Acting in Plays, Singing/I have no falsetto :(

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Expert: Sean Martinfield - 6/10/2009


Question
QUESTION: Hello. My name is Alex and i have a serious problem that has been bothering me for a while. I act and sing and musical theatre is my life, but i cannot sing high like at all, I am a baritone so the highest i can go is about to the D or E above middle C. And i cannot seem to access my falsetto at all, like its not even there. Above my normal range, there just isn't anything. I was hoping you could tell me any reasons why that might be.
         Thank You,
         Alex H.

ANSWER: Hello, Alex –

Thank you for the question.

My job as a professional vocal coach includes determining your true vocal category, i.e., baritone, bass-baritone, bass, etc.  Then it’s about training you accordingly.

The range of a standard baritone is the two octave stretch between Low G and High G.  All my baritones sing to a fully voiced and fully balanced High A.  That is accomplished through the workout I give them which consists of a series of complex scales.

You need to work with someone such as myself who can get you past this E.  It’s all about placement.  The same is true for developing your falsetto, i.e., the sound of a countertenor.  Even if it turned out that you are a bass or bass-baritone, you still must be able to access High F#.

If you have a sample of your work available on-line or that you can send to me, I will be happy to listen to it and give 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.  Just enter the catagory: SF bay area craigslist > san francisco > lessons & tutoring and then look for and click on: Singing Teacher for all ages and abilities - (Castro District).  Or click on today’s direct link:  http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1181463167.html

I am also the fine arts critic for the San Francisco Sentinel. Take a look at my You Tubes:

Below are links to my recent interviews and articles about what's happening on San Francisco's cultural scene:
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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hey, alex h. again,

i have one song online. It is not the best example of my "talent" but its all i have, so heres a link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDZLVNdMf8Q

alrite, i hope you can give me some feedback, thank you
:)
oh and this is like the very top of my range so, might not be too great
thanks again,

Alex H.

Answer
Hey, Alex –

Thank you for the follow-through and for linking me to your video.

The most encouraging thing I can say right now is that in no way does this song reveal what I know is present in your upper range.  Your voice is capable of way more than that – both in your lower and higher registers. My job as a professional vocal coach is to show you how.

What you need is a keyboard. Your pitches wander from phrase to phrase.  They need to be exact, not just sort-of nearby. No matter what you sing, practicing with energy and a sense of storyline is only going to inform a small percentage of how you learn a song and then put it out for the rest of us to experience.

Your goal as a singer must be about becoming the best musician you know.  And that means exercising your voice with scales that are exactly on pitch.  Whoever plays for you will be in an exact key. You must know how to do the same – with or without accompaniment.  In other words, you will be the only one on the melody line.  You must be in harmony with what the instruments are giving you.

Work smarter. Master the technical aspects of your material.  Once you are in control of that, your Image and delivery will be stronger and even more appealing than it is now.  Which is pretty damn good.

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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