How to Sing Better: Belting

TO BELT OR NOT TO BELT (THAT IS THE QUESTION…)

It is said that belting is a skillful yell in the area of A4-D5 for a female, and Eb4 to C5 for a male singer.

Belting is the production of a very intense, powerful, exciting sound by extending the lower register TA-dominant (shorter thicker vocal folds) phonation for several notes beyond the natural transition (first bridge or primo passaggio).

To raise pitch, belters increase breath pressure.

In belting, the first formant, F_1, couples with the second, third, or fourth harmonic. Though the folds are stretching to accommodate higher pitch, a greater mass of the fold body is in contact.

The acoustic energy produced from the vibrating folds shows more energy in all the harmonics, so the sound is brassy.  This is the sound of the called-out HEY! which can be performed up to about D5 in female singers.

The vocal tract must be smaller so that F₁ can boost the higher harmonics.  This is usually accomplished with a higher larynx, a “smile”, and a dropped jaw which raises F₁ frequencies. 

Singing vowels with intrinsically higher F₁ frequencies, the open vowels, is necessary to produce belt.

Belters substitute open vowels such as [æ], [a], or [ɛ], singing, for example, I l[æ]v y[æ]w instead of I love you.  They widen the mouth as they drop the jaw in order to raise F₁ to track the rising second harmonic with the first formant as pitch ascends.

The open vowels like [a] and [ae] intrinsically have the highest first formant frequencies; widening the mouth and dropping the jaw raises F₁ even more because the pharynx becomes smaller (smaller container, higher pitch).

As F₁ frequencies increase, F₁ tracks the rising second harmonic H₂.

Singers with extremely high belt capabilities often have mouths that are very wide in comparison to the size of the head.

While many female belters carry the chest voice up to D5, others such as musical theatre star Idina Menzel can belt up to F5 and higher, though they are notoriously inconsistent and often cancel shows due to vocal problems. 

Each singer’s physiognomy is different; those with extremely wide mouths in relation to their head size (like Idina Menzel) have an easier time belting, and some vocal folds are heftier and can simply take more abuse than others.

Although belting always has the potential for vocal harm, a distinction can be made between skillful belting and “bad” belting, which is simply yelling as high as possible with excessive and potentially damaging air pressure.

“BAD” BELTING

Basically, bad belting is yelling as high as you can. Singers who are unskilled at transitioning between registers force the thick fold vibration of the lower register (TA muscle dominant or mode 1) upward for a few more pitches by raising the larynx and widening the mouth in an attempt to stay in the familiar chest voice.

“Bad” belting implies excessively high breath pressure and closed quotient (the time the vocal folds remain closed in the cycle of open/closed) and increased glottal resistance. Increased vocal fold tension is needed to resist the high breath pressure; this is known as hyperfunction.

The vocal tract is constricted and often the base of the tongue is tightened, putting pressure on the larynx. The jaw is tight and muscled.

Belt resonance strategy is to raise F₁ frequencies higher to track the rising H₂ (second harmonic) as pitch ascends, to avoid allowing H₂ to become higher than the frequency range of F₁ and thereby losing power.

This is accomplished by engaging extrinsic muscles to hike the larynx, and by widening the mouth. Lifting the larynx and widening the mouth shortens the pharynx, raising F₁ frequency, preventing H₂ frequency from crossing higher than F₁ frequency.

The tone quality morphs from chiaroscuro (balance of bright and dark timbres) toward a more splatty and shout-like sound.

Belting is correlated with a flattened tongue and open vowels. Open vowels with the highest first formant frequency such as [a], [ae], and [ɛ] are chosen most often by belters.

Belting can only occur on open vowels; closed vowels have a lower F₁ frequency that cannot track a rising harmonic as pitch ascends. It’s virtually impossible to yell or belt on an [u] vowel!

Belters often lower the keys in songs to be able to sing the entire song in the lower register, straining to hit the highest pitches. Connecting with a consistent tone to the upper register is impossible; belting produces a cavernous break above the artificially extended lower register.

Pushing the lower register beyond the primo passaggio inevitably causes a register break or flip a few notes past the first bridge, when the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscles are unable to sustain contraction and suddenly let go.

The sound above the break is a weak and breathy falsetto as the singer’s vocal folds suddenly abduct and the resonance toggles from the powerful F₁/H₂ to F₁/H₁, with fewer strong high harmonics.

The consistently high breath pressure required in belting is dangerous to vocal health. Common issues are edema or swelling of the vocal folds (potentially leading to cysts such as polyps or nodules) and swelling of capillaries on the surface of the folds (potentially leading to vocal fold hemorrhage).

In belt, the TA muscle is at its maximum muscle mass and in full vibration, and the cover of the vocal fold (the epithelium) is stiffer and thus prone to injury.

Singers who over-do belting often usually lose the ability to sing softly and clearly in the upper register. The inability to sing a high, clear sound at soft dynamics is the first sign of vocal trouble!

Many singers assume that tension, vocal fold swelling, and hoarseness are a normal part of professional singing, so they continue with the same incorrect vocal habits until they are forced to quit singing permanently because of vocal damage.

