Maybe it's time for a career switch :D

I hope the thesis turned out well for you and that the video was not too much of a distraction! Thanks for watching!

Omg I should be working on my bachelor’s thesis on artificial intelligence and such rn and ... well. Here I am and reading that comment 😂😂

I’m supposed to be studying for a math midterm

Well I want to be able to sing in a mixed voice 😂

Thanks, she was one of my most talented students.

Você por aqui!

I've been there! Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever be able to belt, and a few years ago I was in the same situation. But now I have a strong mix/belt ranging from around F4-F5, though my full range is much larger, that's just my strongest belt. The key is to try to bridge that gap between chest and head voice. It takes time and practice and hard work, but it's worth it. You really want to build up your mix voice just by exercising those few notes around where your break is. There are loads of great videos on how to do that. Then once you have your mix strengthened belting comes much more easily! Don't give up hope, you can do it!

The best exercises i've seen for learning to mix are from "voice lessons to the world". Justin Stoney is the best singing teacher I've seen on the internet.

PRACTICE YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

That's just because the chest voice is not trained. It works like muscles, you have to keep training and you won't sound shaky anymore. Even if it sounds "bad", keep doing it. It'll get better & more stable eventually.

hunter, are you a man or a woman? I ask because they are typically differences with chest voice/mix voice/head voice access for men vs women. I think I know what you are referring to. (I am a man but have worked with women too regarding singing and I am choir director over a choir mostly consisting of women)

Zoe, thank you so much for watching and for your incredibly kind comment. You made my day. I'm so glad you found the video helpful. Best wishes to you with your singing and performing!

Thank you for your comment. Glad to hear that your improved technique has led to more healthy singing. Best wishes!

James Myers thank you

but like what are the correct techniques

but how do you belt correctly :(

@@sophiehaug2480 mixing. You gotta learn how to mix your head voice with your chest voice. This allows for your voice to be much more flexible and you don't have to push for high notes.

Thanks so much for your kind comment. I am very proud of her hard work and talent!

Thanks so much for watching!

We all have parts of our range that are stronger than others. That's great that you can go really high in your head voice, many singers can't do that. I understand the desire to try to sing higher in your chest voice. Here are some things to think about. What does your body feel like when you feel your breath is free and released when singing high in your head voice? You want to make sure your breath support feels just as active, free and engaged for your belted singing as it is for your successful high head voice singing. When working in your belt range start in the lower middle part of it and work to identify if the breath is as activated and free as it feels in your head voice. Work sliding along a narrow range of pitches in your belt range with the breath consistently supported. Experiment with projecting your speaking voice in low, middle and high ranges. Warming up your speaking voice can be beneficial as that most likely uses more chest voice quality. Use a mirror or video camera to make sure that your neck, throat, lips tongue and jaw all remain free of tension. If you notice tension in any part of your body listed above, work to add gentle movement to the body while singing to free up the tension. Lastly, try to find a teacher with whom you can work in person as there's no substitute for that. I hope this helps and keep working!

Thanks so much!

Sasha Little no tips, but I can relate

This is the most relatable comment ive come across. There isn't even an "except when I-" like everything you just mentioned is literally EXACTLY what I'm struggling with

Wow, she really does!

So glad you found this helpful and thank you for watching!

Thanks so much, I'll be sure to pass along your compliment to her! She mostly sings repertoire in the high belter range from contemporary musical theatre but she has great access to her head voice as well for both classical repertoire and classical musical theatre pieces. As a teacher I don't think labeling voice range is the most important thing but I would say she's a high belter/lyric mezzo-soprano with extension up into the soprano range. Hope that helps!

what is that extention that you mentioned sir ? can we find that in baritone voices ?

The extension I mention is simply a continuation of the singer's upper range. In the case of this singer, when she and I worked together she preferred to sing repertoire mostly from the belter/mezzo soprano repertoire. She happens to have a lovely extension to her head voice though as well which allows her to sing certain pieces from the soprano repertoire. Can an upper extension be found in the baritone voice? You bet! Many high baritones can at times sound like tenors. John Raitt who some considered to be a baritone, sings an incredible high B flat at the end of the song "Soliloquy" from Carousel. Sherrill Milnes the operatic baritone, sings a full throated high B flat at the end of an aria from Verdi's opera, Attila.

Hannah J K Have you tried the exercises Justin Stoney teaches on his show. Look for "mix voice, voice lessons to the world" and you'll find it. He has two videos. Each one has a great exercises on it. Give it a try!

same :(

Hannah J K something my voice teacher has really ingrained in my brain is very helpful. Belting can be described as a sigh, a yawn or a sneeze. All of involve having a very soft palate. (Try pretending to sneeze, paying close attention to the yawn feeling and the nasal quality). This has helped me TREMENDOUSLY. Remember, don’t push, just have that soft palate space! And also release the lower abdominals.

same

Madison Marshall a belt is using your chest voice which comes across much louder and more powerful than a head voice which is softer and a soprano is someone who can sing higher than an alto who sings lower

Thanks for watching and for your kind comment!

Thanks very much!

