Acting in Plays, Singing/belting

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Expert: - 11/15/2008


Question
Hello, Mr. Martinfield.

I am an alto, 17 years old, and aspiring to become a pop ballad singer in Korea.  I'm currently taking classical lessons, to learn to sing without pain and tension, but for years I have been searching for the answer to this question: how do you belt, healthily, and sound like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJAY_krOcyA



So many people told me different things about belting, and the different methods to replicate it or that it shouldn't even be done... Judging by this girl's singing though, can you tell what she is doing at [3:27] of the video?

This girl is trained under a famous academy in Korea and people tell me that when she's belting she's not using her chestvoice, but something else.. It sounds too chesty to be the mix, too.. Can you explain the mechanics of what she is doing and perhaps give me an idea of how I could do this?


Answer
Hello, Yiling –

Thank you for the question.

I watched the youtube.  Speaking in treble clef, the range of the song extends from Middle C to 3rd-space E-flat.  In the pop world, that is generally the range of a mezzo-soprano – including those who can "belt" between 2nd-space A and 4th-space E and High F.  By contrast, the performance range of most Pop/Rock alto/belters is lower, usually by a major third. The range of all my legitimate mezzo-sopranos extends from at least Low G to High B-flat, and most can exercise beyond that.

Don't listen to anyone who claims that "Classical Training", i.e., as it relates to the performance of Classical Repertoire, will make you a better pop singer.  It will not.  The classical mezzo-soprano (which includes all "altos") produces her voice in a totally other manner than do any of today's pop singers.  Moreover, the classical mezzo-soprano is trained to sing without a microphone and have her voice be heard in the back row of such world class houses as the War Memorial Opera House here in San Francisco.  A pop singer will never sing like that nor in circumstances like that.

Are you a mezzo-soprano?  Notice how close the singer stays to her mic.  Her overall volume is not much more than what might be heard on an ordinary day around the house.  It doesn't take much vocal training to do that.  But it does help to sing on pitch, to be a better musician, and be psychologically prepared to compete against hundreds of thousands of other girls who can do exactly the same thing.  Notice how she always breaks into a breathy and fake soprano when she hits 4th-space E-flat.  After her first verse – everything sounds the same.  If she's the most successful one around – why would the Industry need or promote anybody else?

I trust you and your family are working towards something way-better than that for both your advanced education and future career.

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/926603558.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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