How to Belt Safely: The Truth About Power and Technique

Welcome to The Voice Science Podcast, where we explore the science behind singing and teaching. I’m Josh, the founder of voicescience.org. I’ve been educating singers and teachers for over 13 years. Here, you’ll learn how the voice works and discover practical tips to train it more efficiently.

In today’s episode, we’re diving into one of the most exciting and misunderstood vocal techniques: belting. You’ll learn what makes belting unique, uncover common myths, and discover practical exercises to build a stronger, healthier belt. By the end of this episode, you’ll not only understand the science behind belting but also have tools to start improving your own technique. Let’s dive in!

So what is belting?

Belting, at its simplest, is the sound you make when you call across a busy parking lot to someone you know. It’s powerful, resonant, and demands attention. But what does the literature say about belting?

According to Stephen Purdy in his book Musical Theatre Song, which provides a comprehensive course in selection, preparation, and presentation for the modern musical theatre performer, belting is primarily associated with female singers who will be specifically asked to sing in a belt or legit style during auditions and as roles and songs demand it. He also notes the ongoing debate around if men belt as the term was first used to describe non-legit singing for women. I’ve never been a fan of the debate about if men truly belt, but let’s see what the research says.

Schutte and Miller, in their 1993 study, present a different definition: belting is “a manner of loud singing that is characterized by consistent use of "chest" register (>50% closed phase of glottis) in a range in which larynx elevation is necessary to match the first formant with the second harmonic on open (high F1) vowels, that is, -G4-D 5 in female voices.”

That’s a lot of science jargon lets break that down real quick. The closed phase or closed quotient is the percentage of time that the vocal folds are closed during a cycle. When the vocal folds are closed longer subglottal pressure increases increasing amplitude. As for formants and harmonics, don’t let the terms scare you—they’re fascinating, and I’ll walk you through them step-by-step in a future episode.

Now that we’ve explored the science behind belting, let’s clear up some of the biggest myths surrounding this exciting vocal technique.

The first myth about belting is that it requires a massive amount of air. I briefly addressed this in the last episode, where we explored how singing louder or higher often leads people to believe they need more air. There’s a common belief that singing louder or higher demands a greater volume of air. While that’s not entirely wrong—increased subglottal air pressure does contribute to vocal intensity—it’s not the whole story. During belting, the vocal folds become short and thick, staying closed for a longer portion of each vibratory cycle. This naturally increases subglottal air pressure, creating intensity without requiring excessive airflow. It’s been my experience that singers try to over-pressurize and end up just shouting. The best way to avoid over-pressurizing—which often leads to shouting—is to take a smaller, more controlled breath. This allows the vocal folds to do the work without overwhelming them with excessive air.

The second myth is that you can effectively belt any note. There’s still some debate about whether it’s technically possible to belt very high or very low notes at reduced intensities. For practical purposes, belting is most effective within a specific range that tops out around C5, the c above middle c. Above this point, it is thought that the vocal folds have to lengthen and stiffen to continue rising in pitch. This means belting the exceptionally high notes found in some modern musical theatre pieces—like the iconic Eb5 in Wicked—is simply not feasible. Don’t worry—there are techniques to manage this challenge, and I’ll share an exercise shortly to help you manage these extreme notes.

The final myth is that belting is inherently dangerous and will destroy your beautiful voice.

Okay, so, singing at higher intensities carries a greater risk of injury than not singing. And while no vocal activity is completely risk-free, with proper technique you can minimize the risk of injury. The reality is that Belting without proper technique often resembles shouting, which can strain the voice and increase the risk of injury. If you’re serious about improving your belt, find a teacher experienced in CCM styles who can guide you through safe and effective techniques.

Now that we’ve debunked some of the myths about belting, let’s focus on how to train your belt safely and effectively. These exercises are designed to address common challenges and help you build strength, control, and range in your belting.

One of the most common issues I see with belting is that students take in massive breaths beforehand, thinking it will help. In reality, this creates an uncontrollable surge of subglottal air pressure, which is especially challenging for beginners.

Instead of taking a breath in, I want you to exhale first before attempting your belt. If it’s a particularly long phrase, you might not make it to the end—and that’s okay! This exercise is about discovering how little air you actually need to belt effectively. The goal here is to find the minimum amount of air that is required to belt.

This second exercise is perfect if you are having trouble finding your belt. I want you to try a bit of imagery - I don’t use a lot of imagery in my studio, but this one works wonders. 

Imagine you are in a parking lot and you see your best friend across the lot. They didn’t see you but you have exciting news that you just can’t wait to tell them. Breathe out and belt ‘Ey Bob’ (or whatever their name happens to be). 

A quick note: I am specifically not making the aspirate /h/ sound at the start of the word “hey”. Aspirate onsets make belting much more difficult than a strong glottal onset.

Give this a few tries, and remember—breathe out first. You’ll feel the urge to take a deep breath before belting, resist it. Trust the process, and let the belt happen naturally.

The third exercise addresses the need to belt higher pitches. Because a physiological belt is impossible at higher pitches we need to navigate between two different techniques. 

For notes at C5 and above, we’ll use a thin, brassy twang. This involves a head voice or thin fold configuration that’s been significantly brightened by narrowing the pharyngeal walls—think of a witch’s cackle. Add slight pressurization to give it a little more umpf. For notes below C5, we’ll move back into a true belt technique.

Here’s what you’re going to do: Practice ascending and descending 5-tone scales that cross the transition note, which in this case is C5. Take it slow, and make the transition between the brassy twang and belt technique at C5 every time. This will allow you to maintain the tonal quality of belting while extending your range safely and effectively.

In today’s episode, we delved into the science and technique of belting—a powerful and often misunderstood vocal skill. We started by defining belting, both in everyday terms and through the lens of research, breaking down its unique physical and acoustic characteristics.

Next, we tackled three common myths about belting:

Belting requires a massive amount of air: In reality, efficient belting relies on minimal, controlled breath support to avoid over-pressurizing.

You can effectively belt any note: Belting has a practical range that typically ends around C5, with higher notes requiring alternative techniques.

Belting is inherently dangerous: While belting carries some risks, proper technique and guidance from an experienced teacher can make it safe and sustainable.

Finally, we explored three practical exercises to help you train your belt:

Takeaway: Belting is a dynamic and expressive technique that demands precision, control, and practice. By understanding the science behind it and incorporating these exercises, you can develop a stronger, healthier belt that extends your vocal range while maintaining tonal quality.

Thank you for tuning in to The Voice Science Podcast! I hope today’s episode gave you a better understanding of the science behind belting and how to train your voice for strength, control, and range.

If you’re excited to continue learning, head over to voicescience.org, where you’ll find more resources, articles, and exercises to help you on your vocal journey.

Next time, we’ll be diving into the fascinating concept of phonatory threshold pressure—what it is, why it matters, and how it can help you sing with more ease and efficiency. You won’t want to miss it!

Until then, take care of your voice, and keep singing!

Purdy, S., 2016. Musical theatre song: a comprehensive course in selection, preparation and presentation for the modern performer, Performance books. Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, London.

Schutte, H.K., Miller, D.G., 1993. Belting and pop, nonclassical approaches to the female middle voice: Some preliminary considerations. Journal of Voice 7, 142–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0892-1997(05)80344-3