Belting vs. Head Voice for Sopranos

It is very typical for beginning sopranos to have 'registration' issues.  Here are some definitions before we get into details.

Belting - Carrying the Chest Voice/Lower Register beyond the first passaggio and sometimes even past the second passaggio.  This produces a trumpet-like sound on the higher pitches.

Head Voice - Using your Upper Register for higher notes.  This 'obeys' the correct registration rules in classical music.

Registration - Simply refers to which muscle in the larynx is 'dominant/more important' in vocal production.  If you are primarily using the lower register, you are using the thyroarytenoid.  For higher pitches, it is the cricothyroid if you are using head voice.; with belting, you are trying to extend the use of the thyroarytenoid beyond where classical technique suggests that the cricothyroid should become dominant.

The reality is that girls have to be able use both techniques if they want to be versatile singers: Classical singers only use their head voice for higher pitches, but most other music genres encourage some use of Belting technique.  In my next blog, I will discuss how and why I help my young sopranos develop their head voice.

DWS