You are very welcome! Thank you for watching and for your supportive comment :)

actually..mor impressed by the teacher. THANK YOU!!

Thank you so much for watching!

Of course he is the teacher.

😂😂😂😂

Totally agree I didn't know singing people could be that handsome

c q Hahah wtf

He’s so cuute 😍😍

@@ashleymarks4044 "I didn't know singing people could be that handsome" that thought process ... wow....

Thanks for coming back to watch. It's always interesting to rewatch videos or read articles or books about singing after a period of time of practicing and growth. My hope with this video was to have my student show some different options for how to approach the "belted sound" in musical theater. I hope you found it interesting and I wish you the best in your singing.

How's it looking now? :)

She has a great voice, great teacher as well

Ha ha, go outside and practice in a parking lot. That’s what I do.

YOU GOT THIS! I get super nervous too

Thanks so much for watching!

I'm so glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!

So glad you liked it and thanks for watching!

Hi Georg, thank you so much for your very kind comment! I am very glad to connect with a singing teacher in the UK. Best wishes to you with your teaching and with your singers! Warmest regards, James

Yes, I am in the process of planning to film some new instructional videos. Thanks for the interest and stay tuned!

Thank you so much!

I'm so glad you found it helpful! Thank you so much for watching!

Negotiating the transitions between voice registers (chest voice, mixed voice and head voice) is one of the more challenging aspects of voice study and healthy singing. You mention difficulty getting the volume you want. I suggest using the messa di voce exercise. With this exercise you start with a single pitch on a vowel sound of your choice at a soft/quiet volume level. In one smooth line, crescendo (get louder) until you reach a forte loud volume level and then decrescendo back to your starting soft sound. Do this all in one breath. Repeat going up by half step. Try different vowel sounds as well. If you can find a voice teacher in your area with whom you can work, then that would be most helpful. Best wishes to you!

James Myers thank you so much! 💞

Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comment! Best wishes to you with your singing!

Thanks for your comment. She has great access to head voice as well :)

It's hard to say without hearing you sing. From what you describe, you have a nice wide range. If you feel comfortable singing to high E above soprano high C, then you may very well be a soprano. A lot of it depends on the transition points in your voice when moving between voice registers. Some female singers will make the choice depending on the repertoire they most want to see. If you're interested in opera and if you can reliably sing up to high C and above then soprano may be the right choice for you. If you can scream out a high E but your comfort zone is a little lower, then mezzo may be a better fit. For musical theater, if you're interested in more contemporary musical theater and if you love to belt, then mezzo/belter may be the best category. If you prefer the classic musicals that use more female head voice then a musical theater soprano may be the category for you. I hope this helps!

@@jamesmyersvoice Thank you very much.. That actually helps.

Thank you so much for your kind comment. She's very talented and a very hard worker!

Hi there, thank you so much for watching the video and for your comment and question. It's hard to say for sure without hearing you but I have a few thoughts. You say you find it easier to sing in head voice but that you don't feel it is sustainable. Perhaps experiment with singing in your head voice but in a lower part of your range. Many times, singers assume that if I'm singing in my head voice I have to be singing high. Experiment with a nice free sound in your head voice but in the lower part of your range. With your chest voice, you mention that it's harder for you but that you think it sounds way better. This could be because the majority of chest voice singing is conducted in the lower portion of one's range and it might be easier for you to focus on maintaining a pleasing sound quality in the lower portion of your range. My advice would be to practice freeing up the lower and middle portions of your range with both your chest voice and head voice singing. Work on freeing up this part of the range before moving higher. Another exercise you could experiment with could be singing a pitch in the lower part of your head voice, hold it for a few seconds and then switch to singing that exact same pitch in your chest voice. Try to go back and forth quickly between your chest and head voice to work on smoothing out the shift between the two voices. Be sure to practice this exercise in the lower part of your range. For vibrato, practice alternating between two pitches that are right next to each other on the music staff or keyboard. For example, move your voice back and forth between pitches F and F sharp. Start by moving slowly between the two pitches but gradually speed up to move back and forth between the two pitches faster and faster until you're going back and forth between the two pitches as fast as you possibly can. The goal is to move faster and faster until you get the voice to start vibrating with a free swinging vibrato on the F pitch in this example. We neither want a vibrato that's too fast or too slow. You want to make sure you don't try to control the vibrato with too much force. The vibrato must ultimately have freedom and the end result often feels a bit out of one's direct control, as if it is just happening on its own thanks to freedom of the body and voice. If the sound of the vibrato is too controlled or stiff then the sound can suffer. It can be very tough to describe in a message like this but do try and experiment with speeding up going back and forth between two pitches that are right next to each other on the piano. I hope this helps and best wishes to you with your singing! For those interested, I'm available for online video voice lessons if you contact me at www.jamesmyers.com

@@jamesmyersvoice Wow that was quick - thanks so much!

