Healthy Belting: Is There Such a Thing?

Written By: Chelsea & Cynthia 

Perhaps one of the greatest myths that so many singers grow up hearing is belting is bad for you.

If that were true, how could so many incredible musical theater singers make decades-long careers out of belting on stage eight times a week?

Granted, belting is a highly demanding style of singing, and there are certain things to avoid if you want to do it well and have a lasting voice. 

Belting is a hot topic, and not only is it a hot topic, but it's an essential part of musical theater and singing in general. Because of this, a lot of singers may have fears or have some outdated beliefs about belting, and it leads singers to feel very confused and potentially, belt in a way that is not healthy for them in the long run.

There's a quote by Jeani Lovetri that we love: “Belting is peculiar. It is the only sound about which the following can be said: “I am a belter, belting out a belt song.” You would never say, “I am a classicaler, classicalizing a classical song.”

This is why we think there's confusion around belting - how are we even using this word? There are so many ways to talk about belting, vocal technique,and what some people might consider to be very basic singing concepts.

So, what IS belting? 

Simplest Definition: Loud, powerful, chest voice dominant style of singing. A belt sound usually kicks in around a singer’s first passage/break (A4 for women and around E4 for men).

And what ISN'T belting? 

Synonymous with chest voice or chest register. You can sing in your chest voice, that lower, spoken quality of your voice both loud and soft, breathy or clear. What makes belting, belting is that it's a loud, brassy, powerful sound.

Without proper education and training for belting, it can be easy to experience these belting red flags: 

1. It Hurts: If you're experiencing a feeling of strain, pulling, or squeeze. Or even a cough, tickle, or scratch. These are symptoms that can eventually cause long term discomfort for your voice and isn't sustainable while performing. 
2. If Your Voice Goes Hoarse: After a few attempts or a few passes through the song, that's a sign that what you're doing is not sustainable. And while stylistically, it may be cool but in our industry, you're going to be expected to do something over and over again, multiple times a week. If you're not able to do that and your voice goes hoarse, that's a red flag. 
3. The Belt Sound Is Inconsistent And Unreliable: This is different than beginning to learn and not being able to do it consistently or reliably at first. But if you're going into a show situation, say you've booked a job and you are being required to do Defying Gravity eight times a week, then you have to put yourself in a position where you've had the right training to deliver consistently.

Now let's get into some belting truths because while those are some red flags, they all come with a caveat and a little bit more context, which can be really helpful.

1. Belting (& Singing In General), Doesn't Feel Like Nothing: Very rarely does any kind of singing feel like nothing. You're blowing air, you're using your posture, your whole body, to be able to sustain and support this sound. So getting rid of that as an expectation as a singer can free you up to try a whole bunch of things. Allow yourself to walk through the muddy swamp of discovery and try to find new sounds. Tension can be both a pro and a con. There will be some places where we don't want tension and there will be other places where maybe a better word than tension is muscle engagement. Figuring out that coordination can take practice, and require guidance - but you can get there! 

2. Belting Requires Less Air Than You Think: Your vocal folds while belting are pressed firmly up against each other, resisting the airflow, as opposed to allowing more air. Thus we are singing with a more firm sound and you don't need to blow or push so much air through.

    People often think they have to prepare the biggest amount of air to make this big, loud sound, and it's almost the opposite and it can be counterintuitive.

3. Belting Comes In Many Forms, Styles, Or Registrations: Perhaps one of the most common ways that we hear belting is described as something like a chest belt, where they're just staying in chest voice, or a mix belt. They're putting a belt style or some belt technique over the top of their "mix voice". And then we get into stylistic and genre things like a pop belt vs. a Broadway belt, vs. an R&B belt, etc

4. There’s No One Right Way To Learn: There are so many ways one can experience belting in their own voice, or that a teacher might guide a student. Every voice is different, and you may need to try a whole bunch of different tools.

   And this is where a great voice teacher comes in. Someone who is trained as a voice teacher, not just a style or a vocal coach who can gonna help you with things like interpretation or learning music, but someone who's really trained in the technique and vocal anatomy. There are a lot of ways into a belt and in our opinion, every single person can learn how to belt. It may come easier for some people than others, but that doesn't mean you can't learn.

When it comes to learning how and perfecting your belt, here are a few guidelines we recommend following: 

• Monitor Your Air Pressure: This is the amount of breath that you are taking in. Learn to recognize the difference between taking a huge breath and then belting, which often can lead to a strain or a squeeze, or a sort of grunting sensation. Versus taking a sip of air or you could even practice blowing some air out before you do your belt.

• Monitor Your Volume: The quality of belting is already pretty loud, so if you are singing everything at a forte, that's another place where you can start to be getting into some strain or exhaustion. Consider if you could dial it back a bit - maybe sing at a 7 instead of a 9.5. 

• Monitor Your Reps: How many times are you doing it? Maintain low air pressure, low volume, and fewer reps, because we are talking about a really athletic style of singing.

We hope you find these tips and tricks helpful as you continue on your journey towards comfortable belting! Give yourself grace and seek out help where needed. Remember: anyone can learn to belt (and that ANYONE includes you!)

Happy Belting!

If you're interested in diving deeper into this interview or exploring other interesting musical theatre conversations - check out the Broadway Vocal Coach podcast! Or check us out on Instagram, and get involved in the conversation! 

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