Acting in Plays, Singing/hitting notes

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Expert: - 9/23/2008


Question
QUESTION: hi, i was wondering if you could help me with hitting notes in songs that require belting (ie, defying gravity from wicked) my parents are going to let me take vocal lessons in a few months, but the school musical is before then and i was wondering how to improve my range.  i go from f3-g5 (a5 on a good day) but the problem is, if i bring my chest voice into my head voice to high i either go flat or my voice cracks.  i understand that defying gravity is a difficult song to sing, but those last three notes just get me - and it sounds like im screaming, but going flat and sometimes cracking my voice at the same time.  if theres anything i can do to fix this, please let me know.  thank you!

ANSWER: Hi, Alyssa –

Thank you for the question.

"Defying Gravity" from WICKED is not a difficult song.  But it does need a strong singer to pull out those loud 4th-space E-flats and High Fs.  Yes, it can feel like screaming.  But, it's controlled screaming.  Two of my clients were in the first national tour of the show.

The answer is always about scale work within the range of your vocal category.  My job as a professional vocal coach is to correctly identify your category and to provide you with a workout plan that will strengthen and expand your range.  Then it's about building your repertoire.

Not all vocal coaches teach the same thing the same way.  The vast majority of my clients come to me through recommendation.

What show is your school doing?  What are you planning to sing?

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/849096810.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:
Lorena Feijóo - A Look at "Giselle" with Seán Martinfield
SAMSON & DELILAH – Meet Seán Martinfield

Below are links to recent articles and reviews:

BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER – New Opera Stands Alone
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=16321

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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your answer.  My show is doing Lil Abner and I dont know what to sing yet.  I want something in the mood of the show - but not from the show.  Do you have any suggestions?

Answer
Hi, Alyssa –

Thank you for the follow-through question.

To audition effectively, you must study the songs from L'IL ABNER. Also, listen to the ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING featuring Peter Palmer and Edie Adams.  L'IL ABNER was written by the team of Gene de Paul and Johnny Mercer.  They also wrote SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS.  Consider using "June Bride" for your audition.  Lyricist Johnny Mercer wrote many great songs and collaborated with a number of top drawer stage and film composers including Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, Duke Ellington, etc.

I want you to get this songbook by Johnny Mercer.  To order it on-line:
TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS: The Magic of Johnny Mercer
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?item=1314764&cart=9300023257

The contents include Mercer's greatest hits.  Consider any of the following:
Any place I hang my hat is home – ST. LOUIS WOMAN
I'm Old Fashioned – SWINGTIME CANTEEN
Sentimental journey – SWINGTIME CANTEEN
Something's Gotta Give – NITE CLUB CONFIDENTIAL
Too Marvelous For Words – SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

Click here to order the vocal selections from:
L'IL ABNER
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?item=1314814&cart=9300023257

Click here to order the vocal selections from:
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?item=1318889&cart=9300023257

Click here to order the Original Broadway cast recordings of:
L'IL ABNER
http://www.amazon.com/Abner-1956-Original-Broadway-Cast/dp/B000067ARR/ref=sr_1_1

SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Brides-Brothers-1954-Soundtrack/dp/B0000033JJ/ref=sr

Best regards,
Seán Martinfield

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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