Hi Gabrielle, thank you for your comment and question. It's hard to say if it would be worth applying for musical theatre programs. When you go to see a show, do you desperately want to be on stage or do you see at as something you'd prefer to do in your spare time? Either answer is fine but however you feel might help guide you to the right choice for you. If you do plan to apply to college musical theatre programs here are some things that I think would helpful in terms of preparation. Find at least 2 musical theatre songs that you really enjoy singing and that you feel show off your voice in the best possible light. Try to find songs that are contrasting and that show off different elements of your acting. You may want to find two songs from different time periods and styles as well. If you are unable to find a private voice teacher or class in your area, see if you can find someone who plays piano with whom you can meet to practice performing your songs with live accompaniment. Make sure to video record your practice sessions and make notes about what you think went well and what can be improved. I would also consult both the theatre director and chorus director at your school and see if they can direct you to any classes or private teachers who could help you prepare. If there's no one in your immediate town, then it may mean you might have to look outside of your immediate area to the next town or city in your region. It's great that you are beginning this process now in the summer and not waiting until the Fall. There is much you can do on your own to prepare but in order for you to be most competitive, I think you want to try and reach out to friends, family and outside teachers to help you further develop your skills. Best wishes to you with your passion and studies!

James Myers James Myers Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! I really do feel that yearning to sing on stage when I watch musicals, which is why I'm so torn on what to do. I will definitely ask around my school and my family and friends to see if there are any people I can learn from. My father is a musician, so I do have someone play music for me. Thank you so much... You have honestly given me so much hope that this isn't such a late and far fetched dream as I thought.

@@gabriellerice5649 i know this is four years ago but may i ask how this all turned out for you?

@@helloooo6653 I’m currently a junior BFA Musical Theatre major in college!

@@thegabriellerice ayy that’s so amazing congratulations!

Thank you for watching and for your comment. In regard to learning to find a mixed quality to the voice while supporting it with breath, there are no easy answers. Anyone who says otherwise is trying to sell you something. Your best bet is to try and find a reputable voice teacher in your area so they can guide you to the most efficient production of your voice. One exercise that I enjoy for finding a mixed quality is vocalizing on a "v" sound. Try singing a 5 note scale (do, re, mi, fa sol, fa, mi, re, do) on the syllable "v". Make sure to keep the lips tongue and jaw soft and relaxed. For avoiding nasal sound, make sure to keep the soft palate (the roof of your mouth) nice and high. Working with a teacher though who can provide guidance is always helpful though!

James Myers okay. Thanks for the tips. For vocal coach, that one is so out (cos there is not any around here)....so thanks for the tips.

Nyarko Agyekum I love belting too

Thank you so much for watching my video and for your question. Developing one's mixed voice can be very challenging. An exercise that you might consider trying: Sing and sustain a pitch in your head voice in the lower part of your range. You can use a number of different vowel sounds but try an "Ah" vowel first. Practice sustaining this pitch in head voice and then transition to singing the same pitch with more chest voice connection. Move back and forth on the "Ah" vowel on this pitch between your head voice and chest voice. In the beginning, it's very likely that you will experience a yodel, crack or some sort of break i the sound. That is okay. Make sure to practice this first in the lower part of your range to avoid unnecessary vocal strain. Practice this on different vowel sounds and going up and down the scale, but don't go too high or too low at this stage. Try to move back and forth between head voice and chest voice quickly at first but then later experiment with moving more slowly. Notice what you feel your body doing as you switch between head voice and chest voice. Work to maintain consistent breath support from the lower abdomen while performing this exercise. Make sure that the lower breath support is felt all around your body (360 degrees) including the lower back. I hope this helps and best wishes to you with your singing. For those interested, I'm available for online video voice lessons if you contact me at www.jamesmyers.com

Great suggestion! Thanks for watching!

So, did u pass your audition?

Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comment!

Hi there, thanks for your question. It's very common in the beginning to feel like one is forcing the chest voice a bit and straining. It can feel like the head voice and chest voice are completely different elements that are separated by a brick wall! You want to work on finding ways to connect the two parts of your voice so that it becomes much smoother switching back and forth between head voice and chest voice. That can mean finding higher front resonance in the chest voice. Making sure that you are guiding the sensation of resonance into the "Mask" (the bridge of the nose, cheekbones, forehead etc.) while maintaining steady breath support and airflow. Experiment with getting both louder and softer while singing a held note in the lower middle part of your belted range. See if you can make the belted voice a little softer while still maintaining a connection to the chest voice. Then crescendo and make it a bit louder without forcing. It's okay if in the beginning you can't go very high yet. Try to be patient with the development. As you go higher with the belted range, understand that the sound should start to feel a little "higher and brighter" and that it might lose some of it's darkness and thickness that the sound has in the bottom of the range. You still need to fully support and use adequate breath! The breath support should always be fully engaged even when singing softly. You should have a feeling of expansion in the ribcage as well as the lower abdomen while sustaining the sound. Also work on strengthening the bottom part of your head voice. While this doesn't directly work the chest voice and belted range, it will help connect the registers of your voice. Make sure you can take your head voice down low smoothly and comfortably. Experiment on a low pitch in your head voice and go back and forth between head voice and chest voice as you hold the note. It's okay if in the beginning there is a big break. The goal though is to try and switch back and forth between head voice and chest voice (on this low note in your range) as smoothly as you can. By doing this, you will begin to identify the thread of sound that connects the different registers and how to negotiate the change as you sing higher. I hope this gives you a few things to consider. I always recommend finding a reputable voice teacher who can guide you through exercises and give you direct feedback on your sound and technique. Thank you very much for watching my video and best wishes to you with your singing. James

Thanks so much for watching and for the kind words!

