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Question
Hello!
I am Jaylee, and I love to sing. Whenever I hear certain songs filled with emotion, it fills me with emotion, and I feel like 1) dancing, or the more common one 2) singing. So I'll sing along with the music.
I have a decent voice, and this year I am going to try out for my high school's musical and play for the first time.
The problem I have with singing is not singing itself, but my tone. I have a sort of a boyish voice, but I can sing higher better then lower. Problem: When I sing I am in my 'singing voice'. But I can't sing very loud. So when I try to sing louder, and eject the sound, my voice is not in my singing voice anymore, it's in my talking voice, but I'm trying to sing in my talking voice. So it feels like My voice is on a ledge; sometimes it will be in my singing voice, but if I try to project it gets closer to the edge, and then 'cracks' into my talking voice, then goes back to my singing voice. I hope that makes sense.
And it's not very rich either. It sounds dry, with no emotion. I think the problem with that is because I am not singing from my stomach, or diaphragm, or wherever I am supposed to sing from. I sing from my vocal chords, which I know is bad. How do I fix that? I've read articles online, and different methods, but they never seem to work.
And one last question. When you breath during singing are you supposed to breathe outwards, and not up and down? Even when I try breathing out there is no difference with my singing.
Thanks for reading this incredibly long question. This is my last hope before going out and finding a singing coach. Even then it may not work, because my schedule is jam packed with school activities! Thanks again for any help!
Hi, Jaylee –
Thank you for the question and all the surrounding information.
Before it is anything else, singing is an athletic experience. It requires the same kind of body awareness, focus, attention, and reliance upon a technique as any individual or team sport you can name. Did you watch any of the Olympics? Each one of the athletes in any sport from anywhere around the world knows what their teammates knows and everyone of them knows the same thing as their competition. It's all about consistent and quality training and never-ending dedication.
As a professional singer and vocal coach I know that proper training for everyone starts with correct identification of the vocal category, i.e., tenor, soprano, baritone, mezzo, etc. Once I determine my client's vocal category, then it's about developing the range. For example, a typical baritone's range spans a 2+-octave stretch between Low G and High A. Some of my baritones go lower and higher. A typical soprano's range spans a 2+-octave stretch between Middle C and High D. Some of my sopranos go lower and higher. I teach everyone the same variety of scales, all adjusted to fit within their range.
Your voice comes from your vocal cords, so that can't be a bad thing. No one sings from their stomach and arguing about the diaphragm is a waste of time. You must work on your abdominal muscles just like a centerfold model. I can't make it any clearer than that. When you are in that state of readiness, you will know everything you need to know about support and stamina. Obviously, it doesn't happen overnight. But it can happen if you work on it.
The rest is about becoming the most-informed musician you know. Every singer must first be a musician. That means learning to read music and being able to identify every note and symbol, key and time signature of any piece of sheet music that comes your way. Your voice is your instrument. You have to learn how to play it just as a tuba player or cellist or pianist or flutist learns about their instrument. And that starts with scales. My job is to teach you how to learn your instrument and refine your technique through a variety of complex scales. Again, that starts with correctly identifying your vocal category.
No one can learn how to sing by surfing the Internet. The confusion and trouble you are experiencing is due to the fact you don't know how to channel your energy and sincerity into a balanced and well-placed tone. My job is to teach you how. That must happen in person.
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/824922131.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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DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY – Stars in Opening Night of San Francisco Opera, Friday, September 5th
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CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES – Opens Wednesday, September 27th
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NORMA SHEARER in “MARIE ANTOINETTE” – At the Legion of Honor
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Best regards,
Seán 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: 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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