Of all the voice qualities, Belt is the one that seems the least understood, and surrounded by the most mystique.
Ironically, Belt is possibly the most natural way of using the voice, as it's what children are doing in the school playground!
Confusion comes from the fact that the term 'to belt' literally means 'to shout or yell'. While there are some similarities between yelling and Belt quality, it's not just shouting! Neither is it 'Chest Voice' pushed higher!
Next time your music director or choir leader asks you to 'belt it out' make sure to find out if they mean 'belt' or 'Belt' - they may not know the difference!
Absolutely! Understanding the precise vocal set-up opens up a whole new world of repertoire. No matter what your previous training, you can learn to Belt, by isolating the correct components of the voice and learning to control them.
A song would rarely be Belted from beginning to end, but in every theatre song there comes a moment when nothing else will do - the audience will accept nothing less! Put simply, if you want to sing in Musical Theatre, you have to know how to Belt!
Physiologically, the defining characteristic of Belt is the tilted Cricoid cartilage. This shortens and thickens the Vocal Folds giving a much longer closed phase, resulting in a larger subglottic pressure. The larynx is raised to shorten the vocal tract. This, combined with a high degree of Anchoring effort and a narrowing of the AryEpilottic Sphincter gives the bright, edgy sound you hear in Musical Theatre.
If the above doesn't make sense to you, don't worry! Estill Voice Training™ is taught via individual Figures for Voice™ that are designed to give you full, independent control over the structures of your voice such as the Cricoid, AES and Anchoring mentioned above. These Figures are then combined to make distinct Voice Qualities such as Belt. Andy would ensure you have mastered each of the Figures before encouraging you to Belt.
Produced properly, Belt poses no risks. But it's a high energy method of singing, so if the perfect conditions are not maintained, it could be harmful for the voice. The same could be said for Opera quality, though, so Belt is no more dangerous than Classical singing.
Whatever style you want to sing in, it's vitally important that you know exactly how to use the voice to its best effect, without causing undue tension and strain. That's why Certified Master Teachers of Estill Voice Training™ spend years understanding how to teach each unique style - and how to change between them.
Andy Follin can show you how to Belt properly - safely, with the minimum of risk.
Book a Singing Lesson with Andy now: enquiries@vocalskills.co.uk