Pizza Is life take classical singing for a while.

Jennie Mortimer this is possibly the most harmful advice you can give. The breath is the foundation of singing, and the way to breathe for singing is not natural to our human needs. Most significantly, doing it wrong can lead not just to in inability to sing with support, but can lead to injury and serious vocal damage. The breath is the last thing you want to let take care of itself

Pizza Is life I can give you some tricks to relieve tension if you'd like. As well as pointers on breathing. Breathing is the foundation of correct singing and must be mastered for good singing

Furthermore the diaphragm is an interior muscle used for inhalation which we have no active control over. We do not sing from the diaphragm. The diaphragm is used when we inhale but we do not control it. We do not sing from any one thing. It is more accurate to say we sing from our entire body, particularly our torso. The torso and upper jaw do the vast majority of the muscle work. It is crucial to learn and then practice and perfect a proper inhale and exhale. Learning to relieve tension is hard to a lot of people but there are lots of tricks to accomplish the job. Imagining singing every single vowel while thinking about an EH (as in bed) and a deep OO can really help get rid of tongue and throat tension, because the EH vowel is where the tongue is naturally in a relaxed state for good singing. We create different vowels not just with the tongue, but with shaping the larynx. Try it. Say EH, then change from EH to an AH vowel while keeping the tongue in the same place. The deep OO helps open the throat and when thought about during high notes can keep the larynx down. But the foundation is in the inhale and exhale. Without mastering things, our singing can only be decent at best and permanently damaged at worst

Jennie Mortimer please don't. Your advice to let the breath take care of itself is a sign to run far far away

So glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!

@@jamesmyersvoice :D

Ingo Titze, a voice scientist, and Jeannette Lovetri a noted voice teacher of belting styles, have also noted that the larynx appears to rise a little higher when ascending through the scale in a belted voice. For my own teaching, I rarely advise a student to raise their larynx as very often an inexperienced singer will begin constricting the throat when trying to actively raise their larynx. I prefer to address breath support issues and body tension alignment issues. If a teacher has success by advising a student to raise their larynx while belting then that is good news indeed for both the teacher and student. I did not mention it in this video because it's not a large part of my teaching style and also the fact that we were limited for time. I may perhaps choose to address the topic in future videos. I'm thankful for you comment so I can briefly address it in writing. It should be noted that for classical singing styles, the larynx must assume a lowered position. This lowered larynx position must be achieved without depressing the back of the tongue. The tongue must stay soft and flexible as the larynx descends in classical singing styles.

Flower crown Aholic not everyone has to have a vibrato. I honestly hate that classical pushes those who font naturally have one to fake it. It ends up sounding overdone and unnatural. She sounded fine without it

A lot of them actually do have vibrato, just not every single note which balances it nicely

Thanks for watching and for your comment and question. So my student here was fortunate in that from the beginning she had pretty reliable access to a "mixed-voice"/"mixed-belt" kind of sound. She could also produce the belted sound with more chest voice present in the sound, but by bringing in the head voice quality and blending it with her chest voice, she was able to sing belting repertoire with a more balanced sound and the sound put less stress on the vocal folds. So, how to achieve it? It definitely takes time and patience. I always recommend singers and viewers of this video to find a qualified voice teacher in their area who can work with them and monitor their development. I would say that for many singers you have to make sure that the part of the range between your lower chest voice and the beginning of your head voice becomes as free as possible with good breath support. For many singers in the beginning, it can feel like their is a wall or a separation between the "heavier" sound of the chest voice and the more "slender" sound of the head voice. One has to find ways to make the heavy chest voice sound a bit more slender while still keeping it supported with the breath while also making sure that the more "slender" head voice sound doesn't become "too breathy". I had one teacher say it's like two separate pieces of wood in the beginning that we glue together. In the beginning, the place where we glued the two pieces of wood together is very obvious. Overtime, we work to sand the rough edges down where the two pieces of wood are connected until we can no longer see where the separation was and it now looks like one, seamless piece of wood. It takes time, patience and good guidance. Work on taking a single note in the lower part of your range say around the pitch, D4. Sing it first in your head voice. Then sing it in your chest voice. Then work on sliding on this single pitch back and forth between your head voice and chest voice sound. Keep the breath supported and try to feel the sensation of when it changes from one register to another. If you can identify this sensation and then work towards extending this upwards in your range half step by half step, then you may well be on the right track. All of this should be monitored though by an experienced voice teacher. I hope this helps a little and thank you again for watching this video! Best wishes to you with your singing!! James

@@jamesmyersvoice okay thank you so much!! im working with a voice teacher currently and we work on my mix but i'm looking for ways to make it better even though i think i have a good foundation right now. thank you!!

