Belting Hand Out
Belting Hand Out
PHYSIOLOGY
REVIEW
- Cartilage
o Cricoid
cartilage:
sits
on
top
of
the
upper
most
ring
of
the
trachea
o Thyroid
cartilage:
two
plates
fused
together
to
form
a
V
(apex
is
Adams
apple).
Lower
end
is
attached
to
the
cricoid,
allowing
a
rocking
motion
back-and-forth.
o Arytenoid
cartilage:
triangular
pyramids
mounted
on
upper
edge
of
back
of
cricoid
cartilage
- Muscles
move
the
cartilage
o Intrinsic
muscles:
both
muscle
attachments
within
larynx
o Thyro-arytenoid:
origin
in
thyroid,
inserts
in
arytenoid
(Vocalis
forms
main
mass
of
the
vocal
folds)
o Crico-thyroid:
fan-shaped
muscle
acts
as
vocal
fold
stretcher;
helps
elongate
the
folds
by
increasing
the
distance
between
the
arytenoid
and
thyroid
cartilages.
WHY
AND
HOW
DID
IT
DEVELOP?
- Early
theater
styles
(Viennese
operetta,
opera
buffe,
Vaudeville)
o Lighter
style
-
more
classical,
lighter
orchestration
o Less
dramatic
music
(more
like
a
modern
review
than
a
plot-oriented
play)
- African-American
folk
music
o Relationship
between
singing
and
speech
singers
go
back
and
forth
between
the
two,
making
it
hard
to
tell,
at
times,
when
doing
one
or
the
other
o Performances
often
take
place
outdoors
projection
demands
of
shout
quality,
especially
in
middle
&
lower
voices
o Shout
quality
furthered
by
later
popular
genres
(blues,
R&B,
rock
&
roll)
o Electronics
used
for
instruments
further
the
demands
on
the
singers
- Musical
theater
becomes
more
dramatic
in
the
1940s
o Music
advances
plot
o More
vocal
&
dramatic
demands
on
the
singer
o Orchestrations
influenced
by
jazz,
includes
more
brass
&
woodwinds
DEFINITIONS
- While
there
are
differences
in
approach
to
teaching
classical
voice,
most
agree
on
the
fundamental
concepts
and
the
physiological
aspects;
however,
this
is
not
the
case
with
non-
classical
styles.
(Ragsdale,
5)
- Many
different
definitions
exist.
o LoVetri
(2003):
Belting
is
just
a
label
given
to
a
certain
aspect
of
chest
register
function.
This
definition
is
supported
by
decades
of
use
in
the
theatrical
community
to
characterize
a
specific
type
of
singing
and
singer
who
could
be
heard
at
the
back
of
a
house
long
before
there
was
electronic
amplification.
Chest
register
in
an
opera
singer
behaves
entirely
differently
than
chest
register
in
a
pop
singer.
o Lebon
(1999):
Belting
might
be:
vocal
production
that
proceeds
out
of
the
speaking
range,
with
the
prosody
of
speech,
and
that
promotes
a
sense
of
spontaneity
and
aggressiveness.
o Edwin
(1998):
One
of
the
major
problems
in
defining
belting
covers
an
enormous
amount
of
vocal
territory,
far
more
than
its
counter
term
legitimate,
or
legit
in
Broadway
shorthand.
o Susan
Boardman:
It
(belting)
is
definitely
not
chest
voice
pulled
up,
but
it
is
indeed
another
whole
mode
of
using
the
voice.
Ragsdale
synthesizes
common
belt
descriptors
among
classical
and
non-classical
voice
teachers:
o lots
of
ring,
brassiness,
twangy,
loud,
bright
Belting
does
not
seem
to
function
differently
than
chest
voice.
o David
Alt
uses
light
mechanism
and
heavy
mechanism
instead
of
head
voice
and
chest
voice.
o Ragsdale:
Perhaps
these
latter
terms
need
to
be
abandoned
because
they
are
associated
with
their
use
in
classical
singing
which
seems
to
be
a
different
function
than
from
belting.
Bright
sound
is
created
via
a
tuning
of
the
resonator
to
support
maximum
brightness.
(David
Alt)
o Small
vocal
tract
promotes
a
brighter
sound
o Tongue
tends
to
be
higher
in
the
mouth
WHO
BELTS?
- Some
believe
that
belting
for
men
and
women
is
the
same,
but
considerable
disagreements
continue
about
whether
or
not
men
belt.
o David
Alt:
men
do
belt
but
its
a
non-issue
because
it
so
closely
resembles
normal
singing.
o Vowel
modification
theory:
General
descriptors:
less
depth,
shallower,
more
forward,
more
spread
Neil
Semer:
A
lot
of
men
singing
in
that
style
will
keep
a
wider
positioning
of
the
vowels
and
call
that
belting.
I
would
simply
call
that
spread
vowels.
o Speech-like
theory:
Edwin:
My
experience
has
been
that
if
you
take
a
classical
singer,
usually
with
a
belt
sound
they
can
sing
approximately
a
minor
third
higher.
So,
for
example,
if
you
have
a
baritone
that
goes
to
G
with
their
classical
voice,
they
often
san
sing
an
A
or
even
a
Bb
with
that
pop
sound
quality
because
its
so
much
less
weight
on
the
vocal
folds
because
theyre
producing
a
much
more
narrow
sound,
a
much
more
speech-like
sound.
Soft
palate
is
high
with
speech
level
larynx
o Issue
of
registers:
Ragsdale:
Women
have
to
access
the
head
voice,
creating
a
mix,
earlier
than
men
since
men
sing
in
a
more
natural
speaking
or
chest
register
for
a
greater
distance
of
their
range.
Some
believe
an
open
or
spread
production
is
not
healthy
in
the
male
voice
through
the
passaggio
and
above.
VOCAL
HEALTH
A
difference
of
opinion
continues
on
whether
one
can
or
cannot
belt
healthily.
- CANNOT:
o
If
you
are
belting,
you
are
not
singing
safely;
if
you
are
singing
safely,
you
are
not
belting.
(Elizabeth
Howell)
Creates
pressed
phonation
Taking
the
chest
voice
up
too
high
Too
much
subglottal
pressure
Improper
support
Tension
in
extrinsic
muscles
Tension
in
the
tongue
o Abusive
rehearsal
and
performance
schedules
for
belters
creates
an
inability
to
stay
vocally
healthy,
especially
singing
in
such
an
athletic
manner.
- CAN:
o Studies
suggest
that
those
who
belt
and
have
healthy
voices
have
more
similarities
to
classical
singing
with
regard
to
technique.
o just
like
classical
singing,
which
can
be
done
unhealthily,
perhaps
belting
can
also
be
done
unhealthily.
(Ragsdale,
10)
o Singers
need
to
be
aware
of
the
difference
between
pressed
phonation
and
flow
phonation
musculature
needs
to
be
relaxed
rather
than
tensed
(Joan
Lader)
o Hygiene:
Mark
during
rehearsals
Stay
hydrated
o Training:
Connection
to
breath
Vary
repertoire
(balance)
Modify
vowels
on
upper
end
of
register
SUGGESTIONS
FOR
TEACHERS
- Do
not
uniformly
discourage
singers
from
pursuing
this
form
of
production.
o Popular
style
in
todays
musical
world
o Gets
people
singing
o Choral
perspective:
can
bring
new
members
to
your
ensembles
- Use
classical
training
to
teach
the
style
of
production
- Stay
informed
of
the
latest
research
o Many
constantly
changing
opinions
o More
researchers
interested
in
this
topic
- Communication
between
singer
and
teacher
is
critical.
o How
does
it
feel?
o Where
is
the
placement?
o What
do
you
hear?
- Programming
ideas
o Many
ethnic
music
styles
are
produced
through
belting-like
production
Remember:
not
originally
intended
to
be
sung
by
trained
musicians
o Consider
singing
lighter
music
early
in
program.
Harder
to
sing
lightly
after
full-throated
singing
Pitch
intonation
issues
are
more
likely
if
not
enough
head
register
is
incorporated
into
the
sound
o Recognize
that
any
physical
movement
will
likely
affect
the
vocal
production.
o Understand
intonation
will
likely
fluctuate
in
beginners.
FINAL
THOUGHTS
-
In
2004
the
demand
for
contemporary
commercial
music
singers
in
North
America
outweigh[ed]
that
of
traditional
classical
singers.
(Ragsdale,
1)
- The
current
interest
in
musical
theater
has
caused
an
unprecedented
demand
for
teachers
with
expertise
in
both
classical
and
musical
theater
styles.
(LoVetri
&Weekly)
- To
the
teacher
who
must
deal
with
belters
now
and
cannot
wait
for
future
research
studies,
take
comfortthe
singer
can
be
separated
from
a
particular
style
in
order
to
explore
technical
matters,
and
these
new
insights
can
then
be
integrated
into
a
given
style
to
the
degree
that
the
style
permits.
It
is
not
suggested
that
teachers
abdicate
their
ethical
responsibilities
to
advocate
a
healthy
vocal
technique.
It
is
suggested
that
our
profession
has
a
responsibility
to
all
singers,
not
just
to
those
whose
aesthetic
preference
we
agree
with.
(Doscher)
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