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Acting in Plays, Singing/increasing my belt/mix range

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Expert: - 4/29/2009


Question
Hi Sean,
I practice singing all the time...several times a week for a couple of hours.  I used to have a voice teacher but she ended up being crazy so I let her go...so since then I listen to pop/r&b/soul songs and try and emulate the things that I hear.  I've got the riffing down, and I have a very strong alto voice.  I'm told that I'm great.  However, I can't increase my belt to save my life, nor do I know how to really bring my voice to the next level!  I can't belt higher than a D, and I obsess over this.  I have it in my head that in order to be an amazing singer, you have to have the high belt.  Maybe I just think this way b/c my favorite vocalists are black r&b singers!  But anyway, I want to be able to audition for pop Broadway shows but feel that my belt limits me.  How can I increase it without damaging my voice?  I practice all the time..why can't I do it???  Thank you in advance!

Answer
Hello, Kate –

Thank you for the question.

I don't know what you mean by "practicing".  Whatever it is that you are doing is obviously not helping you beyond a certain point.  All my altos can belt to D, most belt to the F above it, some to the G.  But all my alto/mezzo-sopranos run fully balanced scales free of breaks from at least Low F to High B-flat, i.e., 2 octaves plus a major 4th – most of them accessing an additional whole step at either end.

No matter the genre of music you want to sing, your body is capable of doing the same.  It may very well be that your voice sits somewhat lower, i.e., in the contralto range.  My contraltos all access Bass C.  It's not unusual for these singers to need help around this 4th line D of yours.  That's where I come in as a professional vocal coach.  My job is to demonstrate how to practice.  That practice – or workout – consists of complicated scales.  Once the entire breadth of the range is warmed up, then it's about learning or reviewing material.

The most important part of my job is to correctly identify your vocal category, i.e., contralto, mezzo-soprano, etc. Then it's about how to place the scales accordingly.

Most standard Broadway alto/belter roles do not go above 4th-line D in terms of belting opportunities.  Newer shows such as WICKED work the belt up to 4th-space E and 5th-line F.  Again, it starts with the singer's vocal category – you either have the equipment or you don't.  Then it's about training, physical strength and endurance, and a heavy sense of drive to want to sing that material 8-shows-a-week.  Not every mezzo-soprano with a high belt wants to sing WICKED nor will they ever get the opportunity.  It's all extremely complicated.

If you have samples of your work available on line, I will be happy to listen and offer you some feedback.

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/1166603154.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.

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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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