Hi Rachel, thank you so much for watching my video and for your comment. It sounds like you are doing some great work already and I admire your desire to continue to improve. With belting, in the beginning it can often feel like there is a real divide between our chest voice and head voice. I sometimes compare it to having two completely different pieces of wood that we have glued together. Overtime we want to metaphoircally sand the two different pieces of wood, smoothing out the rough edges overtime until the two separate pieces of wood become one seamless piece of wood where you can't see or tell where we glued them together. So the question is, how do we do that as it relates to the voice and belting specifically? From what you write above, I think you may be on the right track. You want to continue to strengthen the head voice particularly the lower and middle parts of your head voice where it connects to the chest voice. Make sure you are fully supporting your head voice with good breath energy and lower diaphragm engagement. While it's great to keep developing power, volume and energy with your belted chest range, experiment with making the belted voice less intense when you can. Always keep the breath support fully engaged but see if you can find ways to take a feeling of extraneous muscle out of the throat. An exercise you can do with both your chest voice and head voice is to choose a specific pitch, begin it softly and then crescendo (get louder) until you are singing a comfortable forte (loudly) and then decrescendo (get softer) until you are back to singing with the original soft volume level. Do this all on one breath and try to make it as smooth and legato as you possibly can. A second exercise which may prove helpful is to begin a pitch in your belted chest range and sustain it (hold it) but as you hold it, transition to your head voice on that same pitch without stopping the sound. In the beginning the transition may be a little rough or it may crack. The goal it to over time practice this so you can go back and forth between your chest voice and head voice and make the bridge between the two voice feel more steady and connected. For this exercise begin in the lower part of your range and take it up into the middle part of your range. Having a teacher to guide you through this and who would be able to listen to you and make comments would be most helpful. I know the current situation with the world is making that difficult. But, if your family is willing, online video lessons might be a good option. While in person lessons might be preferred, there's plenty of good work that can be accomplished through video voice lessons. I hope this is helpful and best wishes to you with your singing and performing.

Thank you so much for your question. The song, "Wishing you were somehow here again" from Phantom of the Opera is one of my favorite songs for the female voice. It should be noted that that song does not feature any belting or chest voice style singing but is a great piece that requires a well supported pure head voice in the "legit" soprano range. Work on singing with pure Italian vowels. The character Christine is an opera singer so make sure that the vowels are tall/vertical and well formed. Think of the pure Italian vowels like Ah, Eh, Eee, Oh, and Ooh. Work to make sure that the breath is fully supported with an intake of air that feels like it goes low into your body. From a character point of view, try to convey the sense of loss as well as hope that Christine feels at different points in the song. Try to show a progression of growth from mourning to hopefulness as you sing the song. Best wishes in your work and with your performance of the song!

It can vary from individual to individual, but when belting in the upper part of one's range, the singer tends to feel the resonance and/or vibration higher in the mask of the face. Some singers even describe feeling resonance/vibration out the top of their head. When belting in the lower part of one's range, the resonance/vibration is more often felt lower in the chest, though even when in the low part of the range, it is helpful to mentally guide the sound and resonance toward the mask. Thank you so much for watching the video!

@@jamesmyersvoice Hi. I am new to singing with technical terms. Can you please tell me, a novice, what "mask of the face" is? Thank you!!

@@penelopejoann Hi Penelope thanks for your question. So the "mask" refers to the hard surfaces of your face such as the bridge of the nose, the cheekbones the brow line above the eyes and the forehead. Singing in the mask refers to feeling some vibration in these hard surfaces of the face/skull while singing. Those who promote singing in the mask say you want to guide the sound and the vibrations towards the front of the face where these hard surfaces are. All this being said, there are many excellent singers who say they don't feel any vibration at all in the mask when they sing. When a voice teacher advises a singer to place the sound more in the "mask", they are generally saying to keep the sound forward and out of the back of the throat. When a sound that the singer is producing sounds muffled or "throaty", often times the back of the tongue is being tensed and causing the vocal folds in the larynx (your voice box) to become tense. The "ee" vowel is the most forward sounding vowel and perhaps the easiest vowel to feel "forward resonance" in the "mask". Take caution though that in your attempt to keep the sound forward and out of the throat, that you don't go too far toward an extreme and cause the sound to become nasal. This is why recording oneself or having an outside pair of ears in the form of a professional voice teacher can be very helpful! I hope this information is helpful to you and best wishes to you with your singing. James

I don't like the nasal sound, either. It doesn't sound like belting at all to me. I'm used to the opposite ends of the spectrum, however, pop on one end, choral on the other. A nasal sound sticks out badly in a crowd. But maybe there's a balance I there somewhere. I so wish I had a vocal teacher right now...

Haha I’m the opposite. I adore Kristin Chenoworth and nasally belts. But I love musicals so... :) But she sang both beautifully with minimal strain!

If it sounds nasal it means the placement is not good. In fact using a chestier coordinatins it's easyer to become more nasal.

