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Acting in Plays, Singing/Bass range with softer tone?

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Expert: - 12/24/2008


Question
Hi, I have been singing for about a year. Im 28 years old. my vocal range is between Db2 - E4. This is where I am most comfortable. my actual range is A#1-A3 but the bottom notes are quiet and the top A sounds bad. I start sounding growly around  c2. I have to start using head voice or switch to falsetto at about C4. my question is that Even though I sing in the bass range, I have a softer timbre than some other bass singers I have heard. maybe a prettier sound. I tried singing along with some bass baritones but cant reach there high notes with any comfort if at all. I have heard bass baritones that sound deeper than me though even though I sing lower notes than them. So I was wondering if Im still a bass or if Im a baritone that can only sing in the bass range. my talking voice is not super deep but definately low. I thing an F2.

Answer
Hello, Malaki –

Thank you for the question and all the details.

Speaking in treble clef – the language of the vast majority of vocal sheet music – all my baritones can demonstrate a 2+ octave range between Low G and High A.  Most go higher and lower.  The bass-baritones stretch between Low F and High G – again, some go higher and lower.  I am working with a teen-aged bass who has a completely audible Low E-flat and is gaining greater security with his high F.

As you have indicated – there are a great many subtleties between varieties of baritones and basses.  Physical characteristics including bone structure, a large chest, etc., also factor into the discussion.  The term "timbre" refers to how the voice sounds.  Ultimately, an individual's vocal category is proven through the repertoire.  In the operatic world, there are certain roles that a bass-baritone and baritone can perform, i.e., Mozart's "Figaro" and "Escamillo" (CARMEN).  Again, depending on the singer's physicality, artistic temperament, and Image – roles such as these offer a great deal of latitude.

SAMUEL RAMEY recently sang the title role in BORIS GODUNOV here in San Francisco.  The role is really the property of a strong and versatile bass.  Mr. Ramey has always been in top physical shape and, compared to other singers, has a large chest capacity.  This alone accounts for the booming resonance he is able to project in a house that holds an excess of 3300 people.  Even now in his 60s, many argue Mr. Ramey's true vocal category.  Listen to his recording of the Broadway musical KISMET.  You will hear Mr. Ramey's very true and sometimes lyrical bass-baritone qualities.

You will find greater clarity to your questions in the operatic repertoire than anything else.  Many of these singers also do concert albums of art songs.  For example, much of the Schubert lieder can be set in any key to suit the needs of both men and women.  Listen to as many singers as you can.  Some of my constant favorites include Robert Merrill, Gerard Souzay, Thomas Hampson – three Classical baritones who have repertoire in common, but are also distinguished by what they never performed or recorded.  The baritone I'm watching these days is NATHAN GUNN.

Bottom line – I have to hear you to make such a final determination.  Add to that your own musical preferences and where you imagine yourself sustaining a career.  At 28, it's crucial that you should know the true nature of your vocal category.  It may very well be that you have never worked with anyone who is capable of doing this, particularly as it effects your upper register, i.e., everything from E and above.

If you have any material you can send me or that I may view on the Internet, let me know and I will be happy to offer you some feedback.

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/973848227.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

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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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