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Acting in Plays, Singing/What is my voice type?
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Question
I am currently in my third year of studying music at a university, and no one
seems to be able to pinpoint my correct voice type. All throughout high
school, I sang alto 2, but my voice teacher always told me I was a soprano
who had an exceptionally low range, and that over time,my lower range
would drop, and I would be left a full soprano.
As I progressed through school, my college voice teacher said I was a
Wagnerian Dramatic Soprano, but some of her fellow colleagues disagree
because not only are these voice types extremely rare, I can handle fast notes
like a coloratura. In choir, I am always instantly stuck in alto 2 due to my
range and voice "heaviness". Can you please shed some light for me? Is being
a Wagnerian Dramatic Soprano feasible, or am I a contralto wearing the
wrong nametag?
My range is C3 to about a C7 (this is in whistle voice, of course, I go into
whistle at about ....B6 or C6)
Hello, Amy
Thank you for the question.
As long as you believe there is some working aspect of your vocal range which you refer to as the "whistle register" there is no way anyone can talk to you about your true vocal category.
Dramatic sopranos including those who sing Wagner are not extremely rare. If it were true, than performances of Wagnerian operas would be extremely rare. Obviously not.
Fast notes? Everyone can handle fast notes. A true coloratura soprano will never go near the repertoire of a true dramatic soprano. Most avoid or never get hired to sing even the more lyrical roles such as Gounod's "Marguerite" and "Juliette". The flexibility you refer to must be in reference to specific repertoire and invariably about the artist who performs it. For example, not every coloratura who excels in the Donizetti roles is losing sleep over the heroines of Handel.
If you were a Contralto, then you and everyone around you would recognize it immediately.
Three years is a long time to be screwing around with vocal placement. I cannot make an assessment based on the information you have provided. I have to hear you. Nevertheless, it sounds like your first two teachers agree about strategic points: you are a soprano with a rich lower register. How to cultivate your upper register is the problem. What do they say about their ability to help you? What do they say about you as a student? What are their assessments about your musicianship and performances?
Ultimately, your true vocal category is proven through concert presentation of a variety of repertoire written for it. When was the last time you gave a performance outside of a classroom? What did you sing? How did you choose your material?
One of your biggest jobs as a student singer is to study repertoire, listen to recordings, and attend all kinds of Classical performances. Thus, when terms and titles are bounced around you will have solid references through which to filter and assess what is being discussed.
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/767796273.html or through any of my columns on www.SanFranciscoSentinel.com.
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Best regards,
Seαn Martinfield
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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: Seαn 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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