks Ann, I *think* I understand! Thank you

Sounds painful!

Done wrongly it is. A pretty much guaranteed way of trashing your voice. Belting should only be done with care, and under supervision.

My teacher has had me do it a couple times and it's really not. It's a lot like talking very loudly, only you're singing... Or at least that's how it seemed to me. Like AnnC said, you can't belt a high note, it's using a lot of muscles and air to get a pretty loud low/mid-range note. If you really like theater then you've probably heard it at some point, that's where it's most commonly found. (I think. Don't quote me on that.)

Think I might wait a while before trying this. Quite a long while! I'm not sure I've got the right sort of voice for it anyway. I do admire people with powerful voices, too often mine just sounds feeble!



Amber
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Is there any way to add vibrato? When I'm ruining Queen songs, I have to use this technique but I'm looking to get a sweeter sound.

Any tips?

This is a difficult subject (for me) because I neither teach nor sing in belt mode. In my opinion every voice has a natural vibrato which should not be interfered with unless it is excessive. Good support is the key. I would advise against artificially creating vibrato. Your best bet is to perfect your normal singing technique before attempting to belt. When you've done that, you can belt safely, and with a better sound. If your technique is not secure, you run the danger of forcing too much air past the vocal folds which can lead to damage. Follow your teacher's advice!

Ann

Yes you're right.

To tell the truth, I don't know if I am actually belting, I'm just following what my teacher has told me to get some decent sounding notes. Just what has been described above, I assumed that's what I assumed that I was doing.

My very first teacher did try to create an artificial vibrato and I really didn't like it, but he wasn't up to much.

I've just taught two lessons where I introduced belting. In the second lesson it was along side bel-canto voice production.

I described it as finding an energy from the chest muscles, keeping the soft palate high and the throat realxed and going for the note, never forcing.

I have taught myself how to belt having trained as a classical singer. I do use the technique where necessary but I have found that the placing is identical, and the most important thing to do to stop pupils trashing their throat is to make sure there is not tension in the neck, the energy comes from the pectoral muscles and nothing is forced.