The way you describe sounds potentially damaging, and notably heavier. I think even though this particular sound may not be ideal, I believe for women it is the most ideal from a singing standpoint. Whitney Houston was a spinto soprano able to push her voice harder than many others. Adele has damaging technique and required surgery. The tone may be boring, and perhaps overly bright because there's no lowering of the larynx to darken the proper brightness that occurs in a well produced natural soprano timbre, but this is a very light, resonant, and healthy vocal production and very healthy belting. I agree she needs more chest, but this is chest resonance which comes from laryngeal resonance, but the singing should stay quite the same as here, just possibly with some darkness introduced. However, of course this is not to taste of theater, as they sing females especially with a neutral larynx position, hence the very bright sound. It's not nasal. Nasal sing is quite undesirable, not just for tone, but it inherently introduces tension to the vocal mechanism.

The term "mixed voice" you are referring to is misleading. We only have two main vocal mechanics, M1 and M2. There's no mixed voice. There is mixed RESONANCE, or balancing out the chiaro or bright tones with oscuro or darkness through more laryngeal resonance, which requires the larynx to be in a lower position. Unfortunately this balance is not to taste in musical theater. This kind of sound is then actually ideal, if it is not to your taste. I myself prefer opera, because they balance chiaroscuro perfectly for said voice type, as well as for maximum resonance. You just have to accept this is the healthiest and most in taste sound often found in musical theater. Some soprano roles in some shows will have the soprano singing more balanced resonance, however it'd probably be odd to ask this song to be sung with more balanced resonance simply because it's not in alignment with the character or the intention of the piece

Hi Tiffany, thank you very much for watching the video and for your question. It sounds like you are doing some good work already and I have a few thoughts which might be helpful. The range you describe yourself having is a very good and normal range for a singer your age. It sounds like you're right where you need to be. It's not uncommon for female singers in their early teens to feel that the lower part of their range is a little weak and airy. When you practice, work on getting a nice steady stream of breath and airflow when you're singing in the lower part of your range. Do this with an understanding that the lower part of your range might continue to sound a little weak and airy but will most likely gain some strength and volume as you get older. Yes there are some female voices your age that have a lot of volume in the lower part of the range but that's not necessarily typical. It could be that your voice will develop more in the soprano range as opposed to the mezzo soprano or alto range. It's still early to pick a classification though so stay open minded. Your voice may deepen and darken or you may find that the upper part of your range continues to strengthen and expand. Or perhaps some combination of both! My advice would be to keep most of your focus for now on strengthening your head voice and making it smooth and balanced. If you want to practice belting then that's great, but I probably wouldn't spend the majority of your time working that range. I know that can sometimes be easier said than done because a lot of modern musical theatre repertoire is written in the belted musical theatre style. Again, feel free to experiment with belting as you feel comfortable, but make sure that you don't resort to screaming or practice belting in the extreme upper range for excessive lengths of time. You say that your belted range tops out around F5 or G5 which is a normal transition point. As you approach these notes in your belted range, you want to experiment with ways to lighten the sound, bring it forward in terms or resonance, while still maintaining a connection to your chest voice. It will be very important to keep the breath support engaged while feeling the resonance of the sound travel higher and higher up through the mask. In terms of your voice type, it sounds like you are most likely a young soprano, but as I said earlier, keep an open mind if you find your voice starts to develop in a different direction as you get older. There is wonderful repertoire available for light soprano musical theatre voices like roles from Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals like Cinderella, Sound of Music, Oklahoma, Carousel and more. Perhaps explore some songs from this repertoire and see if it suits you. If you are able to find a voice teacher who can monitor your work and progress, then that would be most helpful as well. I hope this post has been helpful and thanks again for watching and commenting. Best wishes to you with your singing!

@@jamesmyersvoice ok thank you so much. I will keep this all in mind while singing ❤

Hello Kristin, thanks for your question. If you're a high soprano, then G3 is a pretty respectable note for your low range. If you're looking to improve the quality of your low range below C4, I would start with exercises that access the lower end of your speaking voice. Start with the vowel sound "e" (rhymes with bay, say, pay etc.). Take this vowel and intone it in your speaking voice on a comfortably low note in your range. Then try sliding on that pitch both up and down while maintaining a strong breath connection. When first trying this, don't slide over too wide of a range. Keep the slide in a narrow voice range and try to project the voice with a full breath. When you feel comfortable with this, try sliding up a little higher and lower. If you need to transition into head voice as you slide higher, that is fine. Work on making the transition between head and chest voice as smooth as you can by maintaining consistent airflow without any gaps in the breath. This should be done with a relaxed open throat and make sure to avoid strain. I hope this helps as a start. It's always beneficial if you can find a voice teacher in your area to listen and provide guidance as you practice. Thanks for watching the video!

Thank you!

As a high soprano you might be better off simply accepting a modicum of modesty in your lower range. You can add more power by way of more breath pressure, and pushing more and more from your pelvic floor muscles (these will not introduce tension or an overly heavy tone) progressively as you dip into your low range. As a high soprano for the sake of retaining the lightness and elasticity in the voice it might simply be best to accept your voice is not naturally specialized to wow with low notes, so trying to do so could potentially throw the development of your voice and it's strengths out of balance

One song is called, "Fancy Meeting You Here" from a musical called Lucky Stiff and the other song is called, "Fly Away" from the musical Catch Me if You Can. Thanks for watching!

