Why Can't I Belt Without Squeezing, Tension or Strain?

Okay all my Whitney, Freddie, Jennifer Hudson, Sutton Foster, Adam Lambert, Beyoncé, Ben Platt or Aretha fans, this is the post you’ve all been waiting for.

How can they sing these notes that effortlessly soar into the stratosphere with the power of a freight train? 

And even more importantly, how can we mere mortals get up there without it feeling AWFUL?

Let me see if I can serve you up some insight on a silver platter here…

ARE YOU RESPECTING YOUR LIMIT (AND MAKING SURE YOU PROBLEM SOLVE)?

Firstly, just remember that this will take time. Those extremely high powerhouse voices aren’t built over a few weeks.

And everyone has a limit to how far up their range they can take this strong quality (what I call chest dominant mix) and you need to know yours.

As soon as you feel the slightest tickle, pinch or constriction - you’re going to want to stop and PROBLEM SOLVE.

Build it one note at a time.

There are a whole bunch of issues that might need your attention - breath management, tongue tension, soft palate position, but if you just keep surging ahead without FIXING THEM things will not get better.

Please please please do not keep going higher until things get all strangly and cracky.

ARE YOU WORKING YOUR WHOLE RANGE AND MAKING SURE YOU’RE ABLE TO BLEND FIRST?

Too many keen belting wannabes (my younger self included) tend to avoid their head voice like a clingy ex.

It’s too sweet or bright or not impressive enough so they stick to the low chestier notes.

Well it’s time to make friends with your head voice dude.

You’re going to want to be able to easily, cleanly and efficiently blend all the way from your chest voice through your mix (a head dominant mix this time) and into your head voice.

Being able to do that “hard” note in a number of lighter ways across the spectrum of mixed voice means you’re less likely to try to keep it strictly in your chest voice gear (which ends up sounding and feeling a lot like yelling).