Belting is a vocal technique for singing high notes in a loud, round, and melodious voice. When singing with the belting technique, make sure you breathe using your diaphragm and open your mouth wide. In addition, you can have a loud voice by doing the following exercises. Singing with the wrong technique can injure the vocal cords and throat. Stop vocal exercises to rest if the throat is uncomfortable.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Adjusting Body Position
Step 1. Get used to standing with an upright body
You can't do belting properly if you're singing while bending over. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your head straight so that your body is perpendicular to the floor, but relax your shoulders to keep yourself comfortable.
You are free to position your arms or let them hang relaxed at your sides as long as you feel comfortable
Step 2. Breathe using your diaphragm
The diaphragm is below the lungs. Take a deep breath while blowing air into your lungs. At this time, you can feel the impact of the breath on the chest area. Breathing using your diaphragm helps you produce loud sounds using the energy of your core muscles.
- To ensure that you are breathing using your diaphragm, lie on your back on the floor. Place one palm on your chest and one on your stomach and take a deep breath. If you breathe using your diaphragm, the hand on your stomach will move up, while the hand on your chest will stay still.
- Correct breathing plays an important role when belting. Try shouting to find out how much air it takes to produce a loud sound and how long the diaphragm contracts to expel the air completely. Then, take the time to determine how much air and diaphragm force is needed to sing each note with the belting technique.
Step 3. Move your body so you don't strain your muscles
Belting can cause tension in the vocal cords. Work around this by relaxing your body, for example by moving your arms and legs to relieve the muscles of tension. Make sure you are standing straight while relaxing your shoulders and pulling your shoulders back slightly.
- Relax by doing jumping jacks, raising your arms above your head as high as you can, or practicing yoga to stretch your muscles and focus your mind.
- Make sure to stay relaxed before, during, and after singing.
Part 2 of 4: Practicing the Belting Technique
Step 1. Open your mouth while relaxing your tongue
The wider you open your mouth, the better your voice will be. Try to open your mouth wide so that the sound resonates in your mouth and relax your tongue so that the sound is not blocked so that you are able to produce a loud sound.
- Instead of pressing the tongue against the floor of the mouth, relax the tongue to regulate the increase in air pressure in the oral cavity.
- When singing, make it a habit to open your mouth wide and relax your tongue until this technique is recorded by muscle memory.
Step 2. Point the sound forward
This step aims to focus the vibrations so that the resulting sound resonates in the front of the face. For that, relax the tongue while touching the tip of the tongue on the inside of the lower teeth while singing.
When you start practicing, the sound produced is similar to a scream or a shriek. Over time, your voice will sound more melodious if you practice diligently
Step 3. Practice singing high notes in a chest voice
Singing with your chest voice helps you comfortably produce louder sounds than your head voice. When mastering the belting technique, exhale from the chest while breathing deeply. Practice singing higher notes as you get better.
Be careful when practicing. Do not sing notes past the lower and upper limits of the vocal range so as not to injure the vocal cords
Step 4. Sing certain notes in a belting technique for as long as possible to make sure your breath is long enough
The voice becomes low or hoarse if the air in the lungs is running low. The less air you use when singing, the better your belting will be.
To regulate the flow of air while singing, imagine that you are exhaling through a small straw
Part 3 of 4: Doing Vocal Exercises
Step 1. Increase the volume with regular exercise
Physical exercise helps you sing using different vocal registers, such as sounds coming from your chest or head. First determine the voice you want to practice and then sing a few notes. Over time, this exercise will help you sing high notes louder.
The chest voice is the voice for singing low notes, while the head voice is the voice for singing high notes according to the vocal range
Step 2. Say the word "hey" to practice resonance
Say "hey" out loud as if you were talking normally. Then, say "hey" over and over again as you hear the sound resonate in your mouth. As you practice the next time, say this word in a higher pitch. Also, you can lengthen and increase your voice so that it sounds like "heeeee."
Don't shout when you say "hey". Make sure the sound produced is the same as the sound when you speak as usual
Step 3. Imitate the sound of a baby saying "wheh" to raise the voice
When saying "wheh," try to bounce the sound off the nasal pharynx so that the sound is louder and seems to be coming from the ear cavity. Say "wheh" over and over again out loud until you feel a resonance on either side of your nose.
Step 4. Practice activating this muscle by saying "ffft" over and over again
Place your hands on your lower abdomen near your hips to feel the movement of your core muscles. Make a "ffff" sound and add a closing "t" so it's like you're saying "fut" without the "u". This step helps you feel your stomach contract when you say "fff" then relax again when you make a "t" sound.
Say "fff" louder to make your core contract more intense
Step 5. Choose a certain sound and sing it over and over again with increasing pitch
For example, sing "ah aah ah", "hm mmm mm", or some other sound consisting of 3 syllables. Sing the second syllable at a higher pitch than the first and third syllables. Whenever you want to repeat a phrase from the beginning, sing it an octave higher to train your vocal chords.
Part 4 of 4: Forming Good Habits
Step 1. Find a place to practice where you can speak as loudly as you need
You can't produce a good sound if you're worried about making noise or disturbing other people. So, find a place to practice where you can freely sing out loud.
You can sing in the bedroom when no one is home, in the school music room, or in the community center hall when there is no activity
Step 2. Get used to practice belting a maximum of 20 minutes a day
Practicing belting for 1 hour nonstop can injure and irritate the vocal cords. Set a timer and then practice for a maximum of 20 minutes. If your throat starts to hurt or your voice starts to get hoarse before 20 minutes, don't keep practicing and continue tomorrow.
- You can practice belting every day, but no more than 20 minutes per day.
- When not practicing, listen to a vocalist who is good at belting while analyzing his technique. Imagine what it's like and your voice when you sing with the belting technique.
Step 3. Practice singing all the notes in the vocal range
When practicing vocals, sing with your chest and head voice to strengthen and develop your overall vocal skills. Sing all the notes from lowest to highest according to your vocal range each time you practice.
Step 4. Get in the habit of drinking plenty of water to keep your vocal cords flexible and relaxed
The vocal cords can become dry when you practice belting. So, make sure your body stays hydrated by drinking enough water so that your voice doesn't sound hoarse or discordant. Drinking cool water keeps your vocal cords supple, moist, and relaxed, but cold water is still better than drinking nothing at all.
If your vocal cords start to sting, drink warm tea or gargle with salt water
Step 5. Don't push yourself when you sing
When practicing belting, make sure your vocal cords, throat, and other body parts are comfortable and pain-free. Do not continue to practice if you feel pain to avoid injury.
Your vocal cords should be painless if you practice belting to your capacity for a maximum of 20 minutes a day
Tips
- We recommend that you be guided by a vocal coach when practicing belting. He is able to point out what needs to be improved while making sure you practice in a safe way.
- A great tip for getting good at belting is to say the sentence out loud and then sing in the same voice as when you speak.
- If your voice starts to get runny, remind yourself to open your mouth wide and relax.
- Practice diligently. Mastering belting in a safe and correct way takes a lot of time.
- Hormonal changes, such as menstruation or pregnancy, can temporarily affect the vocal cords. If you experience this that makes you unable to sing well or your voice sounds different, remember that this will pass. Take it easy and practice as best you can.
Warning
- To prevent injury, don't force yourself to practice vocals if your vocal cords or throat are painful or uncomfortable, especially when you're good at belting.
- If you have a problem with your voice, for example, it starts hoarse, immediately see an ear, nose, throat (ENT) specialist to maintain the health of the vocal cords.
