Belting (music) - Possible Dangers of Belting

Possible Dangers of Belting

Use of belting without proper coordination can lead to forcing. Forcing can lead consequently to vocal deterioration. Moderate use of the technique and, most importantly, retraction of the ventricular folds while singing is vital to safe belting. Without proper training in retraction, belting can indeed cause trauma to the vocal folds that requires the immediate attention of a doctor.

Proponents of belting say that it is a "soft yell," and if produced properly it can be healthy. It does not require straining and they say it is not damaging to the voice. However, the larynx is higher than in classical technique,and many experts on the singing voice believe that a high larynx position is both dangerous to vocal health and produces what many find to be an unpleasant sound.

On the other hand, it is thought by some that belting will produce vocal nodules. This may be true if belting is produced incorrectly. If the sound produced is a mixed head and chest sound that safely approximates a belt, produced well, there may be no damage to the vocal folds.

As for the physiological and acoustical features of the metallic voices, a master's thesis has drawn the following conclusions:

• No significant changes in frequency and amplitude of F1 were observed
• Significant increases in amplitudes of F2, F3 and F4 were found
• In frequencies for F2, metallic voice perceived as louder was correlated to increase in amplitude of F3 and F4
• Vocal tract adjustments like velar lowering, pharyngeal wall narrowing, laryngeal raising, aryepiglottic and lateral laryngeal constriction were frequently found.