Acting in Plays, Singing/Break

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Expert: - 4/17/2009


Question
I am 15 and I break at the D sharp above middle C. My break is very obvious and absolute. I can hardly sing above it even in my falsetto, because of the high frequency of cracking! I was in the St. John's Boys' Choir and I am a very good singer, having gotten most of the solos and participating his a huge number of other great opportunities, but now I can't solo for anything because it doesn't fit this range. Finding audition pieces or solo pieces for concerts is a frustrating impossibility. This situation has not gotten better for the last 2 years, since I went through the voice change, and I have been working hard, asking around, and searching for answers. I can audibly hit a E or E flat to C's below middle C, so I am a Baritone/Bass; this I have accepted. But in terms of my solo career I am completely lost because I cannot sing any music out there. I get into all the honors choirs I try out too and such. This is the ONLY thing holding me back. Help me!!!

Answer
Hello, Eric –

Thank you for the question.

Besides accepting that you may be a Baritone or Bass-Baritone – one of these days you are going to have to rejoice in that.  Or find another career path.  You must be in love with the repertoire intended for your vocal category or you will not practice with the passion and dedication that goes with eventually competing against others with similar or better qualifications.  Start off by listening to the recordings of Dmitri Hvorostovsky.  Check out my review:
ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS – DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY, FALSETTOS, and ZANNA, DON’T!
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=19068

I have a client who is your age and attends one of the School of the Arts.  On the average, he comes for coaching sessions about twice a month.  I've worked him down to a solid Bass D; the D-flat is coming.  He is now sailing through the D#/E-flat and on up to High F.  The F# is almost there.  The overall sound or texture of the F# reminds me of what his E-flat was like about six months ago.  The advancement is the end result of the scales I teach him.

It's all about placement.

Correct placement starts with having the vocal category correctly identified. For some, the difference between the High F of a Bass and that of a Bass-Baritone can be as significant as night and day.  But with the High F#, the difference in placement between a Bass and a Dramatic Baritone (who may include High A-flat in his repertoire) is the other side of the moon.

That's where I come in as a professional vocal coach.

At 15, you are at the very dawn of what your true voice will become.  By the time you are 17 you will notice even more changes.  The same will be true by the time you graduate from high school – perhaps with your eye on a world class conservatory such as we have here in San Francisco.  Between now and then, you must be patient, work diligently on your scales, and become totally familiar with the repertoire and all the acclaimed singers who ever performed it.  That's what libraries are for.  Save your money.  Check out recordings and DVDs of singers who perform such "cross-over" roles, i.e., available to both bass-baritones and heavy-duty baritones, such as Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and "Escamilio" in CARMEN.  Then learn and compare other repertoire performed by those same singers.

Along with that, you must get yourself into Olympic centerfold condition.  Strive for those "abs of steel".  And keep yourself totally sober.

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/1140282088.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:

Lorena Feijóo - A Look at "Giselle" with Seán Martinfield
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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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