One of the most talked-about topics in musical theatre singing is called belting. In recent years, contemporary musical theatre shows have made wide use of belting. As a result of it's recent surge in popularity, the ability to belt has become highly sought after and "belting" has become one of the latest musical theatre buzzwords. But what is belting exactly?
Before you can begin to understand belting you must first understand the concept of chest and head vocal ranges. The head voice is used for the upper singable range, while the chest is used for the lower portion of your range. In most basic terms, belting involves singing notes that are normally in your upper range down in the chest voice. By forcing notes that are normally sung in the head voice back into the chest voice, singers are able to maintain the loud, rich sound normally associated only with these lower notes. This is a technique usually only used by women, but can be used by men as well.
Belting is a style of singing - it is not a vocal range or a style of song. Almost any song can be performed with or without belting. That said, certain songs are definitely written with a certain vocal style in mind. You COULD sing "Everything's Coming Up Roses" in a legit voice, but it really wouldn't sound the way it was meant to. There are many other songs that work well in either style.
Belting does not mean merely "singing loudly".
Belting is more than just singing in the chest voice.
Not all voices are made for belting.
Belting is not a requirement for musical theatre, and yet so many young singers are obsessed with learning how. Trying to force your voice into doing something that it isn't built for is only going to cause damage. If it's not working for you, you need to let it go.
Being able to belt does not make you a "better" singer than someone who can't. It may, however, make you more suitable for a particular role.
Belting with improper technique can cause serious damage to your voice.
Belting doesn't have to hurt your voice, IF it comes naturally to you and IF you are doing it properly (under the training of someone who knows what they are doing.) A well-supported mix is a good alternative to belting, and even though I can belt I do use my mix (which is very strong) often as an alternative (to the point where people think I am belting when I'm really not.)
Belting is extremely overrated, and is somewhat of a fad right now and I do believe it will pass, the same way the operatic soprano fad passed.
We all need to remember that one of the wonderful things about theatre is that it takes all kinds - old, young, thin, overweight, high voice, low voice...... Don't be in such a hurry to do what "everyone else" is doing - just do what you do best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is it easier to belt high notes rather than singing them in the legit head voice?
A: Absolutely not! Your technique must be well developed before you try to belt or you can cause serious damage to your voice. Belting is very difficult to do properly. You should never belt a high note that you cannot sing quietly in the head voice first.
Q: I am 12-18 years old. Can I learn to belt?
A: Remember that a woman's voice does not completely mature until her early 30's, and from 12 to 18 a young woman's voice undergoes a great deal of change and instability. Your voice changes just as an adolescent male does, but it is less noticeable because it does not seem to affect your speaking voice. My personal recommendation is that you do not begin to train for belting until at least the age of 18.
Q: I want to learn to belt! Can you tell me how?
Unless it is something that comes naturally to you, belting is something best left for when your voice has had professionally training. Belting is dangerous because if done incorrectly, it puts an enormous strain on your throat and vocal chords. It requires tremendous strength, control, and talent to be both effective and at the same time not damaging. Do not attempt to belt without the supervision of a certified vocal instructor. This is not something that I can instruct you to do safely without meeting in person.
