Internationally renowned voice teacher John Henny returns to chat with host Alexa Terry on this episode of Singing Teachers Talk. John has taught thousands of vocalists, including Grammy winners and top background and session singers. He has also trained hundreds of voice teachers, including many industry leaders. We’ve got a belting episode for you this week, quite literally, as Alexa and John will be discussing how to belt.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Belting is an intense style of singing, characterised by a longer closed phase in the vocal folds creating a more intense soundwave. If you’re singing in a light voice, harmonics roll off quickly, but with a belt, they don’t roll off as fast so you’re getting more upper harmonic content.
- With the more intense soundwave, you’re tuning the vocal tract to boost those high frequencies so you’re not left with any of the mellow jazzy sounds.
- You can make your belt more intense and forward by pushing the first resonance in the vocal tract really high into the shout configuration. When we do this our brain thinks we are shouting and overpresses the vocal cords. Good singers can override this switch in their heads (a prime example is the late Whitney Houston, who was a master at this.)
- Unless there is a physical or neurological issue, then anyone can belt. It can be of varying strength and quality, but it’s a skill anyone can learn.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Belting, I know it when I hear it’
‘Most contemporary music can use belt, it’s only really female classical singers who won’t’
‘You’ve got to break that connection to work up to the belt’
EPISODE RESOURCES
Guest Website:
Social Media:
- Facebook: @John Henny Vocals
- Instagram: @johnhennyvocals
- Twitter: @johnhennyvocals
- Youtube: youtube.com/user/jhenny62
Relevant Links & Mentions:
- Belt Example @ 3:18 to end – Gimme Gimme from Thoroughly Modern Millie (Sutton Foster): YouTube.com/watch?v=OxYoHdAwFZc
- Belt Example @ 1:23 – I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston: YouTube.com/watch?v=FxYw0XPEoKE
- Kerrie Obert: obertvoicestudios.com
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast – Ep. 59 Top Tongue Tips for Boosting High-Frequency Energy with Kerrie Obert: linktr.ee/basttraining?utm_source
- Jeremy Ryan Mossman: singingwithjmoss.com
- Vocology in Practice: vocologyinpractice.org
- Ken Bozeman: kenbozeman.com
- Practical Vocal Acoustics by Kenneth W. Bozeman
- Voce Vista: vocevista.com
- Demo: You Don’t Do it for Me Anymore by Demi Lovato
- Chris Johnson: chrisjohnsonvocalcoach.com
ABOUT THE GUEST
John Henny has been a leading voice teacher for over 25 years. He has taught thousands of singers, including Grammy winners and top background and session singers. John’s students have appeared on Broadway and in major touring companies. John has also trained hundreds of voice teachers, including many industry leaders.
John hosts the popular podcast, The Intelligent Vocalist, and his YouTube channel has more than eight million views. His books, including Beginning Singing, are Amazon bestsellers.
John has lectured at USC, The Paul McCartney Liverpool Institute, and the Learning Annex.
John is known for making complex concepts simple and easy to understand and is a leader in creating online programs for singers and voice teachers.
Link to podcast presenter’s bios
