Acting in Plays, Singing/Raspy Effect

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Expert: - 3/11/2009


Question
QUESTION: Hi,

I would love to know what exactly is going on physiologically with the raspy voices of singers like Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart etc.

Is it achieved by combining techniques like vocal fry, and breathy voice, or is it because of some unusual physical property of the singers vocal apparatus (thin vocal chords, etc)?

In other words, as so many of us who would to be able to sing like this would like to know, is it learnable?

Thanks!

ANSWER: Hi, Dale –

Thank you for the question.

Bryan Adams turns 50 this year and Rod Stewart is 64.  By the time you reach either of these ages and assuming your performance career started at 15 – you too will have accumulated a variety of vocal textures in your well-established and marketable delivery.  Simple.

"Raspiness" or grittiness in the voice can be the result of faulty production and/or lack of good training.  It can also be affected – such as the actor who must portray someone with a raspy voice.  Mick Jagger is the perfect example of the rare Musician who is gifted with the kind of energy, physicality, and crazy endurance that can deliver and sustain maximum output.  Obviously, none of these qualities happens overnight.

As a professional vocal coach, my job is to teach you how to replicate a well-prepared performance.  No matter what you sing or how you sing it – your producers want to know your vocals will be just as fresh and available at the end of your Tour – or throughout a one-night-stand at a popular club on a rainy Monday night – as they were when you first stepped up to the mic.  Right?

Anytime you want my help – contact me through Craig's List – http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1069779926.html
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---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,

Thanks for your answer.

My question though is what is happening physiologically with the voices of these singers, and how do they get this specific sound?

You say it can be 'affected'. What I would like to know is how is it affected?

What are the technical expalanations of how to achieve that sound? What techniques are being used? Where is the placement of the voice? etc.

Thank you for your reply.  

Answer
Hi, Dale –

The sound you are talking about is what many would call the "vocal fry".  It's not a "technique".  In fact, having "better technique" is what gets rid of the tendency to do it.  Unless you are really working out your voice to your best advantage, choosing to sound "raspy" invites damage that may never go away.

The sound is right in the gargle spot.  Gently speak in that "sore throat" area – you will feel it.  Modify that sound enough to suit the mood and character of your song.  Obviously, you don't want to overdo it because, after a while, it will lose its dramatic effect.  Then it's about maintaining your pitch and placement while you're doing that.  Not easy.

I stand by all my previous advice.  The very best way to work through this is and to achieve the desired effect throughout your material – is to schedule an appointment with a vocal coach such as myself.

Best regards,
Seán Martinfield

Acting in Plays, Singing

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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.

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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

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