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Acting in Plays, Singing/contralto/difficulty with head voice

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Expert: - 1/24/2009


Question
Hi Sean!

I'm 16, with absolutely no time for proper voice lessons so this is a god send! I'm a contralto (around low d to high d) with a dark timbre. I have real difficulty in singing from around middle a upwards, when I'm really into my head voice. I can reach the notes but I find that it can get quite tiring. Any advice? Also, any suggestions for good, crowd-pleasing, Leonard Cohen-ish and/or smokey, old cabaret songs would be greatly appreciated!

Jessie

Answer
Hello, Jessie –

Thank you for the question.

Speaking in treble clef, all my contraltos sing comfortably within the two-octave range of Low D to 4th-line D.  Most of them access Bass C and sail up to 5th-line F (or higher) without any break.  That happens through a vocal workout which includes a variety of complex scales.  My job as a professional vocal coach is to demonstrate how to maneuver through your contralto range and to then apply those principles to whatever material you want to sing.  At some point – especially after you turn 18 and before you hit 20 – you will need to make time for professional consultation.

I want you to get this collection of songs by Leonard Cohen.  Click on or paste the URL into your browser to order on line.  It is entitled ANTHOLOGY and contains the following material by Cohen.  Also check the cabaret anthology listed below.
ANTHOLOGY
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?item=3828337&cart=3200128512...

A Singer Must Die
Ain't No Cure For Love
Avalanche
Bird On A Wire
Came So Far For Beauty
Chelsea Hotel #2
Dress Rehearsal Rag
Everybody Knows
Famous Blue Raincoat
First We Take Manhattan
Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye
Humbled In Love
I'm Your Man
Is This What You Wanted
Jazz Police
Joan Of Arc
Lady Midnight
Love Tries To Call You By Your Name
Lover Lover Lover
Master Song
No Diamonds In The Mine
One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong
See all contents
Seems So Long Ago, Nancy
Sing Another Song, Boys
Sisters Of Mercy
So Long Marianne
Story Of Isaac
Stranger Song
Suzanne
Take This Longing
Take This Waltz
The Guests
The Gypsy's Wife
The Smokey Life
The Traitor
The Window
There Is A War
Tonight Will Be Fine
Tower Of Song
Who By Fire
Why Don't You Try
Winter Lady
You Know Who I Am

The other anthologies that will prove useful to you are:
TORCH SONGS IN SULTRY KEYS
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?item=4985667&cart=3200128512...

BELTER'S HOT STANDARDS
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?item=2973465&cart=3200128512...

Always remember that a professional singer's ultimate responsibility is to replicate a well-learned performance at any hour of the day, any day of the week – no matter what mood you're in or however much you're being paid (or not).

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/1005488187.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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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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