Acting in Plays, Singing/several questions

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Expert: - 3/30/2009


Question
Hi, Sean!

I'm a 20 year old male and I want to be a voice actor. I am however a little bit confused. My Dad thinks Im a Baritone or even a Bass baritone (he is a musician and composer and has sang in the past) while my singing teacher told me I was a tenor. (I sadly couldn´t continue to see her, hence me asking you now). How can I know what my voice type really is?
Also, I would like to know how can I broaden my voice range. I do have a wide range and can imitate or fake both low and high pitched voices, yet I would like to broaden it even more, especially the high pitched part.
Oh, and this is going to sound weird to you, but, is there any way to fake false notes?

Thanks!


Answer
Hello, D. –

Thank you for your question.

My job as a professional vocal coach is to correctly identify your vocal category.  That must be done in person.  However, if you can link me to a song you have placed on-line or can forward to me personally, I will be happy to listen to it and give you my best opinion.  I can tell the difference between a tenor and a bass-baritone.

Bear in mind that not everyone who hears you sing – whatever your voice category may be – shares your preferences in music.  For example, you may very well be a tenor who has yet to discover his upper register.  All tenors sing to High C, some better than others.  But not all of them sing the same repertoire and not all of them can sustain a career that will pay their bills.  In what genre of music does your teacher believe you will be able to compete as a tenor?  What tenor repertoire have you learned and performed so far?

There is a marked difference between a standard bass-baritone and a standard baritone – it can be as little as a minor third.  The individual anatomy has an impact on the "timbre" or the sound of the voice.  A champion heavyweight boxer-type baritone might persuade some to believe he is a bass-baritone.  After all, in the world of opera, the role of "Don Giovanni" is in the repertoire of most world class baritones and bass-baritones.  It's not too high or too low for either one of them.  All you have to really be – is the "Don Giovanni" type.

If Dad is paying the bills, then I'm sure he wants to know he's making a solid investment.  What does he want you to sing as a baritone or maybe as a bass-baritone?  In either of those anthologies, what repertoire have you performed for him that supports his opinion?

Ultimately, the vocal category is proven through on-going public performances of repertoire written specifically for it.

I'm not totally sure what you mean by faking "false notes".  If you are referring to your falsetto, that is one discussion.  If you are talking about "imitation", i.e., singing in a manner or style that is not your normal voice – that is yet another.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List – http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1109118594.html
I am also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews about the performing arts provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Take a look at my You Tubes:

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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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