More on Belting

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

So, I used my cricoid muscle extensively on Saturday night. Yes, I was more shoutier than usual. Since my workshop a couple of weeks ago, I have been revisiting some of my repertoire in a beltier way. This is similar to the way I sang about ten years ago, but also much different. Yes, this time was much different. It was interesting to see how the audience reacted. I had one gentleman come and ask me if I had ever sang opera. He said that my voice reminded him of many textures…many subtleties. The audience definitely seemed engaged in a different way…..or maybe it was just me….knowing that I was singing more on the edge….the edge of right and wrong….the edge of freedom.

What has changed? Quite a few things. Knowledge is power. For one thing I made sure the mic stand was a little higher, and the microphone was angled slightly downward so that I could tilt my head back for the belt. (I don’t hold the mic because I am playing keyboard). I would usually do this angle with my head anyway, but now I know why I’m doing it and why the placement of the microphone is so important. I notice that it indeed is necessary to free the voice from constriction. My soft palate was raised as high as it could go. My tongue was well placed and my mouth was big. My body was engaged like at no other time in the song…..yes, that feeling of certainty and strength is a familiar posture that keeps me aligned with the phrases and momentum of the music.

I experienced no hoarseness, no raspiness, no uncertainty. I experienced the maximum energy my body and voice had to give that evening. I experienced an audience who reciprocated with applause and awe. I experienced a sensation of total release and freedom. I experienced the ability to be able to do it again tomorrow.

How to Belt

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I stumbled on this video and it prompted me to write this post. Take a moment and watch this first. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5eKV3AgxJY

Expert Village should be ashamed of themselves for posting this. It certainly has tarnished my impression of anything they post as being “expert”.

First, let me state….I’m no expert! However, I do try to keep up with the latest information about belting.

Let’s first look at what’s wrong with this video instruction:

To simply state that belting is speech-like shouting (as in her demonstration) is not going to help any singer learn how to belt!

Here are my recommendations:
First, every singer who wants to understand and learn to “belt” needs to know where their register shifts are, and what they feel like.
Belting in it’s safest form should be coordinated through a balance of all registers….chest/middle/head. If the note being belted is in the chest voice range, it is safest to have at least a component of middle to head voice resonance in a balanced coordination that is manageable by the singer.

This video is implying that belting is simply shouting. If that were the case, belting would only be harmful to the voice. That is incorrect, belting can be done efficiently without harm. BUT, not by watching this video!!

Singing Isn’t Rocket Science….

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Learning to sing better isn’t rocket science. However, difficulty can arise when a singer wants to sound like someone else.

You know what I mean. Singers may want to sound like Josh Groban, Charlotte Church, Christine Aguilera, Steven Perry, Barbra Streisand….the list goes on. We all have our favourite voices that we try to emulate.

All the above voices are different in genre, style, texture and range. Let’s face it, no two voices are alike. That’s the beauty of being an unique singer! It’s not wrong to try and copy other voices, and in fact, I think it is an integral part of growing and exploring your voice. However, your voice is unique to you, and your instrument will not sound like anyone else’s on the planet.

I suggest you change your thoughts to your preferred style and genre of voice instead of a specific singer.

When looking for a voice teacher, make sure that teacher can sing the same style of music you want to sing. Classical singing technique will typically only teach you how to sing classical and opera music. Good vocal technique to sing Broadway is sometimes hard to find. You need a teacher who understands how to belt correctly (in a strong chest mix without strain) so that the voice can be free to sing notes that are loud and very high.

And guess what? If you can find a teacher who can teach you a strong “safe” Broadway belt, then you have probably found a teacher who can teach you country and pop and jazz too. Rock singing can be a challenge, so if you are a rock singer then be absolutely sure you have a teacher who knows what they are doing! This genre of singing can be extremely dangerous on the vocal cords.

Questions or comments? Leave me a message.

The untrained voice and belt singing

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Susan McAllister-Bee

The definition of (chest) belting according to Seth Riggs is using an excessive amount of air (air blast) and vocal cord tension in an attempt to sing louder.

Over the last 50 years, singers have been using their voices in many new and demanding, interesting and entertaining ways. Whether we like it or not, the untrained voice is creating sounds that many cultures desire and enjoy. Traditional singing techniques consider these sounds wrong. What is a singer to do? Take traditional vocal lessons and never be able to create these sounds? Or train elsewhere and learn how to make these vocal sounds without harm to the vocal cords.

