Acting in Plays, Singing/Vocal Range

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Expert: - 11/17/2008


Question
I am asking to know how to correctly learn my range. And what voice type I am (sopranno, alto etc.) I like to sing and I was very curious to know what it was. I can't really afford a teacher because my family is going through a rough time because of the economy, and I have tried but I get 14 keys on the piano. I don't think it's correct. Could you tell me how to find it correctly?

Answer
Hi, Marianne –

Thank you for the question.

Which 14 keys are you talking about?  Looking directly in the middle of a standard piano, the first white note down from the first of the two adjoining black notes is called Middle C.

Click on or paste this URL into your browser:
http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/scorch.asp?ppn=SC0002316

It will take you to a digital download of DO RE MI from "Sound of Music" and show you the first page of the song. Notice at the bottom where the children sing "Do re mi".  The note of "Do" is Middle C.  How many of your 14 notes sit above and below that sound?  Get back to me with that information and I will offer you some suggestions.

In the meantime – consider that there are many ways to learn about music and singing.  First – what does your school offer?  Is there a chorus?  Second – within a reasonable distance of your home, what faith-based institutions or community choruses are there that include teenagers in their music programs?  Here in San Francisco there are many qualified directors of such groups who can help you.  All you have to do is show up on time for rehearsals and performances.

I was a professional soloist in a variety of churches throughout my career.  I don't know what it means to have a "free weekend".  Those jobs included singing hymns, etc., with the members of the choir.  When I was your age, I was always a choir member somewhere.  That's how you can learn to read music, learn harmony, develop your range, and acquire "stage presence" – for FREE.  I still get requests to sing at weddings and funerals.  With the fee I get for those gigs, I can take the rest of the day off.

One of these days you can start earning your own money to pay for your own lessons.  So did I.

Contact me again with the above information.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  Whenever you are in the San Francisco Bay Area and can come for a lesson, contact me through Craig's List – http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/914262689.html
I am also the fine arts critc for SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Take a look at my You Tubes:

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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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