Jeannie Gagn\u00e9 has trained thousands of vocalists to sing with healthy technique and deep expression. In her book Belting<\/a><\/em> (Berklee Press, 2015), she takes on one of the more controversial singing techniques, which has been responsible for injuring many a singer. But through detailed discussions of anatomy, technique, and many targeted vocal exercises\u2014all illustrated with videos, plus some helpful audio backing tracks\u2014she reveals how this expressive style of singing can be done without causing pain or injury. Here\u2019s my interview with Jeannie about Belting<\/em>. She is also the author of Your Singing Voice<\/a><\/em> (Berklee Press, 2012), which is an excellent, more general book about vocal technique, expression, and health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeannie:<\/strong> There are many!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take Jeannie Gagn\u00e9’s course: <\/a>Popular Singing Styles: Developing Your Sound<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply stated, belting is loud, high singing. What is regular singing? There is not one setting, one dynamic for \u201cregular.\u201d The voice moves and pivots all day long through different registers and positions, whether singing or speaking. Nor is there but one way to produce a belt sound, which is a common false belief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shouting is very forced and can hurt the voice. Many singers belt in a shout fashion. High belted notes can in fact be relatively easy to do using a bright \u201ctwang\u201d sound, though a good deal of athletic energy is always required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pushing up \u201cchest voice\u201d way too far, constricting the throat, straining the voice, singing in the wrong key, pushing for too much volume, taking in huge gasps of air, visualizing the top notes as high that must be reached for. They\u2019re not high! They are faster, shorter frequencies, and the voice is more taut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone can make a belted sound, though the volume and quality will differ widely depending on a person\u2019s vocal anatomy, experience, and even personality. Those who are naturally loud speakers take to belting more easily than those who are soft spoken. Smaller voices, and higher pitched women\u2019s voices, may have more of a challenge learning how to belt. Not everyone\u2019s musical style should embrace belting. It is definitely not for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If after you have sung your voice is very tired, or hoarse, or your throat is sore, you have been potentially hurting your voice. If speaking is at all impaired after you sing, that is straining that could lead to injury. Another measurement is how long you can sing without issue. 20 minutes? 1 hour? 3 hours? It should be at least 1-2 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soft, clean tones. I have illustrated these in both of my books. It may seem contradictory, but warming up and vocalizing on a sustained, clean and soft sound\u2014not a breathy one\u2014is the best way to prepare for belting. This method brings the vocal folds together in a healthy vibration pattern without abrasion, which provides the perfect environment for a stronger use of the voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Compare singing to speaking. When we converse, our voices go from loud to soft, from fast to slow, even within a single sentence. Singing is expressing words on a melody, really an artistic form of speech. The melody will tell you when to stress an emotional point, or to lay back. Think about the lyrics! Belting should NOT be used throughout an entire song, except occasionally for a very dramatic song (such as \u201cNew York, New York,\u201d and even then there are softer passages). Again, since belting is high and loud singing, if the melody passage is low, you aren\u2019t belting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Belting is also very dramatic. Sometimes you don\u2019t want so much drama! Don\u2019t over spice your dish. Finally, sometimes the volume of the band you\u2019re working with, combined with the sound in the venue, can encourage a singer to push the voice too hard to be heard. We sound VERY different alone in a room than in a hall through a PA system. It is important to get used to the sound of your voice through a microphone, so it doesn\u2019t throw you off, or cause you to strain your voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Practice. Listen. WARM UP before you get into heavier singing, at least for a half hour! Use your entire body. Be aware of your feet, ground your instrument through your legs. Use breath. Singing is athletic, especially belting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exercise: run, swim, go to the gym, ride a bike, lift weights, whatever. This teaches your lungs to exercise, too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a great question! There is always controversy around belting, with many teachers refusing to deal with it in the lesson, and others insist it is harmful to the voice and ugly-sounding to boot. Then, other teachers press students into belting to get a contemporary, powerful sound, but focus more on style and coaching rather than on technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the case of writing the book, I was adamant that it contained medical fact, and that I consulted on the vocal anatomy with an expert at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. You can\u2019t argue with the facts. I was very careful to explain in the book exactly what happens when we sing, whether it\u2019s belting or not. It is important to dispel the many false myths that are floating around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, I insisted with the publisher that the book come with video examples, as well as audio tracks to practice with. In this way, the four young singers and I in the videos demonstrate a great deal, even though we\u2019re not in the room with the aspiring belter. It\u2019s always ideal to work with a teacher who understands the truths about belting\u2014and all kinds of singing, for that matter\u2014but when that\u2019s not possible, turn to a well-researched, reliable, and seasoned expert who knows what she\u2019s talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesse J is a great belter. She is confident, relaxed, yet very animated and gets that sweet spot of twang in her oropharynx (back of the throat) that is just right to produce a loud sound. She does work hard\u2014but she is not straining much at all. \u201cPrice Tag\u201d is a song that is strong vocally, but most of it is not in a belted voice. This is part of her success: she belts, and doesn\u2019t belt, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJonathan: Are there any famous singers who you want to shake by the lapels and train how to change their technique so that they don\u2019t hurt themselves? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How does belting differ from regular singing? From shouting? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What mistakes do you commonly see vocalists make when trying to belt?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Can everyone belt? If not, how do you know if your voice would be well suited to belting?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How do you know if you are causing injury to your voice?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What would you say is the most important and productive vocal exercise?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When you are developing an interpretation of a song, how do you see the role of belting? Is it commonly used throughout, or only for specific lines? Is there a way that you determine what parts of a song are well suited to being belted? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What advice do you give to singers, belters or others, that often leads them to find exponential improvement? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There was some controversy about whether or not we should publish this book, regarding some vocal teachers feeling that anyone who wants to belt really must study with a private instructor so as not to injure themselves. How did you finally win them over? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Could you point us to a really great, classic recording or two on YouTube of someone belting? Tell us what is so great about it. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n