high ballad belting songs

[PookieBear]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 8:50am

i posted a question like this in the student forum and i didnt find any of the suggested songs perfect.. yet. :)
well i need a belting song for a competition.. i usually like songs which build up to a climax and has that wow factor

i'm 16 years old.. i am a soprano and can belt to an G6# (but i can go to an A6)
i don't want any fast songs.. i usually like slow ones which build up

thanks in advance :)

(ps i've already used the search function to look at other questions like this, but i didn't like any of the songs)

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 3:30pm

"I Am Changing" from Dreamgirls
"Only In New York" from Thoroughly Modern Millie
"These Are My Children" from Fame!
"A New Life" from Jekyll and Hyde

some of those are roles for african-american women. I don't know if that would be an issue in your contest. But all of those are ballads that lead up to a big finish.

[philly03]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 3:33pm

Mine was already taken so..."A New Life" from J&H or "Gold" from Camille Claudel/Linda Eder.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 3:43pm

Doesn't "Someone Like You" do that?

[blondebaby589]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 4:21pm

"I Am Changing" from Dreamgirls is a great pick. Look at "And I Am Telling You" and "One Night Only" both also from Dreamgirls. (fyi, "Only in New York" from Millie doesn't go very high at all.) "Astonishing" from Little Women belts an E (I think...) at the end which is getting up there.

[stupidbeans]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 4:26pm

Gimme Gimme Thoroughly Modern Millie

The Wizard and I Wicked

I Know The Truth Aida

Anything from funny girl

[stupidbeans]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 4:26pm

Gimme Gimme Thoroughly Modern Millie

The Wizard and I Wicked

I Know The Truth Aida

Anything from funny girl

[stupidbeans]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 4:26pm

Gimme Gimme Thoroughly Modern Millie

The Wizard and I Wicked

I Know The Truth Aida

Anything from funny girl

[stupidbeans]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 4:26pm

Gimme Gimme Thoroughly Modern Millie

The Wizard and I Wicked

I Know The Truth Aida

Anything from funny girl

[jake6970]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 4:49pm

I'm Not Afraid of Anything- Songs for a New World

[ashley0139]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 4:52pm

Come to Your Senses - tick, tick... BOOM!

[notyourmomma]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 4:55pm

Um. "The Wizard And I" is not a ballad.

I like the suggestions already given. Or if you want something lesser known, as in, no one has heard it ever, I wrote one called "Finally Free." Holler

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 5:00pm

I think "Meadowlark" goes fairly high, and it's a gorgeous song (IMO).

[JRybka]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 5:00pm

There is an amazing song by Linda Eder called Let Him Fly.. Now that's a Ballad!

[philly03]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 5:11pm

LOL Basically ANY Linda Eder song!

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 5:16pm

Yeah, Meadowlark is a great choice! Eden Espinosa does some ridiculously high belting in her version.
You could basically take any contemporary belting piece and interpolate high notes.

[OrdinaryJukebox]

Posted: 9/3/08 at 10:13pm

Just make sure you can actually belt the notes properly.

I can't tell you how many times I've known girls who pat themselves on the back for having such a strong, high belt; it turns out more like a flat, never quite on pitch scream.

Nothing is more painful than a beautiful song, with some high belting opportunities, ruined.

-Vincent

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/4/08 at 12:59am

If you'd like something with a more "legit belt" try "And This is My Beloved" from Kismet. It's not technically belting, but more like soprano shimmering, and a WONDERFUL song at that!

[Byron Abens]

Posted: 9/4/08 at 3:19am

"Just make sure you can actually belt the notes properly."

The other ones that make me cringe are the ones who think they have this terrific high belt, but you can see the veins throbbing in their necks and that wonderful redness that starts in their neck and then moves up into their faces as they keep forcing this sound out of their bodies. Watching people like that I always think I'm going to see blood start pouring out of their mouths as they burst all the blood vessels in their throat, all the while hearing those nodes forming.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 9/4/08 at 3:22am

Updated On: 5/1/09 at 03:22 AM

[PookieBear]

Posted: 9/4/08 at 5:41am

thanks for the suggestions so far! anymore would be helpful :)

i don't want to sing anything too overdone, like songs from dreamgirls/thoroughly modern millie/wicked etc.
i've already sang astonishing for another competition so i don't want to repeat this haha

and yes i can belt properly.. and no my face doesn't go all red etc.
i choose belting songs cause i like to show the judges what i am capable to do (previously i sang once upon a time from brooklyn in a competition which i won)

i would never belt if i knew i wasn't capable of doing it.. if all this belting i've done was all screaming then i probably wouldn't even have a voice now! haha.
(i hope no one mistakes this for cockyness... :/ just wanted to assure to you guys that yes i can belt)

ps. meadowlark is beautiful!!

x

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 9/4/08 at 9:38am

You should also be careful if you want to sing as a soprano. According to Rebecca Cain, belting a lot causes a loss of color from the top register.

[PookieBear]

Posted: 9/4/08 at 10:15am

i don't always entirely belt them out.. sometimes i use a mix of head and belt so yea :)

i sing and learn classically so my teacher will make sure that the loss of colour won't happen.. i only belt in those big competitions (ie. this haha) so its not occasionally that i do this

[notyourmomma]

Posted: 9/4/08 at 2:17pm

Ordinary Thursday isn't as known, and can be riffed to show off more, such as this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRaSyNsQG4w

[elphaba.scares.me]

Posted: 9/4/08 at 4:34pm

I agree, hard to top "Meadowlark"...but instead of focusing on alternate notes and tricks, sing it as written and work on building it in intensity and volume as the song goes along. It's WAY better to sing the first chorus, for example, in mix or head voice.

But more than that, work on telling the story. The whole story is told to justify the last verse. So think about it backwards...most of the song is almost an aside...the meat of it (and, of course, the real vocal payoff) is the last verse through the end.