Acting in Plays, Singing/Female vocal range--LOW!

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Expert: - 11/24/2008


Question
Hello, Sean.  You sound very knowledgeable and experienced, and also kind enough to share your perspective with novices, so I thought I'd run an unusual question past you.

I am a 55-year-old female who has sung all her life.  I have always had an unusually low voice for a female.  When I was young, I was embarrassed about my voice because my upper range--the place where girls were "supposed" to sing--was weak and not very pretty. I was never able to audition for lead roles in musical theatre because all the songs were pitched too high for me.  But I was a good choir and chorus member (good sense of pitch and accuracy, decent sight-reader), so I sang in the chorus in shows and sang 2nd alto in choirs.  

Fast forward a few decades. . . I'm now a member of a university community and again sing in the choir, but now as a tenor (in fact, Tenor II).  I also have a sideline as a performing songwriter.  I finally came to terms with my low voice and learned that people actually like it!  I get frequent positive comments on my "husky, barroom" voice.  (Whatever.)  And my voice has gotten lower over the years, which I understand is normal.

Now to the question.  This fall, I've been dealing with some health symptoms that have so far diagnosed a benign thyroid nodule and pointed to the possibility of Sjogren's Syndrome.  The strange thing is that my voice seems to be "dropping" even further.  The other day I was singing to my cat, and hearing myself, I thought, "Hmm. . . that sounds pretty low--think I'll check what that note is" (not having perfect pitch).  I checked and it was an A flat below low C.  And that wasn't the bottom--I sang down to a low E!!!  In the recent past, my lowest note with any singable volume was a B flat.  My range appears to have dropped nearly a whole fifth! (I do notice that this varies from day to day, however.) And, correspondingly, the upper notes (top is C5-D5) are more difficult for me to sing consistently, and the break feels lower, around middle C.  Here's the question:  WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MY VOICE????  I don't mind having a low voice--I've accepted it and kind of like it--but this is getting ridiculous!  I don't want to be a freak!  According to what I read on your website, I'm approaching the transition zone from tenor to baritone!  Do you have any idea what might be happening?  I appreciate your insights and any thoughts you might have.

Gypsy


Answer
Hey, Gypsy –

Thank you for the question.

Nowhere is it written that women of any age are "supposed to" sing in any range other than what their Creator gave them.

One of my legitimate contraltos sings to the B-flat below Bass C.  Another went to the G below that.  On a vocal demo both sound beautifully warm and totally feminine.  So – love your voice and wallow in your vocal range.

Women in your vocal category seldom have "lead" roles in Broadway musicals.  Where the composers make them shine are in such supporting roles as "Frau Schneider" (CABARET), "Mrs. Meers" (THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE), "Joanne" (COMPANY), "Vera" (MAME) – all of which you are certainly eligible for today.  Now it's just about working with a vocal coach such as myself to help you re-learn and balance out the rest of your range.

As far as what you may be experiencing medically – I cannot comment on that.  Nevertheless, as a professional singer and singing teacher I know that keeping yourself in top physical condition and altering your diet in order to make your body available for physical activity and the rigors of sustaining any of the roles mentioned above – is a choice.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  To book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List – http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/937687538.html
I am also the fine arts critc for SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.

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Acting in Plays, Singing

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Sean Martinfield

Expertise

I am a professional vocal coach in San Francisco. In addition to answers from a previous web site (Askme.com - where my "tag" was "VocalCoach") I have published over 2000 responses related to vocal training - particularly as it relates to Musical Theatre and Opera. I have 24 years of experience as Personal Trainer to singers and actors in the San Francisco Bay Area. I sang professionally for 20 years and know what it means to live the life of a musician. I can determine your voice category, i.e., Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Alto Belter, etc., and how to broaden and strengthen your range. Need an audition song for a Broadway Musical? I will give you suggestions that are appropriate to your vocal category and to requirements specified in the audition notice. I have also created a vocal methodology, "The Belter`s Method". It will enable those in Musical Theatre to practice more efficiently because it focuses on the demands of professional performers as well as to those auditioning for school and community productions, and as University and Conservatory performing arts majors. If what you want is a better voice and more control over your career moves and choices, contact me. Also, as the Editor of SanFranciscoSentinel.com, it is my privilege to review productions at the San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony, as well as Broadway National Tours booked into San Francisco's Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theatres. I also review works by A.C.T (the American Conservatory Theatre) and Magic Theatre. I cover select films, tributes and retrospects, and various international film festivals – particulary those booked into The City's opulent Castro Theatre – including the LGBT Frameline Festival, International Film Festival, Silent Film Festival, Jewish Film Festival, etc. For private vocal instruction, I can be contacted through SanFranciscoSentinel.com. Look under: Seán Martinfield, Sentinel Editor and Publisher.

Experience

As a vocal coach, I work primarily with singers and actors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My students range from absolute beginners to working professionals, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens. The vast majority of my clients come to me through recommendation. I know how to identify any singer's vocal category, i.e., soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, etc. I know how to muscle-up every singer's vocal range and to expand it beyond conventional definitions. I have developed a vocal methodology for those who want to know how to belt, THE BELTER'S METHOD. As a singer who spent half of his career doing Bel Canto, I know that classical or Italian methodologies do not work in Standard American music. Bel Canto cannot be "adapted" to meet the needs of contemporary American music, including the demands of the Musical Theatre. There are a number of major components to my work as a vocal coach. The first is to identify the client's vocal category and to strengthen and maximize the vocal range accordingly. Then it's about teaching a reliable vocal workout that will enable the client to gain better control of their musicianship. That includes scale work to expand the vocal range and to improve placement, breath control, and diction. Then we work on material for the audition portfolio, the immediate job or assignment, a recording session, etc. My task to is to better equip singers and actors who are hoping to or relying upon their performance skills and vocal endurance to maintain a career in the Performing Arts. My clients regularly appear in cabarets and musical productions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Some have worked in New York and gone on National Tours. For more information, Contact me at: Broadwaybelters@yahoo.com

Education/Credentials
San Francisco State University – BA in Theatre Arts; graduate work in Theatre, Philosophy, and Comparative Reiligion. Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley – Graduate work in Ethics

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