What Is The Singingbelt
Breathing For Singing Made Easy
Created by critically acclaimed singer/songwriter and vocal coach Ruth Gerson, the Singingbelt is an innovative training device made of adjustable nylon straps that is worn to teach the singer how to use the diaphragm and master breath support.
Its unique design targets the muscles of the lower half of the rib cage and back without constricting the abdominal wall. It helps the singer quickly understand how to maintain the diaphragm in a flattened position and keep a reservoir of air in the lungs where it’s needed.
Breath support can seem mysterious, because the singer is manipulating air, which is invisible, with a muscle in the body that can’t be seen or felt the same way as the touch of a hand.
Without understanding how the diaphragm works, many vocalists push and strain the voice, especially as they attempt to sustain or hit the high notes. Singers may stick out their chests, flex their abs, grip the jaw or push out their bellies in an uncomfortable position. This doesn’t work.
Controlling the diaphragm is easy to understand using the Singingbelt, because the singer can immediately see, hear and feel when s/he is in maintaining the air in the lungs and not giving the breath away.
With the Singingbelt System and vocal warm-up techniques, the vocalist can learn to sing with a steady, even breath, in order to balance and place the voice, achieving control over the entire vocal range, improving pitch, bridging resonances and creating beautiful tone.
Ruth is an exceptional singer with a powerful and expressive voice. She is insightful and intelligent and has a great gift for sharing her knowledge of the voice and songwriting with her students. The Singingbelt is ingenious. I’ve seen Ruth work with a singer for an hour and get the results we needed in the studio immediately.
– Rick Chertoff (five time Grammy-nominated producer, Cindy Lauper, Joan Osborne, Sophie B. Hawkins