The Belt Voice in R&B/Soul Singing: Vocal Characteristics & Physiology
Tuesday 4th November 2025, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (London Time)
This course offers a deep dive into the vocal artistry and biomechanics of R&B/soul singing, with a particular focus on the belt voice—a powerful and expressive vocal technique central to the genre. Drawing from over 80 years of stylistic evolution, the course explores how R&B/soul singing has shaped contemporary commercial music and investigates the unique vocal traits that define its sound.
Through a blend of artistic analysis and scientific inquiry, this course examines the belt voice as a core characteristic of R&B/soul performance. The course presents findings from a global survey of industry experts and pedagogues who evaluated performances by five pioneering R&B/soul vocalists. These insights reveal that belting is not only a defining feature but also the most technically demanding aspect of the style.
Building on this foundation, perspectives from leading vocal coaches and performers are introduced, highlighting the distinct timbral qualities of R&B/soul belting compared to traditional musical theatre techniques. The final section delves into groundbreaking physiological research, including CT scans of vocalists during belted and comfortable pitches. These scans uncover critical data on vocal fold lengthening, laryngeal positioning, and pharyngeal wall mobility—offering a new understanding of the biomechanical demands of R&B/soul belting.
By integrating expert interviews, acoustic analysis, and advanced imaging, this course provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and teaching R&B/soul singing. It is ideal for vocalists, educators, and researchers seeking to master the belt voice while maintaining vocal health and stylistic authenticity.
🏷️ Price £30 (UK VAT inclusive)
🎥 Recording automatically sent to all who book (even if you cannot attend live)
▶️ Rewatch as many times as you like
📜 Certificate of attendance available
Dr Matt Allen
Dr Matt Allen is a professional singer active on the Australian music scene, having worked with renowned artists such as Guy Sebastian, Tina Arena, Drapht, and Christine Anu. He has toured nationally and internationally, performing at events like Canadian Music Week, the Americana Festival, and in the UK, New York, and Singapore.
Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.
Learn MoreSorry, this is an archived short course...
We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.
Tuesday 5th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 12th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 19th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 26th May 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 2nd June 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday 9th June 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
Music Theory Fundamentals for Voice Pedagogues
Dr David Cane
Voice pedagogy has advanced significantly in the last decades in relation to knowledge of the vocal apparatus (anatomy and mechanics), acoustics, and performance psychology (to name just a few subfields) – this is a wonderful thing! Nonetheless, musicianship and the foundations of music theory are still relevant to the teaching and coaching of singers and this course aims to empower voice teachers and coaches with skills to support the fundamental musicianship development of their students.
Thursday 14th May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Friday 15th May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
The Vocal Health Challenges for Actors and Singers!
Leda Scearce
Two part course! Vocal health principles are inextricably and symbiotically linked with singing and acting voice pedagogy: Good vocal health allows the singer and actor to more easily and effectively achieve their technical and artistic goals, and good teaching reinforces vocal technique that diminishes the risk of vocal injury. We now also recognize the necessity for singers and actors to understand how their instruments work, how to take care of their voices, and what to do when something goes wrong. Singing and acting teachers are indeed on the front lines of vocal health!
Tuesday 19th May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Staging A Coup: History meets science for the coup de la glotte!
Kourtney Austin
Historical vocal pedagogy, voice science, voice health, and performance practice come together in this presentation from Kourtney Austin! The session addresses the historical context for teaching the onset as a fundamental skill, along with a review of a recent publication examining the acoustic effects of different types of onset, and practical studio implementation of onset training. The aforementioned publication is the first known research to objectively measure the acoustic implications of the coup de la glotte, and delineate it from the hard glottal attack.