Belting is indeed “a flavour” that the Western world has embraced. This can be a learned technique, but for the most part is self-taught. Good singers who are very “intune” with their body energy and support can acquire a belting voice with much practise and careful attention. An example of this would be Celine Dion and Adam Lambert. Unfortunately, when a singer is not careful about the problems associated with “belting” incorrectly, it can result in hoarseness, vocal nodes, fatigue, and even total loss of the voice.

Singers need to be aware that traditional training is not always the best path to study voice. Musical theatre voices are changing as well. Producers are hiring singers who can belt more now than ever. Again, we may not like these changes, but this is happening. The trained voice is being set-up for failure in the music business.

Having said that, Speech Level Singing does not encourage or teach belting. Belting is a preference in style. SLS sets a singer up with a strong, well-balanced voice, that allows the singer to sing in any style they wish.

I will try and unravel more about vocal styles in upcoming posts.

Why I’m glad I didn’t take traditional singing lessons…

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I grew up singing. I sang at nursery school, I sang at church. I sang at public school in the choir and when I was 13 started a “band” with my sister. I played bass guitar and she played drums. We also had two friends in the band who sang and played guitar. We would perform at church events, community events, and frankly, anywhere we could. My parents were very supportive and it was a huge part of why I am still singing and performing today.

I didn’t take singing lessons as a child, but I did take piano lessons. I can remember the hurdles I had with my voice early on. I can remember the limits I had. Even though I had a “nice voice” it was mostly chest voice. The highest note I could sing comfortably was a C above middle C, and that was pushing it. I struggled with this limitation for years as I went on to play and sing in different dance bands for over 20 years. I got good at belting but I had trouble lasting a gig that was more than three nights in a row. If I had a virus I was doomed. I knew I couldn’t make it through even one night without being hoarse.

I studied classical voice when I was in my 30’s and pregnant with my first child. It was something that I always wanted to do. I practised hard and took the Grade 9 Western Conservatory practical exam after two years of training. After that, I quit. I had learned a lot, and it was some of the most vigorous singing I had ever done. However, I didn’t want to sing classical music. I wanted to sing contemporary music.

The reason I am writing this post is to tell you how glad I am that I never had traditional singing lessons as a child or teenager even though I wanted them. To put it simply is that classical singing lessons would have changed my vocal sound, and I would never have been able to sing popular genres the way I do now. The reason I know this is because I experienced myself what singers with trained voices are experiencing as they try to sing other styles of music. Unfortunately, traditional classical training gets in the way. Popular and contemporary music focuses a lot on music written under the first bridge, through the first bridge and usually climaxing near the second bridge (not over the second bridge). Singers usually approach the second bridge with more chest in the “mix” than head voice. This is the problem. Classically trained singers have trouble disengaging so much head voice in their mix. They are not familiar with their speech level chest voice which is very common in popular music.

The best thing that happened to me is when I stumbled upon Speech Level Singing (SLS). I had been reading and researching it for years, and finally decided to enroll as a student/teacher. (Yes, I still take voice lessons!). SLS was the technique that saved my voice. I can now sing hour after hour, night after night, with consistency, great tone, power and strength. It has been the only technique that made sense to me. I am now able to strengthen my mix daily and stay healthy and ready for regular singing day after day.

My comment to you is this. If you take traditional vocal lessons, you need to realize you may be altering your voice in a way that you don’t really want to. Traditional training approaches the voice from the high end first. You end up with this beautiful head voice tone. However, the chest voice can suffer and leave you wondering why you can’t sing certain songs the way other singers do.

Times are changing and there is no better time to tell singers about these differences than now…..so spread the word!

What does it mean to “Get In the Mix”?

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Susan McAllister-Bee

When we talk, we are using our chest voice. If you put your hand on your chest and talk, you can feel the sound vibrations. The higher in pitch you go (try talking like a whiny baby), you should feel the vibrations leave your chest and resonate in your nose, eye and top of your head area. I get amazed sometimes when I meet people who can’t find their head voice because they’ve never tried to find it before, and they don’t know the feeling or how to get it. Then when they finally do use their head voice, it is usually very airy and weak at first because the vocal cords have never produced these sounds before. Getting to know your “head voice” and exercising it is a good good first step to getting in the mix.

The mixed voice is simply that…a mix of chest voice and head voice. Some singers will have more chest voice in the mix, while others may have more head voice in the mix. You may find these variances in the style of music they are singing. Belt singers like Celion Dion, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Striesand, Adam Lambert, for instance have a strong chest mix that they can produce and carry up through their bridges. Classical singers are most likely to have a stronger head voice in the mix allowing for a more even, balanced sound.

Regardless of your preference of style, exercising the chest, mix and head voice in the proper way is crucial to developing a strong healthy voice.