Fach Your Belt, Belt Your Fach!

Okay, now that I have your attention!!!

Two big questions in singing: what’s your fach? when do you belt?

The answer is actually the same for both: it depends.

I am bringing both up, because we often do combine both these terms - in thought anyway. And in theatre.

This is going to be a series of blog posts to get into some detail and possibility, so let’s begin!

First and foremost, what is belt? is it a voice type?

Again, it depends. You will get a different answer, and way of description from everybody you ask.

I can only share with you what I know to be true in my own voice, and in the voices that have worked with me over my 30+ years of teaching.

Is belt a voice type?

No. However, it is developed through your voice type. More on that later.

What is belt really?

It’s a vocal intensity that informs an emotional intensity and a higher emotional relief and release in the character’s intention in a song/role.

This means, an entire song is not belted. That would mean one gear and no nuance musically, vocally and dramatically. We don’t build and structure a character or a phrase that way, so why would we put that kind of vocal intensity into it?

I love what Dr Matt Edwards, at Shenandoah University, has to say. And if you don’t follow him on the socials, you should. He has great content!

He talks about the mechanics of belt as a spectrum from light through medium to heavy. I love that. What it does is allow each and every voice structure to discover what belt is in their voice and with their instrument.

This allows a singer to discover what their mechanism is best suited to do right now; what it might be able to achieve as it stabilizes and develops; what it needs to find that stabilization and coordination.

I talk about and teach functional technical behavior - which is working with what you have and making it as balanced, supple, accessible and resonant as possible. I also talk about and teach stylistic technical behavior - which then gets into more nuance of how to access the sounds a certain style requires. Stylistic behavior has to reside within the functional behavior or the entire thing can break down!

What is fach? It’s a German word that means “compartment”. It was created to classify opera singers into voice types and their corresponding repertoire.

Fach has a spectrum too. It has to.

Nobody fits into a box. We are not replicas of each other. We each bring our unique and authentic ability to our work.

So, the idea of spectrum in voice type/character type/archetype and how it all combines together is crucial. Recognizing what your instrument does, or could do, and how your dramatic intention informs the story telling, will allow you to discover what you will sing with authenticity, integrity and ease.

Stay tuned for more as we discover together what is possible!