BELT Technique in Pop Singing
* Taken from the book, Sullivan, Jan: The Phenomena of the Belt/Pop Voice (Jan Sullivan), 1989 (buy on Amazon.com)
The vocal folds in Belt:
In Belt the vocal folds have full compression, coming together cleanly and staying pressed together for proper closure (speaking in a Belt helps this to happen). In Belt, the folds are held tightly together for a longer period of time than in other types of singing. In classical singing, the vocal folds are held less tightly together with more of the vocal folds being used and not remaining together for as long a period of time as in Belt voice. The classical singing teachers, Giovanni Lamperti states, "The vocal cords must be held together so that no breath escapes except that which becomes tone." Mathilda Marchesi states, "The firmer and more complete the approximation of the lips of the glottis, the more resistance they will offer to the air as it escapes the lungs and the less air it will take to set the vocal cords vibrating." Fiber optic studies of the vocal folds show that in the properly trained Belt singer, the vocal folds ARE held together even tighter and for longer periods of time than in the classical voice.
1. Finding the BELT PLACEMENT
Belt is NOT classical lower chest or upper head voice. To find the Belt placement, one will begin by speaking in the lower chest voice then TAKING OUT THE "WEIGHT AND THICKNESS," thus thinning out the vocal folds. Do not start Belt with a heavy sound. Take all the grandness out of it. Think of a young child's yell. In the low vocalises in the Belt, do not use a great amount of volume. This is a very common mistake and it drives the Belt in the throat and a heavy lower chest placement. Do not deepen the sound as vocalises move higher. Belt is not a deep, round classical sound. It is absolutely impossible to produce a Belt sound while trying to retain what you have been taught as classical voice. But Belt is NOT lower chest voice. If the lower chest voice is mistakenly used and carried up into the high range and is taught as Belt, the vocal instrument will be ruined. Lower chest voice is a classical technique and belongs with that field of singing. Unfortunately, many singers and teachers will carry their lower chest voices up into the treble staff in the female voice to a B, or even a C and then be forced to change to the classical high head voice. When this happens, it is an indication that the voice used is lower chest, not Belt. Any trained belter will be able to Belt up to at least the A above the treble staff if not the high C. Research shows that the working physiology of the vocal mechanism does differ in Belt and classical singing.
2. Feeling the Belt RESONANCE
Belt is produced in the oral resonating cavity of the lifted soft palate and NOT in a nasal voice. This type of "nasal fake belt" can cause weakening of the entire laryngeal structure specifically in the muscles and ligaments which inspan the structure. Note that Belt does indeed sound more nasal or brighter than a lower chest voice, but that does not mean it is nasal. Nasality with head voice as a substitute for Belt (especially in the high range) will only produce a "fake Belt" and weaken the laryngeal instrument. Again the upper head voice as with the lower chest voice is a classical working physiology of the vocal folds. It should not be used to try to produce a Belt sound. To clarify, scientific research shows that Belt has very strong overtones which causes brilliant resonance in the upper acoustical chambers of the oral pharynx: near the hard palate for lower belt and the soft palate for higher belt. But there is NOT resonance in the laryngeal throat area or the nasal cavity. Again, Belt is NOT nasal.
3. Using the breath in Belt: ACCENTED LEGATO AND SPEAKING
There is a phenomena perceived by all experienced belters: the lack of pressure, strain or physical force in the throat. It has not been scientifically explained why this phenomena occurs in experienced well trained belters. Belt can be any dynamic from soft to loud, but does not mean "blast!". If the sound gets louder it will mean more energy in the support breathing mechanism, not more tension in the throat. Belt begins on the air and does not use glottals (the hard attack in which the vocal folds are closed with force before they begin to vibrate as the sound is emitted). Also, when the vocal folds are thrown together without vibrating air passing through them, a rather hard attach is heard and can be felt. This glottal attack is incorrect. In contrast, in proper closure the vocal cords are sucked closed by air passing through them gradually before the cords begin to vibrate. This is an example of the Bernouli effect. This effect is proper and can be taught as a correct principle of support and production. It can be taught to a belter or a classical singer.
To keep the voice in the belt placement, you must use a speaking quality from two breathing techniques: accent of breath and legato (or accented legato). Accented legato is the quality of being smooth and connected, yet each note has a muscular pulse out from the support area of the abdominal and diaphragm breathing muscles.This means the phrase is smooth and connected because the air flows from note to note and the sound must not be broken. Concentrate on sustaining or sliding the sounds until the next word. Yet, each note has a muscular pulse out from the support area of the abdomen and diaphragm as in yelling (accent of breath). Remember that in Belt, vocalises that are staccato are never used. Replace staccato exercises with accented legato and continue to work the abdominal and diaphragm support areas.
You will then use a speech sound produced from this accented legato yell. Think of a young child's yell. In the low vocalises in the Belt, do not use a great amount of volume. This is a very common mistake and it drives the Belt in the throat and a heavy lower chest placement. Do not deepen the sound as vocalises move higher. On the other hand, when the vocalises move up in range, the singer must remember to put more energy in the diaphragmatic area.
4. The FACIAL POSITION of Belt to open the mouth and lower the larynx:
a. The singer's smile: Lift the smile muscles and top teeth to raise the hard and soft pallets...do not frown.
b. The jaw should be in a dropped position
c. Lips forward and loose: Purse the lips. Bite into an imaginary apple and note the automatic flare of the lips forward. Pull in the corners of the mouth to create tension and a rectangle shape of the mouth, showing the teeth.
d. Tongue touches the bottom teeth: The tip of the tongue lies softly touching the bottom teeth and must return swiftly to this position after producing a consonant. The tip of the tongue, and not the jaw, will do most of the consonant work. The beauty of the singing tone is within the vowel. It is the vowels that are sung louder or softer. Wait until the very end of the vowel and then rapidly sing the consonants using the tongue.
5. Belt Vocal Exercises
- A-Ah-A-Ah-A-AH-A (1-3-5-8-5-3-1)
- Start on low G and go to high A (you will feel a transition in your passagio from lower belt voice to higher belt voice).
- A-AH-A-AH-A-AH-A-AH-A (5-3-4-2-3-1-2-8-1)
- Start on C above middle C and go down to middle C. Then go back up to high A.
- Start by sliding up to note using accented legato breath.