It's a song called "Fancy Meeting You Here" from a musical called Lucky Stiff. Thanks so much for watching!

Hi Esther, thanks so much for viewing my video and for your question. It's hard to say for sure without hearing you, but based on your description above, here are some thoughts I have. I suspect your tonsil area starts to ache because the vocal folds are not vibrating in the most efficient manner possible and the extra effort you are currently producing is taking a toll on the surrounding tissue and musculature of your pharynx causing a feeling of a sore tonsil area. While singing does require effort and muscular engagement, I think you should work to find ways to lessen excess tension in the voice when belting and make the whole process more efficient. Of course, this can take time and can be challenging. You describe straining the voice or having to sing very quietly in your head voice to sing certain notes. At the moment, it sounds like the gap between your head voice singing and chest voice singing feels very large. Over time you need to work to bring in more power and core to your head voice and bring more lightness and flexibility to your chest voice. This can take time but with consistent practice you can achieve this. One exercise that I like to use is singing a single pitch on a vowel like "Ah" (you can use any vowel you wish but let's start with "Ah") and sliding on that same pitch back and forth between your head voice and chest voice. Try to choose a pitch that is not too high in your range for this exercise. Practice moving both quickly and slowly on the pitch between your head voice and chest voice. In the beginning, the transition between head voice and chest voice will probably be very rough and you will get a "yodel" sound. Try to keep the breath support very engaged in your lower abdomen and keep thinking very high in terms of resonance placement. The sound of course comes from the vocal folds in the larynx but many singers experience success when they use their mind to guide the vibration or resonance of the sound higher in to the mask (the bridge of the nose, cheekbones and forehead) while singing. Also work to make sure that your lips, tongue and jaw remain flexible and unstrained. Channel the effort and support into the lower abdomen. I hope this helps and best wishes to you with your singing. James Myers, www.jamesmyers.com

Hi there, thanks so much for watching my video. Here are some thoughts I have in answer to your question. Let's begin by thinking of the chest (belted) voice and head voice being 2 separate pieces of wood that we have glued or nailed together. In the beginning, the "seam" or connection between the 2 separate pieces of wood is very obvious, noticeable and perhaps a bit rough and uneven. Overtime though, through vocal training and exercises, we attempt to sand and smooth the connection between the two voices, or in this case pieces of wood, so that it becomes, one seamless piece of wood. In other words, we've smoothed it out so much that we can no longer tell where the "seam" or rough connecting piece previously was. So how do we do this? You mention that you think your belted voice is a bit too shouty. Work in the lower and middle part of your belt on finding ways to take muscle out of the sound and replace it with increased breath support. This may mean that in the short term you're not able to go as high in your belt but that's okay. The sound needs to become much more focused in terms of high mask sensation resonance (cheekbones, bridge of nose, forehead) while now overblowing the sound. You want to fully support it and keep your breath support consistent, but try not to have it be your loudest possible sound. It doesn't have to be a soft sound! But you should try to find a way to use the breath in such a way in your lower belted range to sing with power and energy but not push beyond 90 percent effort. On the other end of the spectrum, work to get more volume and edge to the sound in the lower part of your head voice. Work to make sure that the lower part of your head voice is not too breathy sounding. By increasing the strength of the lower part of your head voice, this will help you to in time match it more easily to the sound of your chest voice. Another good idea is to work scales that move rapidly between head voice and chest voice. In other words, force the voice to make this shift quickly. In the beginning the shift between head voice and chest voice won't be smooth but keep working it in a rapid fire manner. It can take a lot of time and practice. Sometimes playing around with funny voices in the speaking voice can be helpful for singers. Find a lighter and forward placement of your speaking voice in the belted range and attempt to slide the voice up and down. For most people there's not a quick magic fix. There are exceptions where some people do luck in to finding their mixed voice quickly or who for one reason or another have access to it naturally without much practice. Most singers however do have to work at this element a bit. I think the singer Liz Callaway is a great example of a Broadway belter who singers with a great balance of both power and smoothness. She has a great mixed voice sound and always seems to be in control of her voice. There's no substitution for finding a good voice teacher who can listen to you in real time and make suggestions. I'm available for online lessons at the moment and can be reached through my website at www.jamesmyers.com. I hope this provides some help and best wishes to you with your singing!

It can be called different names by different teachers. I like to call it: "mixed-voice belt". Thank you for your question!

Thank you really much for your quick answer. I really like this video and the technique !!

Hi Eliza, thank you for your question. When one is required to engage in demanding choreography onstage I think it is normal that one might feel out of breath. Unfortunately when one is out of breath it is very difficult to efficiently engage the necessary breath support for healthy free singing. To fix this I would recommend doing all that you can to make sure your cardio vascular health is as fit as it possibly can be. This doesn't mean you have to sign up for a marathon, just make sure that you are involved in consistent exercise during the week that allows you to develop increased lung capacity and stamina. Also, keep reminding yourself to breathe low into your body. Very often dancers are trained to keep their abdomens sucked in and tight which can be counterproductive for healthy and efficient singing. Make sure you are feeling expansion of the ribcage and lower body all the way around when taking a breath in before singing. I would also make sure to practice singing your repertoire with the required choreography when outside of rehearsal. If you are already doing all this, then perhaps it is a matter of overly demanding stage activity. Some directors are not open to changing the blocking but if you have a demanding song to sing if might be helpful to mention to the director/choreographer that in the moments before you begin to sing it might be beneficial to have simpler movement. In the opera world it is rare to see elaborate dance moves performed while a demanding aria is being sung. In musical theatre there is a wide range of what is required of singers movement wise.