These singers also usually need extensive time off for vocal rest and tend to cancel performances due to a vocal injury. When they return to singing after a period of rest and recovery but continue to use the same vocal technique, they will inevitably encounter the same vocal issues.

Muscle tension, pain, loss of vocal quality, hoarseness, and the inability to sing softly or to sing in the upper register are signs that the vocal production is not healthy and that the singer is heading toward vocal issues.

So, while high belt might sound exciting, the actual cost is high:

• The belt singer has fewer usable notes in the range since they usually have a cavernous break above their highest belted note and an inability to blend into the upper register.
• Belters are more inconsistent in their ability to perform due to the amount of rest and recovery time needed, and risk long-term vocal damage due to excessive breath pressure.

SKILLFUL BELTING

Even with a great deal of TA muscle activation in a heavy belt, it is possible to belt “less bad” if the belt is produced with low subglottal pressure and moderate glottal closure.

Each singer is different in physiognomy, including the size of the vocal folds; some voices simply can take more abuse than others.

Skillful belting, with attention paid to breath pressure, can be performed safely by some singers.

If we want to experiment with belting, (only recommended for advanced singers), we will do our best to raise F₁ as high as possible. So we would keep the tongue low and drop the jaw, widen the mouth, and sing a vowel (like [æ] with a high F₁ frequency.

To develop belt, take an Easy Call HEY! on successively higher pitches through the primo passaggio and beyond.

Adding more twang to the sound will make belting easier. Practice the baby cry and cat meow to add twang and make belting easier.

Always pay attention to the effects of a session of belting.  If you feel hoarse, or lose the ability to sing soft and high, discontinue this path!

To belt or not to belt is often a question of style choice (and what you can get away with). Pop singers tend to bridge into a CT dominant phonation earlier than rock singers do.

This is, of course, a healthier and safer way to sing. Many rock singers and musical theatre belters court danger by taking the TA dominant, thicker vocal fold phonation higher in pitch.

MIXING INSTEAD OF BELTING

While knowing the risk to the singer, many directors in musical theatre will insist that singers belt the high notes. A typical casting notice reads: Must belt to D5, must mix to F5, must sing legit to A5.

With this requirement for working in theatre (and in rock and roll), the contemporary singer must develop a healthy yet sustainable vocal technique that sounds like belting but avoids the vocal abuse that results from forcing the lower register too high.

This technique is known as mix.

With the mixing method, a singer can give the perception of belting while not paying the huge price in vocal abuse that results from the belt. A developed mix will facilitate powerful singing in musical theatre, pop, rock, or any other genre.

A singer who mixes will employ a different strategy from the belter in the area above the primo passaggio. Instead of continuing to resonate the higher harmonics with the first formant as in belt, a mix singer uses a second formant resonance strategy; the second formant now resonates the higher harmonics.

Mix singers allow F₁/H₂ (chest voice-belt) to transition to F₂/H₃ or F₂/H₄ (mix), as the vocal folds lengthen due to the tilting of the thyroid cartilage.

Instead of tracking H₂ as it rises with F₁, mixers track the higher H₃ or H₄ harmonic with F₂, the second formant, avoiding the instability that occurs when harmonic frequencies become higher than nearby formant frequencies.

A belt-like mix tracks the second formant, but with added TA muscle bracing. We want the folds to be as thick as possible (i.e. as much TA muscle activity as possible) while still vibrating freely and lengthening as needed for higher pitch. The presence of vibrato is an indication of free phonation.

Higher closed quotient and firm glottal closure in the mix can produce the perception of belting. Higher closed quotient increases subglottal air pressure; the air then escapes with greater velocity, producing a stronger sound.

Female Belt Vs. Mix Demonstration

In the first demonstration, the singer maintained a short/thick fold (mode 1) phonation. She felt vocal strain and had to use excessive air pressure to reach the higher pitches. In the second demonstration, the singer mixes by allowing the vocal folds to lengthen and thin while maintaining a speech-like vowel in the upper register.

You can hear that she gets just as much resonance in the second example, but with far less wear and tear on the voice. This is mixing!

If we wanted to avoid pulling chest we might round the lips. This lowers F₁. We could also change the vowel we are singing to a more closed vowel (closed vowels made with a higher tongue and have the effect of more release/less strain). We could lower the larynx with a hootier sound, also lowering F₁.

If you would like to learn more about your voice AND learn to sing from home for less than you probably spend for lattes every month, check out our amazing YOU can Sing Like a Star online subscription courses for singers and voice teachers.

You can learn to sing with a self-study method- IF it's the right method.  The ONLY method that can take you from beginner to professional is the  YOU can Sing Like a Star online subscription course with over 600 recorded exercises.

This is the best method available and the ONLY method that takes you all the way from beginner to professional singer- for far less than the cost of in-person voice lessons!

Check this amazing course out at YOU can Sing Like a Star online subscription course.

If you are a voice teacher who wants to up your game, check out the YOU can be a Successful Voice Teacher online subscription course

With over 600 recorded exercises, including Riffs and Runs- Style, you don't need to be a great pianist or vocal stylist to be a great teacher!