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Question
Hello there! I have never taken a vocal class, but I do enjoy singing a lot. I recorded myself & here's the link:
http://www.musicuploader.org/MUSIC/1899701238972985.mp3
I was wondering if you could tell me things about my singing voice; good things, things i could improve on, etc.
Thank you!
Hi, Julienne –
Thank you for submitting your mp3. I appreciate the time you took to create it and to send it to me.
The best advice I can give you right now is that your overall range simply needs to be stronger. Speaking in treble clef, your song stretches from Low G to 3rd–space C, a range of one octave plus a major 4th. Throughout the verses and various phrases your pitch is not always accurate and the sound tends to be breathy. The solution to these two major points is about "placement".
Every note lives in the voice like rungs on a ladder. From your highest note to your lowest note and everything in-between – vocal training is all about balancing the sound. Raise the volume of your song at least a notch. You will notice the "effort" it takes to sing the same set of notes. But, you will also notice how much clearer and brighter the tone becomes.
Using a bit more volume – what do you sing that takes the range above your C, perhaps one whole step up to D, or a minor third up to 4th–space E-flat? What happens when you do that? Does your voice shift or crack?
As a professional singer and vocal coach I know that a reliable workout must precede any rehearsal of previously learned material and especially before starting something new. Don't conflate singing a lot of songs with practicing. Every runner knows they must stretch their muscles before taking off or they will injure themselves. Singers must do the same. That happens through scales. Most people have a range of two octaves. My job is to show you how to do them. The end result is that your voice will become more elastic and capable of greater dynamics. At the moment – even with the pleasant mood you bring to this particular song – the voice sounds stiff and hesitant.
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/1123151017.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
SAMSON & DELILAH – Meet Seán Martinfield
CA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES – A Preview Look with Seán Martinfield
Below are links to my recent interviews and articles about what's happening on San Francisco's cultural scene:
CELEBRATE THE 1906 EARTHQUAKE –"SAN FRANCISCO"– At The Castro Theatre
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=23289
PAUL JACOBS, ORGANIST – At Davies Symphony Hall, April 22nd – 26th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=23207
SF LYRIC OPERA Presents – Rigoletto, April 17th—April 26th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=23090
THE CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM PRESENTS – Chagall And The Artists Of The Russian Jewish Theater, 1919-1949
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=22321
RUBEN MARTIN – Principal Dancer with San Francisco Ballet http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=22107
SUEDE – Tonight & Tuesday At The Rrazz Room
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=22047
KING TUT – Returns to the de Young Museum
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=21921
SCOTT NEVINS – At the Rrazz Room, Tonight and Saturday
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?cat=65
SF BALLET – Program 6 Opens Friday Night, April 3rd
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=21440
KEELY SMITH – Making Magic at the Rrazz Room Through April 5th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=21301
VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR – Director Matt Tyrnauer At The de Young Museum
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=21266
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http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=21171
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CD – BRAHMS: Ein Deutsches Requiem
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=17012
IDOMENEO – Star Treatment For Mozart Opera
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?cat=65
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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
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Answers by Expert:
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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