You are here:
Acting in Plays, Singing/amateur singer
Advertisement
Question
hello, i am a typical high school student. i am undergoing some training but i need a few pointers from professional other than my parents who are very good singers... unfortunately, i didnt get the right genes..
i have always wanted to sing well like in gatherings when we have fun and sing karaoke.. unfortunately, i have searched online and through people how to sing properly and how to hit the high notes,. but everything one person says contradicts what someone else said and before you know it im back at square one where i started off.
i get the basics of how to sing.. i would like to ask you about breathing. when you sing higher notes, people have said that u reduce the amount of air that flows through your voicebox. how would you achieve this? is this the only factor in singing high notes? also, i have learned through people on TV that their high notes come from their stomach muscle.. how do you use your stomach to reach up higher? would you tighten your muscles when u sing higher and try to get the notes out right?
im trying to go for a soft ballad and R&B type of singing.
being from a culture (korean) where singing is a favorite recreational activity, it is hard not to learn how to sing, especially when you are required to do so.
Hello, David –
Thank you for your question.
No one can learn "How To Sing" with a few pointers on an Internet bulletin board such as this one.
High notes require just as much air as any other note. No matter where it occurs, i.e., at the beginning of a phrase, the middle or the end, if the high note is a climactic one (as in f = loud) then it needs lots of air. Don't listen to a bunch of crap about "reducing the amount of air that flows through your voicebox".
Your high notes don't come from your "stomach muscle". Again, more crap. The smart singer is one who exercises their abdominal muscles in anticipation of being photographed for a 3-page centerfold. Get yourself into that kind of condition and along the way – when it comes time to demonstrate your carefully learned and rehearsed upper register – you will notice how much better you sound.
My job as a professional singing teacher is to first identify your vocal category, i.e., tenor, baritone or bass. Training starts after that. No matter what genre of music you prefer, the key of your chosen song must be appropriate to your vocal category.
Finally, I believe that everyone can learn to sing. I also know that not everyone wants to sing in front of an audience – no matter their race or culture.
I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco. If you are in the Bay Area, contact me through Craig's List –
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/669655592.html
Take a look at my You Tubes:
Lorena Feijóo - A Look at "Giselle" with Seán Martinfield
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33-a6Oa-0j4
SAMSON & DELILAH – Meet Seán Martinfield
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Sean+Martinfield&search=Search
I am also the fine arts critc for the San Francisco Sentinel. Below are some links to recent articles and reviews:
Seán Martinfield
BLACK & WHITE BALL, 2008 – At Davies Symphony Hall, May 31st
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=12808
SAN FRANCISCO BALLET’S 2009 SEASON – Includes World Premiere of All-New Swan Lake by Helgi Tomasson
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=12715
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – Now at The Curran Theatre
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?cat=10
A CONVERSATION WITH MAESTRO HELMUTH RILLING
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=12494
RICHARD C. BARKER – Named Chair of San Francisco Ballet’s Board of Trustees
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/
SAN FRANCISCO CONCERT CHORALE PRESENTS – THE BACH EXPERIENCE
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=12305
7 SINS – EXTENDED AT THEATRE RHINO THROUGH MAY 17th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=12270
ANTIQUE ROADSTERS RACE FROM NOB HILL – THE 2008 SAN FRANCISCO MILLE
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=12210
LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN – Restored Film Noir Classic at SF International Film Festival
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=12196
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – At the Orpheum, San Francisco
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11906
CHERYL BURKE DANCE – Dancing with Gavin and Jennifer
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11873
CHERYL BURKE RESCUES THE METRONOME BALLROOM
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11150
SAN FRANCISCO BALLET – Program 6 – An International Salute
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11592
DALE CHIHULY – Lighting-Up At The de Young
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11432
At the Asian Art Museum – DRAMA AND DESIRE
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?cat=10
SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY – 14th Season with Michael Tilson Thomas
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=11074
MELISSA MANCHESTER – A Conversation with Seán Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=10419
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA – ON SCREEN AT THE CASTRO THEATRE
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=10898
ANNIE LEIBOVITZ – On her show at the Legion of Honor
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=10764
LORENA FEIJÓO – A Conversation with Seán Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/index.php?s=Lorena
SWEENEY TODD – PRIME CUTS FROM DIRECTOR TIM BURTON
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=8434
ANITA COCKTAIL and LEANNE BORGHESI – A 3-Way Dialogue
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=8007
NORMA SHEARER in “MARIE ANTOINETTE” – At the Legion of Honor
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=8783
JENNIFER SIEBEL – A Conversation with Seán Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=6361
Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
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
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.