Now this grieves me deeply to write about this, because I have a long, deep, history in this area. So, before I pretend to be ok with the so-called ‘belt’ technique, I’m going to first be……
Clearing up the Confusion over ‘Belt’
“The vocal technique known as “belting” allows singers to unleash a powerful and intense voice.” -Vocal coaches in NYC and colleges around the country.
We’ve been told a half-truth. And I’m going to ruffle some feathers on the way to clearing up this controversy.
First off, we’ve been told that belting creates a thrilling and captivating performance in which audiences respond well. Yes and no.
Because of the voice’s potential for strong projection and emotional impact, “belting” has quickly become one of the most sought-after skills across several music genres. You could be hitting those high notes of a rock ballad with raw passion or commanding the state with a Broadway favorite, whatever your desire. And, ‘so-called’ belting can add an impressive element to a singer’s repertoire.
But Brett, what is Belt? Is it bad?
Traditionally, most female singers sang in lighter tones referred to as head voice. For example, choir singing, classical singing, songs like “The Phantom of the Opera” are known for pure, ‘legit’ (more on this in my blogs on head voice and mix) head voice. This was the ultimate diva song in the 90’s era.
Historically, the early Black Gospel sounds featured women with unreal high notes that sounded like ‘full voice’ or ‘chest voice’ pulled all the way up into the upper ranges of the voice—replacing the lighter head voice tones with a more aggressive sound.
Many caucasian singers of European tradition came to admire, envy and attempt to emulate these tones. That’s cool, but….
Where we all went wrong…
The confusion of what was thought to be a pulled up chest voice led to a myriad of techniques across many colleges, attempting to force the bottom voice all the way up past the ‘bridge’ or ‘break’ area of the voice. Also referred to as the ‘passaggio’ or ‘passage way’ between chest and head registers.
This break can be ignored, but pushing up the chest voice and keeping the tone in the roof of the mouth and ignoring the ‘bridge’ or passaggio’, won’t make it go away. Instead, you’ll bust up your head voice and end up yelling where you should be blending head and chest to make a safer connection using the…. wait for it (drum roll)……….
Mixed voice!!!!
For years, I’ve shouted from the roof tops, that you don’t need to spread your vowels wider and broader in order sing with power. Instead, you learn to blend registers and build a strong mixed voice and give the impression (like Aretha Franklin first made popular) that you’re singing in a heavier sound because…
2 REGISTERS COMBINED ARE ULTIMATELY MORE POWERFUL AND EFFORTLESS THAN YELLED CHEST VOICE!
Was that emphatic enough? I hope so. I’ve done vocal therapy with many people who did this ‘type’ of belting and developed scarring on their vocal cords leading to nodules, cysts and polyps. This is a devastating effect for singers…. and I almost went down this road with my first teacher, until I met the legendary Seth Riggs, who cleared this up for me in our very FIRST lesson!!
Since then, I’ve come to see that there are methods out there that employ a type of mix that sounds ‘belty’, so let’s create new terminology to respect this type of mix.
We’ll call it “MIX-BELT”. Or, as I’ve taught for over 35 years and authored in my Mastering Mix program, we could call it hard mix, chest mix, or heavy mix. But there’s definitely a delineation between this and pulled up chest voice. This is exemplified brilliantly by my associate, colleague and Master Vocal coach, Chanelle Guyton in the video below!
Unleashing the Power of the Chest Voice in Mix-Belt Songs
Belting (still controversially defined) is characterized by the strong, projected singing that comes from a performer’s chest voice. Belting (again…more properly, chest-mix) has become a standard of musical theater (auditioning proves this), pop, gospel, R&B, and many other singing genres. But in Los Angeles, and among the 10’s of 1,000’s of singers that have purchased my best-selling Singing Success program and my multiple other vocal courses, the term “mixed voice” truly incorporates vastly more colorful, diverse, and safely produced tones.
The mixed voice is the most commercially viable and is used and understood by classical singers as well. Although, the emphasis in classical singing leans more towards head voice and uses the freedom and quality that head voice provides.
More importantly, is the middle or ‘forgotten’ coordination or resonator that blends these voices. The valuable PHARYNGEAL voice. This is a brassy—even sometimes whiny—sound that I’ve spoken of throughout my blogs, videos and virtually all of my singing courses.
The pulled-up chest-belt technique is not the same as classical singing techniques that produce similarly powerful sounds. Singers who are going after a pop singing career, specifically train their singing voices to mix-belt. This approach may contradict some other methods you’ve learned about, especially if you’re classically trained.
Also, my approach to ‘so-called’ belt is far less risky and injurious.
To thrive as a mix-belter, approach your singing with the following strategies in mind.
- Allow your mouth to open naturally: Let your jaw relax downward and attempt to stay ‘speech like” as you allow projection to NOT be cluttered by excess jaw tension. One way you’ll know if you’re in a safe ‘mix-belt’ is that your mouth won’t be stretched harder and tighter for each note higher. This isn’t super easy, so having a coach can help you diagnose and correct wrong tension.
