So what IS belting?

[geekgirl06]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 8:38pm

I know, odd question. And what is the difference between a head voice and a chest voice? I thought I knew the difference but I don't know now...

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 8:43pm

Head voice is that softer, prettier sound. When you're singing in head voice, you're up in your mask. Think Rebecca Luker and Laura Benanti.

Chest voice is a much rougher sound sung from your chest. Think Eden Espinosa or Idina Menzel.

Belting is using your chest voice or mix to reach high notes.

[geekgirl06]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 8:44pm

Thanks.

I must definitely need voice training, though, because I always use my head voice to hit high notes.

[Mythus]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 9:07pm

There's nothing wrong with using your head voice to hit high notes, geekgirl06...if you want to learn to belt, yes, you need lessons. Don't just try belting on your own. But using your head voice is perfectly fine.

[StephenSondheimWHOO]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 9:13pm

Neither one is "better" it just depends on what your singing

[StarStruckGB]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 9:49pm

I had to it a note at my Mrs. Potts audition for example, the was a little too high for me, and I used my head voice, it was a little rougher but the teachers were right in front of me and it sounded sweeter.
Had I been performing it for real, I probably wouldve belted it for power.
It's all in how you want it to sound or the circumstance.

=)

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 9:53pm

Start with the lowest comfortable note you can sing. You should feel the vibration in your chest. This is your chest voice. Starting from that note keep singing higher, note by note until you feel a vibration on the roof of your mouth. This is your head voice. When chest and head voice start and stop for everyone is different.

Many people think belting means just singing loud but it's much more than this. Belting is singing notes you would normally sing in your head voice in your chest voice. This gives the note much more power and resonence.
Updated On: 12/12/06 at 09:53 PM

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 10:21pm

It gives differebt power and resonance, but not neccesarily more. Many trained singers can sing with such intensity and power in a head or mixed voice that they can achieve almost any level of intensity. They can also get a rougher sound. It's all in the technique.

[Taryn2]

Posted: 12/13/06 at 1:08pm

You have to be careful that you're actually singing, not screaming, when you try to belt something. My friend is sixteen and has nodules growing on his vocal cord because of singing improperly.

[dramatothemax]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 2:35pm

Well, singing in your head voice will be naturally healthier. I'm a belter, but I'm a trained belter, and I'm working with a classical voice teacher to make my head voice and my mix stronger. Belting all day everyday 24/7 will mess you up if you're not singing correctly. I definitely recommend getting a vocal TEACHER. NOT vocal coach. A vocal coach will give you a repertoire, not the correct technique!

[nate2]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 3:47pm

I'm deff a belter!! My classical voice teacher always tells me to push out my stomach when I breath to have enough air to hit certain notes. It makes a huge difference between singing from your diaphram and your throat! But one thing I have to work on is my falsetto or head voice. Because singing soft and pretty is harder for me and she is deff working with me on that! But The impossible dream is a song that works all aspects of my chest voice and head voice!

[Sporti2005]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 11:41am

belting ISN'T chest voice. it's easy to call it that, but singing in your chest to reach high notes is how you mess up your voice.

a lot of times voice teachers will refer to belting as using your "calling voice". belting is actually one of the most primitive sounds humans can make. imagine you're yelling to someone across a really big rooom, or you're calling your dog to come home -- the sound gets a little nasal and comes much more forward than if you were singing in your head voice. this is where belting should be. if it's coming from your chest it's dangerous.

with training, a good teacher will show you how to soften the nasal quality of belting that you have to have at first just to learn what you're doing. belting correctly DOES NOT ruin your voice, but singing anything (classical, belting, pop, ET AL) too much and too intensely does.

this link has what the head of circle in the square's MT program has to say about belting. Also check out "belting tips" on the same site, but again, don't try it out without having a good teacher who's exeprienced in teaching kids to belt.


Belting Myths