bad belting- Page 2
bad belting
#25re: bad belting
Posted: 1/9/06 at 10:47am
As a classicaly trained singer who sings along to Broadway recordings in the car and in the shower, I'd like to put my two cents in.
I tend to think of belting and using your chest voice as two different things...belting being more of a stylistical way of discering the use of the head voice (what you'd think of as legit singing) and your chest voice. Then there's the mix, which I think of (for my own use and technique) as your head voice with the placement you use for your chest voice. I use my chest voice all the time when I'm singing classical repertoire, but I wouldn't call it belting. Neither would I belt every song in Rent...depending on the range and the context, I would use every part of my voice. Now, every singer is different, and while technique may overlap, we all use different words to describe what's happening when we use different parts of our voice. That's my own take on the subject.
Knowing your own voice and its capabilities is the way that we can prevent bad belting from becoming a worldwide epidemic. As OddExoticCreature was saying, don't try to be someone else vocally...don't try to sing exactly like Idina Menzel, Sutton Foster, and every other star out there. Learn from them, appreciate them, but trying to sound exactly like them is a waste of time, and you're not being true to yourself and your capabilities as an artist. For example, I can't belt an F, so I learned how to use my mix to get the sound that I want when I sing "The Story Goes On" (again, in the privacy of my car and my shower...but it's still a good lesson in how to use the voice you have, not the voice that you want after listening to Liz Callaway sing it...and who knows, it may come in handy someday...).
That being said, as I step off my soapbox, I hope I don't come off as a snot, I just wanted to write my take on the subject, hoping it would make sense to someone out there.
parker russel
Stand-by Joined: 10/11/04
#26re: bad belting
Posted: 1/9/06 at 10:52am
I completely agree with oddexoticcreature...stop worrying about what all these other people sound like. Bernadette Peters didn't make it because she sounded like Julie Andrews and Idina Menzel didn't make it because she sounded like Audra McDonald. You gotta find what works best for you. The more versatility you can find in your voice the better. If all you can do is belt the particular song you're singing it might loose a lot of color and character. You wouldn't want to belt all of "Tonight" from West Side Story and you wouldn't want to sing "Cabaret" all legit.
Basically, in a very loose terms...belting is your chest voice...an extension of your speaking voice. It normally is what people refer to as that big broadway sound. Think Merman, Liza, Ellen Greene, bernadette. Head voice is the more "classic sound" like an opera singer or when Audra sings all high and pretty :). You can also mix them to get some exciting sounds...like Patti LuPone or Idina.
The best thing to do is to learn how to breath really well and to be able to create different sounds in very healthy ways. As long as you're breathing properly a lot of the rest will naturally fall into place. Belting can sound pretty and so can head voice...just know how to make them both sound pretty. Both should have nice round sounds. Both sound sound open and like air is comign out. Both shouldn't sound like straining to hit a note. Just sing naturally, comfortably, and with good breath suppport and you'll be fine.
#27re: bad belting
Posted: 1/9/06 at 12:43pmHaha like someone posted earlier, when I saw this topic, I honestly thought it was about Idina too.
wickedkiwi
Stand-by Joined: 8/5/04
#28re: bad belting
Posted: 1/9/06 at 3:30pm
ok, it all makes sense, and no, no one is sounding snotty at all! this is all really great advice.
i guess it is time for me to step away from imitations and try to find my own voice. it's probably going to be quite scary but i'll try it nonetheless.
thanks so much everyone!
Tenme por lo que soy, por lo que puedo ser, y si te importo hoy, tenme nena, o vete!
Isabella2
Broadway Star Joined: 10/6/05
#29re: bad belting
Posted: 1/9/06 at 9:08pmto answer wickedkiwi's question, maria callas is in fact revered in the opera world for singing, but personally i don't don't find her voice appealing in any way. I listened to many of her tracks and didn't understand why i couldn't appreciate her voice when everyone else could, so, I asked my teacher to explain why maria callas is such a big deal. He said that it's not just er voice but also the fact that she is a wonderful performer and has an extreme versatility that allows her to play every operetic role. I've actually never seen her perform, but what i've heard of her does not sound pretty. I've become known in my family to describe both maria callas and sarah brightman as having "yams in their throats."
Isabella2
Broadway Star Joined: 10/6/05
#30re: bad belting
Posted: 1/9/06 at 9:10pmalso i don't understand the big deal with charlotte curch either, I'm not sure what she sounds like now, knowing she was just a flash in the pan, but i heard her and i thought she was terrible. VEry bad quality in her voice that is not enjoyable. She pretty much as bad with andrea bocelli. don't get me started with him.
#31re: bad belting
Posted: 1/9/06 at 9:28pmCan someone explain headvoice and mix in a male. Does headvoice exist in a male, or is falsetto a completely different thing. Can a man mix? Do most men simply use chest voice most of the time, and then switch when its just high, or for stylistic reasons? Sorry to threadjack.
phantom_tenor
Leading Actor Joined: 1/11/05
#32re: bad belting
Posted: 1/9/06 at 9:51pm
Isabella2, please don't tell me you just seriously compared Callas to Sarah Brightman?!
Callas was an amazing performer. She had an incredible voice, although with an admittedly less-than-perfect technique. It was a voice that was able to capture every emotion, every subtle nuance in the text perfectly, with heartbreaking beauty. She was incredibly versatile, and although she developed a bit of a wobble in her later career, she got away with it because of her astounding interpretive ability. The woman could sing a perfect high E flat (Aida). In her younger years, her voice was unquestionably gorgeous.
It is a crime to compare this legendary artist to Sarah Brightman, who has more of a squeak than a voice and the acting ability of Madonna.
#33re: bad belting
Posted: 1/9/06 at 11:53pm
I don't know. I think sometimes emulating what someone else is doing can be quite helpful. It's how I learned to sing. From the time I was about 16 I tried to really listen to Audra's voice. I was too afraid to sing in front of anyone and thus, not brave enough for voice lessons.
I obviously don't sound like Audra but just deconstructing her technique I learned SO much.
I think as long as you pick someone who is known as having a healthy voice and that is similar in range and style to yours, you can learn a lot.
"This ocean runs more dark and deep than you may think you know...I'll be the fear of the fire at sea."
-Marie Christine
Isabella2
Broadway Star Joined: 10/6/05
#34re: bad belting
Posted: 1/10/06 at 2:57pmactually in a way i think sarah brightman sounds a lot like maria callas, but that's just me. like i said, i've never seen callas act only heard her sing. and i didn't like what i heard.
phantom_tenor
Leading Actor Joined: 1/11/05
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