When we listen to a new Broadway cast recording or a pop/R&B artist, more times than not we hear a loud, speech-like sound at the climax of a song. This “yell”-like sound evokes emotion and passion with a quality that, when achieved successfully, many listeners admire. I would like to introduce you to the belt! If you listen to contemporary styled music (and who doesn’t?), you’ve probably heard of the belt voice quality before. It is an incredibly popular and desired voice quality in Contemporary Commercial Music, or CCM. In fact, in a study by Freeman, Green and Sargent which analysed the audition notices of the 2014 Broadway season, 62% of female leads required belt with another 23% requiring belt/mix (we will talk about mix later, I promise!). And with another 6 years passing since that data was published, it is easy to assume that that percentage may have increased. In the last decade, we have seen a massive growth of the use of belt, and it is a skill that many singers aspire to achieve. While this vocal quality is in high demand, you may be surprised to hear that there is actually a substantial debate about it, with the world’s leading voice experts arguing it’s sustainability!
In the voice world, the term belting is a relatively new quality. However, through it’s yell-like characteristics, we can argue that humans have been “belting” since we could vocalise. Exercises such as calling out, speaking on pitch and using the same tone we use to speak are often leading exercises when learning to belt. But it’s function and whether it is safe is often a debate that can split the voice community in two. One half says that belting is dangerous, an abuse to the voice and just plain wrong! The other half says that it is perfectly safe (when done correctly) and an essential voice quality for the versatile singer. Norman Spivey examines the debate and includes the definitions of belt from voice experts to decipher what exactly is going on. In the “thumbs down” category, we have several prominent classical voice pedagogues establishing that extending the chest voice is harmful. Some of my personal favourite quotes include “It is the practice of driving the chest register beyond its intended tonal range.” (Lokos), “The belt is an abuse to the voice” (Osborne), “To sing in a forceful manner using the chest voice.” (Novak), and “The unhealthy use of strong chest voice in the middle range…” (Young). In the “thumbs up” category, we seem to see a lot more CCM voice specialists than we did in the last section. Some of my favourite quotes from this section include “…a direct primitive expression having its basis in speech…” (Semer), “…an exaggerated use if the speaking voice…” (Miles and Hollien) , “…speech-like (like controlled yelling or shouting), sung with “oomph.”” (Lebon) , and “…the speaking voice quality, carried up above the normal speaking range…” (LoVetri).
Just from the selected quotes above, you can see that there are two distinct thoughts depending on what side of the argument you are on. The “do not do it” group focuses on production and use of “chest voice”, whereas the “yes, do it” group focuses on the “speech-like” productions of the sound. This is a prime example as to why terminology is so important in singing. You see, I think that both groups are trying to say the same thing: that belting is a sound that is produced almost the same as speech, which many people refer to as “chest voice” (there are so many more names for it, and we will get to that later). However, the two teachings and ideas of “chest voice” are different in Bel Canto and CCM styles of singing. In classical singing, “chest voice” is purely that: you are only singing with a pure voice (if we wanted to get technical, this means a pure thyroarytenoid-muscle dominant sound). This means no assistance from the “head voice”. And yes, this can be harmful to the voice as we get higher in our ranges, producing a harmful shout that leaves us feeling fatigued, sore and raspy (we have all experienced this!). So from this perspective, belting is harmful. While this point of view is totally valid, it is important to note that this is not how most CCM practitioners define belting. If we are speaking in Bel Canto language, belting incorporates the head voice mixed in with the chest, to produce a speech-like but balanced sound. While the sound is still chest-dominant, it uses the assistance of head voice for sustainability. While the method of “mixing” can take a while to master, it is safe to use this voice quality once you do. The only risk is that it is considered a high energy vocal technique, and singing this way for a long period of time can be a little tiring.
I think another issue that makes belting undesirable for some singers and teachers comes from it’s yell-like qualities. In singing, we are often told that screaming is bad. When yelling and belting are so similar, it is understandable as to why people try and steer clear from it. There is also a fine line between belting and unhealthy yelling. Because of this, many singers and under trained/misinformed teachers mistake unhealthy yelling for successful belting. This often leads to poor technique and therefore damaged voices. This is why it is so important for accessible and informed singing tuition! I have unfortunately seen the result of mistaken belting and it is heartbreaking. As a singer, it is so essential that you are getting correct information, guidance and feedback to ensure that what you are doing is going to enhance your voice, not deteriorate it (we will be talking about how to find the perfect voice teacher, as well as why you shouldn’t trust YouTube singing tutorials soon!).
So! Is belting healthy or not? Well, that entirely depends on how you are learning and producing it. As long as you are not tiring your voice out and producing quality sounds, you will generally be ok. It is always the best idea to learn belting with an expert teacher. In conclusion, the reason why belting is debated is because there are so many varying types of belts; no one belts the exact same. It is important to go at your own pace in your belting journey and fully understand your voice in the process. Belting is a beautiful artform that must be used in caution.
We will be talking about other aspects of belting in future posts, including how to identify a good belt, useful exercises for belt, and more about what belting is, so make sure you are subscribed to our mailing list.