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Acting in Plays, Singing/blending chest and head voice

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Expert: - 12/8/2008


Question
Hi,
Some years ago I had some vocal training as an operatic soprano.  Now I'm
getting back into singing after a hiatus, but I want to sing pop and country
music.  At first I just sang everything pop in my chest voice and everything
classical in my head voice, but that's not really working out for me because I
can't use my whole range.  I have been reading about "blending" the two, but
this was something I was never taught.  I don't understand how to do it.  For
example, does it mean singing in what I would basically consider to be my
head voice but with a harder tone?  I feel like either I'm using my chest or I'm
not.  There's no blend.  But I need my top notes in a pop song to STOP
sounding like opera very soon!  I hope you can help.  Thanks.

Answer
Hi, Emma –

Thank you for the question.

When do you want to book an appointment?

I have dealt with many singers who either were employed opera singers or those that had some preparatory Classical training.  The vocal problems you are experiencing offers proof that Classical training and pop music have virtually nothing in common.  If that were not true, then any experienced pop singer could walk across the street and sing opera.

To claim that you had operatic training as a soprano includes a number of built-in and reasonable assumptions.  Your training included all the standard Bel Canto techniques and vocal exercises for a soprano.  You were applying these disciplines to specific repertoire written for a soprano, i.e., operatic arias, arts songs, symphonic literature, etc.  You were studying at least three languages, i.e., Italian French and German.

All of the above has nothing to do with the performance of standard pop and/or country song.  You will never sing such material in a world class opera house without a microphone and a large orchestra blaring in the pit in front of you.  The vast majority of the vowels and sounds of Standard American English and its various regional dialects either do not exist in Italian, French, and German or are placed in a totally other manner.  The same is true even with American dialects, i.e., a standard Texas accent is totally distinct from that of a native Bostonian.  Most pop and country music is not written for a true soprano.

In short, you have to start all over.  Are you on a deadline?  Are you appearing somewhere soon and have agreed to sing pop/country material?  Again, when do you want to book an appointment?

The solutions to your new interests are not explained away by an either/or concept of chest voice vs. head voice.  The voice is not divided into two separate hemispheres.  My job as a professional vocal coach includes correctly identifying your vocal category and then demonstrating how to expand, develop, and maintain your range.  As with Classical training, that happens through a large variety of complex scales, etc.  My job is to teach you the placement of Standard American vowels and how all of that vocal choreography happens from measure to measure within your chosen material.  We would be having the same discussion if what you wanted to do was specialize in German Lieder and had never studied German.

Such results cannot happen through an exchange on an Internet bulletin board.

Is it possible for you to send me a sound sample of your work?  Have you posted anything on the Internet that I can listen to?  If so, I will be happy to give 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/949380672.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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