James Myers Thank you very much for the advice, I'll start running more than twice a week to fix this

A little over a year ago I did the musical footloose , a very dance heavy show, to keep my self in shape to be able to sing full out while dancing full out too I would sing while I walked home from school at a quick pace. It helps your lungs get used to taking bigger breaths while you are tired

I’m in musical theater and what i do is when practicing songs i run in place, so then i get used to it. then i practice with the choreography. love ur profile pic/name btw

Lavender green Oh thanks! Btw you part of the fandom?

Thank you so much for your kind comment! I'm glad you enjoyed the video and found it helpful. Best wishes!

Joantiech You can't alter a piano's volume normally.

I agree

@@lmpossibieeunoia9910 Well you can play softer, and he was, at least in the video - may be different in that room, overpowering her.

Thank you commenting. What you ask is related to the age old question of can anyone sing? Can anyone belt? It's a difficult question to answer. My opinion is anyone can get better at singing and anyone can get better at belting. With belting though, I have found through teaching that there are some people whose voices seem more naturally suited toward that style from the beginning of their training. Conversely, there are several singers whose voices are better suited in the beginning of their training to singing in more of a classical "head voice" dominant style. Whether you are singing in a belted style or a head voice style, I think the most important foundational element is learning how to fully support the voice with the breath. Feeling the inhalation of air low in the body and then maintaining an expanded sensation through the lower body and ribcage as the breath is released and you produce sound.

thank you for answering! i just wish i could experience the feeling of belting one day =)

Thanks for your question. There's no substitute for working in person with a voice teacher. I always recommend that right from the beginning. I also believe that it's important for singers interested in belting to make sure they are also developing their head voice technique. Learning to support the breath fully and smoothly in your head voice singing will help you when you begin developing your belt voice. For belt voice, I would experiment with inflecting your speaking voice up and down in a range that feels comfortable. Try speaking aloud the text of a song in a well projected voice and move the voice up and down within a narrow range of the the lower part of your chest voice. Make sure as you do this that you are taking a low breath and keeping your throat, shoulders, neck, tongue and jaw all as relaxed as possible. Next, take a vowel sound, (Ah, Aay, Ee, Oh, Ooh) and try sliding the voice up and down in your chest range. Think of guiding the sound forward toward the bridge of the nose. Try to establish a sensation of the sound "riding the breath". As you begin to move higher, make sure the jaw is relaxed and allow it to drop and open the mouth a bit more. I hope this helps get you started. It's best to begin practice with a helpful ear and pair of eyes in front of you to guide you if you get off track. Thanks so much for your comment and best wishes for your future singing!

Hi Alex, thanks for your comment. It's hard to address this without hearing you but I will do my best to provide some things to consider. We all have parts of our ranges that feel more comfortable than others. You mention that you feel most relaxed between A4 and C6. This leads me to believe that you are most comfortable singing in your head voice. You want to take note of what your breath support feels like for you when you are singing comfortably in this part of your range with your head voice. Ideally you want to feel the same feeling of supported breath release in your lower range and when belting as well. As an exercise, try humming on an "Ng" sound, (as in the end of the word "hung). Hum the "Ng" sound in the lower part of your range while feeling as much breath support in your lower body as you would when singing a high note in head voice. Once this feels comfortable, try transitioning from the "Ng" sound to one of the 5 Italian Vowels (Ah, Eh, Ee, Oh, or Ooh) without having a gap in your great flow. You can use this exercise in your head voice as well, but try to start with it lower in your range if you wish to develop your chest voice or belt style voice. I hope this helps!

No whistle classes I'm afraid.

It’s not healthy 😆

lol alright thanks

Nattan Thumarin If done properly it is perfectly healthy, but many people do it improperly without knowing and then they damage their vocal cords.

When she and I were working together we had her sing the Sondheim song, "Another Hundred People" which is an uptempo from Company. I like your suggestion of finding some Sondheim ballads for her to sing. She's currently singing in college so I'm sure she'll have the opportunity to do that. Thanks for watching and for your comment!

Hi there, thanks for watching!

Nothing wrong with being an enthusiastic viewer or member of the audience! That being said, don't let a lack of a big range at present discourage you from continuing to explore and develop your voice. Best wishes to you and thank you so much for watching the video!

Yes indeed, I would agree with that. The air pressure is sometimes described as feeling concentrated and compressed. She could have perhaps used language that was more clear but then again she was only 18 when this was filmed and that was an honest reaction of what she was personally feeling in that moment. I will be glad to further clarify this point in future videos. Best wishes!