Acting in Plays, Singing/Belt/Mix Confusion

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Expert: - 7/10/2009


Question
QUESTION: Hello!
    I have been trying to strenghten my belt for a while now because I can only belt up to a fourth line D with certain songs, and other then that, a C# is where my belt range stops. I know by looking at some of your other answers that most "belters" can go to the F above that.   
    I am curious about mixing though.  When trying to sing the top harmony in Mama Who Bore Me Reprise from Spring Awakening, I have to go in my head voice because of the E's.  I know that mixing is, well, a mix of your head and chest voice and I was wondering how to obtain it, because I dont think I'll ever be able to belt that high and I dont want to hurt my voice.  I dont have a voice coach at the moment and school isnt in session so my chorus teacher cant work with me.
    I dont know if this helps, but my average range is F3-Ab5 (also, is this a good range? I'm never sure)

Thank you so much!

ANSWER: Hello, Becca –

Thank you for the question.

Speaking in treble clef, your range spans from Low F to High A-flat, i.e., two octaves plus a minor third.  This is more or less within the standard range of a mezzo soprano.

There is a difference between the volume of loud (f = forte) and belting.  Belting happens occasionally within a song. Many young singers confuse the energy it takes to produce volume that carries in a theatre without a microphone with belting.  More than likely, the entire span of your range needs to be strengthened. Most choral teachers are not capable of creating dominant soloists.  Choirs are all about blending and compromise.

The voice is not divided into two separate hemispheres marked “head voice” and “chest voice”.  All my mezzo sopranos sing fully balanced scales without any breaks or shifts between Low F and High B-flat, some go higher and lower. My job as a professional vocal coach is to provide my clients with a reliable vocal workout that keeps the voice flexible and performance ready. It’s all about placement. It all happens with scales.  You need to work your scales.

The songs from SPRING AWAKENING are not the greatest challenge to a Broadway-type singer.  But because you aren’t in control of your range, they expose your lack of good training which then causes you no end of worry and frustration. Again, it’s about you owning a solid vocal workout and going through it daily before rehearsing or learning your material.

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. This week’s listing is at: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1251572527.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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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. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1238689288.htm
I am also the Editor and Publisher of www.SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews about the Performing Arts provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Download Carmen Milagro’s BlogTalkRadio interview with Seán Martinfield and jazz composer/pianist Terry Disley: Women and Legends Who Really Rock, 6/12/2009

Take a look at my You Tubes:
Lorena Feijóo - A Look at "Giselle" with Seán Martinfield
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CA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES – A Preview Look with Seán Martinfield

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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield

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

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your answer.

I was wondering if you could give me an example of a type of scale to do to improve my range or one to improve my belt.  I warmed up for a really long time the other day and belted an E for the first time and it didnt hurt, but when I tried again today it hurt my throat so I stopped. I really dont want to damage my voice but am not sure of what to do to belt "properly." Or, is mixing safer? And if so, what are some good ways to mix?

Once again, thank you so much!

Answer
Hi, