Belting (vocal technique)

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The Belting ( English for, belting out ') is a singing technique that preferably in the range musicals , pop and soul , but certainly also in other (especially jazz -related) musical genres is used. By changing the vowel formation and register mix compared to classical singing , a “blaring” and “penetrating” sound is achieved.

Originally this was a stage singing technique before microphone amplification was technically possible. Belting became famous in the 1930s through the US vaudeville and musical star Ethel Merman . It spread quickly with the rise of rock 'n' roll . Since the early 1980s at the latest, belting has been the standard technique in rock and pop music, to which almost all performers limit themselves almost exclusively. Particularly impressive examples for perfecting this singing technique can be found among others. a. with Cher , Christina Aguilera , Chris Cornell , Aretha Franklin , Patti LaBelle , Eva Cassidy , Céline Dion , Mariah Carey , Whitney Houston , Demi Lovato or Sarah Connor and Julia Neigel .

technology

Technical basics

A voting physiological definition of Beltings is "Belting is a way of singing aloud by the continued use of the breast part (> 50% occlusion phase in the cycle of the glottis ) in a region of the vocal range , the increase of the larynx requires, so that the first formant coincides with the second overtone of the open vowels (dashed F). ”Due to the great breath pressure, the tone often remains without vibrato or only allows for a swelling vibrato. The elevated position of the larynx distinguishes belting from supporting high notes with the chest voice in opera singing, as is part of the technique of tenors. Similar to opera singing, belting was originally intended to drown out the accompanying orchestra and to overcome the great distances in concert halls and opera houses. Since it has more of the function of a voice quality, there are a large number of variants.

In theory, you can belten in any pitch. However, this effect is most pronounced in the low and middle female voices, where it is mainly used. In men, the difference is far less clear, since they sing with a larger proportion of the chest voices and use the relevant formants. Since the technique is largely based on vowel formation, belting is not equally suitable for every language; therefore z. B. the use of belting in German due to the hard consonants necessary to understand the text often does not make sense musically, if possible.

Belting vs. classical singing

Contrary to many opinions and prejudices, belting and classical singing do not necessarily have to be mutually exclusive. Belting stands for a different sound ideal or a different interpretation . The principles of “classical” voice training also apply to beltening , especially those of breathing technique; However, they are varied for correct belting - for example, with belts, the larynx is not slightly lowered, as in classical singing, the body tension is significantly higher, and a certain muscular training level must have been achieved on a classical basis before belting can be started. Beltening without a thorough training can damage the voice in the long run, as damage to the vocal cords can easily occur without this training.

Belting is therefore not comparable to " crooning ", which is more of a musical style than a singing technique. While crooning requires amplification of the voice, with skilfully performed belting, dynamics and volume like the classically oriented opera singing can be achieved without amplification .

Examples

The difference between belting and classical voice setting can be compared with the two songs One Moment in Time by Whitney Houston and Don't Cry for Me Argentina in the cover version by Madonna , as both songs have a very similar range and both are more similar to a female voice represent low to medium voice range. While Whitney Houston uses belting almost entirely (and with the significantly darker vowel coloration already achieves an extraordinary vocal volume in the middle registers), Madonna sings consistently with a more classic voice setting. This becomes particularly clear in the lower parts, where the “missing” voice volume is compensated for by overtones and text diction (consonants).

Jazz ensembles such as the Swingle Singers or The Real Group show that you can achieve a similar effect to Whitney Houston with a classic voice setting, i.e. without belting . B. in the song You Can Drive My Car . However, these are dependent on a significantly higher pitch.

An example of a male belter is Freddie Mercury . In The Show Must Go On you can hear (after the guitar solo, from around 02:49) how he seamlessly switches from a normal voice setting to belting within just a few tones. This example also shows that a smooth transition is possible. Quite a few singers consciously use the break between the registers as a stylistic device.

The difference between crooning and belting can be heard in My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion . While the beginning is largely “breathed” without any vocal substance (crooning), one can speak of belting from around 03:24 at the latest.

Mariah Carey also uses belting frequently, e.g. B. Stay the Night , It's Like That or Fly Like a Bird . Songs in which Carey alternates between belting, crooning and whistling are for example Fly Like a Bird , Stay the Night or Emotions .

Another example is Blues in the Night , sung by Eva Cassidy.

history

Inspired by Afro-American singing techniques (the singer Sophie Tucker still performed her way of belting in minstrel shows ), belting found its way into music halls , vaudeville shows and revues since the 1910s , but has its roots in the blues. It was popular and had a vulgar touch. In the Broadway musicals of the 1930s and 1940s, lyrical passages were still predominantly sung in a classical manner. However, the increasing abandonment of the sound of the older operettas preferred more modern vocal styles.

Belting was initially related to comical female roles, e.g. B. Molly Gray in Girl Crazy (1930) or Luce in The Boys from Syracuse (1938). The serious figures sang classically. The uncompromising heroine Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun (1946), played by Ethel Merman, then presented the belting as a - apparently "white" - popular American style of singing. The weirdly vulgar song Doin 'What Comes Naturally was particularly famous . The microphone singing that followed made new variations of belting possible, and it no longer seems necessarily funny.

Other well-known singers who regularly use belting

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ HK Schutte, DG Miller: Belting and Pop: “nonclassical” approaches to the female middle voice: some preliminary considerations . In: Journal of Voice , 7, 1993, no. 2, pp. 142–150, here p. 142.
  2. ^ Martin Pfleiderer: Voices of popular music. Vocal design tools and aspects of reception . In: Rolf Bader (Ed.): Musical Acoustics, Neurocognition and Psychology of Music: Current Research in Systematic Musicology, at the Institute of Musicology, University of Hamburg . Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-631-59991-4 , pp. 233-274, here p. 252.
  3. ↑ Duncan Strauss: Dio Upstaged by Megadeth at Long Beach. In: Los Angeles Times , March 15, 1988, accessed April 27, 2020.
  4. ↑ Janice Haaken: Too Close For Comfort. Psychoanalytic Cultural Theory and Domestic Violence Politics. In: Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society. Volume 13, No. 1, 2008, pp. 75-93, here p. 76.