5 Ways for Singers to Build a Safe and Healthy Belt Voice

Here’s a quick outline of the topics covered in today’s blog:

• Decrease External Tensions to Increase Sound
• Build Resonance to Replace “Push” Balance of Air and Muscle
• Laryngeal Resistance to Handle More Power
• Build Vocal Support to Avoid Falling Back on Your Throat
• Breath Control to Manage Pressure for a Healthy Belt

Let’s dive in!

Decrease Tension to Increase Sound

So many times in session working with a singer, the key counterpart I’d discover to freeing their voice in most cases came down to technical issues that were actually constricting the voice. Vocal tension in the muscles surrounding the voice constricts and mutes sound and production and can lead to problems over time.

The key to increasing sound in the voice is not pushing harder and tensing, but releasing tensions to open the voice to ring and create more sound.

The solution to unlocking the voice starts with identifying what muscles are over-functioning and what muscles are under-functioning. We call them compensatory muscles.

Common compensatory muscle patterning is a complex name for a relatively straightforward process. When primary muscles do not work properly in movement, the brain tells other muscles to perform that movement instead.

For example, the jaw may contract when making sound in an effort to control pitch or tone, when pitch or tone are not controlled there. So the jaw jumps in to assist the vocal production because the brain is telling it to.

During vocal training, we strip away the compensatory muscles that constrict and even damage the voice to provide a freer vocal path for the voice.

To learn how

Build Resonance to Replace “Push” Balance of Air and Muscle

Tone comes from timbre or resonance and healthy vocal production. Improving your vocal tone comes from building the voice using techniques that improve how your voice makes sound and create the right balance of air and muscle.

Many people, until they train, end up pushing sound and volume to belt, but this only ends up falling back on the throat and ruining the voice.

In vocal technique we improve the belt by first strengthening the core voice. We start by stripping away the compensatory muscles that compensate for the lack of strength in the core muscles of the voice and constrict the voice and tone.

Using specific positions in technique we strengthen the mechanical function of the core vocal instrument, improving all aspects of vocal production including tone. This allows the singer to belt healthfully and safely.

Improvements in belt are a natural by-product of practicing the right vocal technique and voice building methods.

To learn more about the Cole Vocal Method and how to improve your vocal tone click here.

Laryngeal Resistance to Handle More Power

In vocal technique we use the term laryngeal resistance to identify the motion of keeping the laryngeal muscles in a lower position during singing. This is tricky because this motion needs to be programmed into the voice and cannot be forced.

This motion is imperative to sing strong and full high notes — and consistent high notes that do not crack or break.

Try this:

• Yawn with your finger horizontal at the top of the throat. Try to yawn more with the back of your throat versus your jaw.
• Watch in the mirror. Do you see your finger and throat slip downward as you yawn?
• Another trick is to bring an imaginary cup of water to your mouth to drink. Notice if your throat slips downward.
• This is a motion you want on auto-pilot before you sing high notes. Once it is programmed, it becomes natural. Keep movements subtle and avoid tension.

Warning: You cannot force these muscles down. They need to be gently trained into the right position with technique.

Start with my Singers Gift Vocal Warmups that include demonstrations. When the larynx sits in a deeper bed from training, you have more control over your voice and high notes.

Learn more about the Cole Vocal Method

Build Vocal Support to Avoid Falling Back on Your Throat

Using the right support for your voice helps prevent falling back on your throat and ruining your voice.

Support is created with breath support and with using the muscles in the torso or trunk of your body.

Posture is the first place we look to improve support, followed by using the pectoral, intercostal, back, and abdominal muscles to support the voice.

Correct posture takes strain off the throat and allows the body to absorb the work required to sing well. When the chest stays lifted during singing, the voice retains air for longer and stays supported instead of strained.

Try this:

• Stand in front of a mirror to watch your chest and posture.
• Take a deep breath.
• Did your chest rise upward?
• This indicates your chest is slumped and you’re breathing into the top of the lungs.
• Now raise the chest slightly.
• Take another breath.
• Did more breath move into the abdomen and diaphragm?
• Repeat while watching the chest as you exhale.
• Did the chest drop?
• In singing technique, we keep the chest lifted during exhale.
• Now try singing “AHHHH” with the chest lifted.

This is the start of supporting your voice instead of falling back on your throat.

Breath Control to Manage Pressure for a Healthy Belt

Breath control involves managing airflow from the lungs to support vocalization. This is essential for maintaining proper technique for a healthy belt.

Diaphragmatic breathing strengthens the voice and moves the intercostal muscles to get air into the lower ribs, improving breath support.

Try this:

• Look in the mirror at your chest and ribcage.
• Take a deep breath.
• Did the chest lift? This means you’re breathing into the top lungs.
• Wrap your hands around your ribs.
• Take a deep breath focusing on the lower ribs.
• Did the ribs move outward?
• Try again, breathing slowly into the ribs.

Watch the diaphragmatic breathing exercise here.

The next step is retaining the air instead of letting it spill out on the first note.

Try this:

• Wrap your hands around your ribs again.
• Take a deep breath.
• Exhale while watching rib movement.
• Did the ribs collapse inward?
• Try again while keeping the ribs expanded on the exhale.
• Now repeat while singing “AHHHH.”

This is the beginning of singing on the breath instead of pushing it out.

It’s how you retain air that gives you fuel to sing on.

Tips:

Tip 1: Be sure you are not holding your breath.

Tip 2: Only the ribs and supporting muscles should engage. Avoid tension in the throat.

Learn more about the Cole Vocal Method