- Learn how to mix your chest voice and head voice. Your airflow may be controlled by the diaphragm, but the actual tone originates from the vocal folds, which are housed behind your Adam’s Apple in your larynx. Singers who want to be successful, learn to use a mixed voice that emanates from not only their chest, but pharyngeal and head as well. It’s crucial that you learn how to balance these three resonances to maximize power. One sure definition of mix is to make a slight cry in your tone. This will keep you from yelling your notes.
- Stand straight/tall and keep your muscles relaxed. The best posture for belting is standing straight upright. The spine should be tall (not straight, because you have to stand with natural curvature) with the shoulders slightly back. Remember that even though your posture is correct, you need to keep your muscles relaxed—not rigid—to avoid tension. Allow your body to relax into the stance and STAY LOOSE.
- Accentuate your consonants. Classical singing emphasizes vowel sounds, while singing commercially tends to bring in greater articulation. In my articulation tour in my Singing Success 360 course, I go through several styles of articulation, and point out that the duration of consonants is emphasized in various forms of commercial singing.
Never Enough: Analyzing a Mix-Belt Masterclass
In the video below, you hear a live version of the crown jewel of “The Greatest Showman” featuring Loren Allred. Her Mixed voice is right on the verge of too much, but she wisely pulls back enough on the last note, in order to finish on an even higher note than the original.
This is stunning and exciting. Admittedly and ironically, she’s walking a tight-rope between a tone that feels like ‘never enough’ and ‘ok, that’s enough’. This takes tremendous skill, experience and confidence. My gifted coaches and I have coached countless singers to sing this song, so we’ve learned two things equally: It’s extremely difficult. It’s also extremely possible!
Mastering Mix-Belting Techniques
Mastering Mix technique doesn’t happen overnight. Singers must spend time and energy focusing on finding the elusive blend of registers, while maintaining a relaxed breath support, by understanding how to engage the diaphragm (subconsciously… like a crying infant, who automatically engages diaphragmatic pressure, without any thought) and how to allow a forward projection of tone, rather than a swallowed or throaty tone. Singers can achieve a resonant that will fill the room with power.
It’s important to explore the use of different vocal registers while you’re learning the chest-mix/mix-belt, or light mix, as I’ll explain below. An example would be to utilize the full power of the chest voice for lower notes and transition into a mix for higher notes, which will allow the singer a balanced and controlled mix-belt technique.
Vocal exercises that help with vocal cord flexibility to achieve vocal range, and overall agility are going to be paramount as you learn. Practicing sustained vowel exercises, lip trills, and dynamic variations in volume and intensity, will help the singer find stamina, balance, strength, and control within their power.
Selecting and Performing, Mix-Belt, Mix and Light Mix Songs
When picking belting songs to help you grow, it is critical to consider which genres and styles naturally align with this particular vocal technique. Rock, pop, and musical theater are perhaps the three that feature the most songs that lend themselves well to belting.
In the below list, we’ll explore all the pitfalls of a lack of understanding of different voice types and qualities of mix and sometimes pure belt.
*To be sure, some singers will only belt up to their first bridge, which isn’t entirely harmful, but can be limiting if you show preference to the hard palate—roof of the mouth—as a resonator!
When considering a song for performance, take a moment to analyze it and find valuable insight into the song’s characteristics and vocal demands.
That being said, here are thirty-five great songs that are perfect for practicing and excelling at mix-belting:
Contemporary- (all of these singers use various pharyngeal sounds)
- “Firework” by Katy Perry. This is great, because you can still hear some mix early as she carefully opens up on top. But she doesn’t pull chest voice up too high. The high notes audibly appear to be about 70% chest and 30% head. But this is TOTALLY subjective
- “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande. Ariana has a very balanced mix and has developed a pharyngeal quality that somehow isn’t overly nasal. She audibly sounds like a 50/50 blend. Very safe, consistent and balanced.
- “Love On Top” by Beyoncé. A large surprise about Beyonce (My good friend Tom McKinney coached her for a while) is that she sings full but light. It’s all light mix. Even head voice dominant through her range and her chest voice is very light. As a lyric soprano, she glides easier than most singers. Audibly sounds like 65% head and 35% chest.
- “Skyscraper” by Demi Lovato. This is about as heavy as the voice can take. Demi has tons of mix, but she overloads it towards pure belt and that’s why there’s some uncontrolled distortion. This might be her own personal choice, but singers who do this excessively (possibly 80% chest and 20%…again, EXTREMELY subjective, so don’t shoot the messenger)
- “Hello” by Adele. When Adele sings “heard it from the OTHER side”, her voice gets unusually huge. In my estimation (don’t hate me Adele… I adore you), she’s pulling up chest voice as heavy as her voice will allow. The Bb is in the middle of her bridge, where she should be mixing head and chest voice. Hence the need to flip into falsetto. Her voice is extraordinarily strong. So I don’t recommend that singers try to sing as big as her. You’ll blow your voice out.
