Do you ever get confused and frustrated by all the conflicting information out there around the idea of healthy belting?
Some voice teachers shun the fact that there is even such a thing as healthy belting and they steer singers away from belting entirely. Others teach a technique that doesn’t address the tensions that inefficient belting creates, and unknowingly lead their singers down a dangerous path towards possible vocal injury.
I recently heard from a member of my virtual voice studio named Donna asking these very questions. She writes:
There is so much information nowadays about singing technique and I am very passionate about it. The thing is, I read a lot of books about vocal technique and met a lot of teachers in order to improve my knowledge (and singing of course) and let’s just say the information gathered was sometimes so confusing and tension friendly. So thank you for sharing your wisdom with everyone! I have a question about those really high belting notes for females (d-d#-e-f): do you have some pieces of advice in order to help one access those notes in a powerful way (with that edge quality)? Is it enough to think about lower support and eliminating tension (mental and physical) in order to sustain those notes in a healthy way? – Best regards, Donna
I’m sharing Donna’s email today because I have a feeling there are others of you wondering the same thing.
Belting is tricky, but it should not hurt and doesn’t have to be scary.
In today’s blog video I answer Donna’s question and do my best to demonstrate the way I find a healthy belt in the higher part of my chest register.
In this video you will learn:
- My “Miley Cyrus” tool (yep, you heard me right, lol)
- How to employ a dumb jaw and a smart tongue
- Why my favorite vowel is “uh”
- The different shapes of rising keys – what that is and why it matters