- “Hurt” by Christina Aguilera. Christina is another singer who sings too heavy for the average singer. But…..in my estimation….she’s singing is a mixed voice. A deep belt-mix that sounds like 75% chest voice and 25% head voice. She also uses a fair amount of nasal/brassy/pharyngeal sounds. The brassy quality prevents her from yelling straight chest and allows her to get through her bridges (passage or break area…depending on how you approach it). Singers should not try to sing as big without a qualified vocal coach’s guidance.
- “Vanishing” by Mariah Carey. This the heaviest belt-mix song of Mariah’s. She is still very balanced in her approach. If the early days of her career, there was no one better.
- “Because of You” by Kelly Clarkson
- “Dear No One” – Tori Kelly
- “Anyone” by Demi Lovato
- “Shake It Out” by Florence + the Machine
- “Unwritten” by Natasha Beddingfield
- “I Have Nothing” and “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston
- The Master of Mixed “Wendy Moten”. Every song sounds like she’s floating into the top and yet the sound is powerful. Never strained, but mixed so effortlessly, that she’s become a paradigm for perfect power without risking your vocal health. You can check out Wendy on all platforms. Also, I’m thrilled to say she sang on two songs off of my “Love Justice” record.
Broadway
- “I’m the Greatest Star” from Funny Girl
- “On My Own” from Les Miserables
- “The Ladies Who Lunch” from Company
- “Bless The Lord” from Godspell
- “Superboy and the Invisible Girl” from Next to Normal
- “Gimme Gimme” from Thoroughly Modern Millie
- “Winter on the Wind” from The Secret Garden
- “Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors (Great audition song)
- “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls
- “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret
Broadway Duets
- “When You’re Home” from In The Heights
- “I Will Never Leave You” from Side Show
- “Take Me Or Leave Me” from RENT
- “Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors
Retro
- “Think” by Aretha Franklin
- “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
- “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross
- “How Will I Know” by Whitney Houston
- “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion
- “To Zion” by Lauryn Hill
- “Jolene” by Dolly Parton
Vocal Health and Safety in Belting
Good vocal health should be at the top of every singer’s priority list. Belting (chest mix) techniques, when practiced incorrectly, can lead to damage. It’s absolutely important to incorporate a thorough vocal warm-up routine that includes exercises to gently stretch and mobilize the vocal folds.
Additionally, cooldown exercises should be in your routine to help soothe and relax your voice after a workout.
New singers don’t always understand the importance of hydration, but it is among the most important things for keeping the vocal cords lubricated and preventing vocal strain. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water with electrolytes, and keeping your muscles relaxed. Also, warm up your body to help prevent strain. That’s right. A couple dozen jumping jacks before singing will get your muscles working together and do wonders for your routine!
Be quick to recognize the signs of vocal fatigue, hoarseness and discomfort when singing, and that these are some of the biggest red flags. If you’re feeling strained, it is important to take a break to avoid overexertion, or worse, damage.
It’s always a good idea to seek professional guidance from a vocal coach or teacher who specializes in belting. The insight they can provide into proper technique and training is invaluable for ensuring the longevity and health of your voice.
Expressive Interpretation in Belting Songs
Belting songs provide a unique platform for singers to deliver some of the most emotionally charged and dramatic performances. For the sake of authenticity and connection to the song and audience, every singer should do a deep dive into the lyrics and story of whatever song he or she plans to sing. By understanding the emotional journey involved in the message of the song, performers can more accurately portray their own emotions.
Effective use of dynamics, such as building to intense climaxes or pulling back to create intimate moments, adds depth and proof of a true understanding of the interpretation. Phrasing and vocal nuances allow singers to highlight the emotional peaks and valleys of a song. The key is to create a connection with the audience, and what better way to do that than with real, emotional honesty!?!
Belting Beyond Boundaries
Though there are genres that highlight belting, this technique is not limited to any genre or style. It is versatile and encourages singers to explore and excel in various genres. From the high-energy dynamics of rock and pop, down to the soulful expression of R&B, belting has a place.
Contemporary songs and non-traditional pieces are excellent at providing ample opportunities for singers to showcase their belting chops. Take artists like Adele and Freddie Mercury, for example, have already demonstrated the power and impact that belting can have (though loud excesses that have caused issues) inside their respective genres.
Every singer has the opportunity to push the boundaries of belting and tap into new realms of artistic expression that will create memorable performances that capture audiences across diverse musical communities.
Conclusion
Belting/heavy mix in a song has the remarkable ability to leave lasting impressions on both the performer and the audience. Raw power and emotional intensity covey an experience unlike anything else. It’s no wonder audiences respond so well to music with belting passages.
As singers, if we choose to pursue this path, it is our responsibility to embrace and develop our mix/ belting skills with proper technique, training and vocal care. By doing this, we can reach the true and full potential of our voices and put forth performances that resonate deeply with our listeners.
Whether we choose to cultivate the technique of belting or not, let us celebrate the artistry of it and continue to explore its expressive possibilities that allow singers and listeners alike to experience music on a new and profound level.
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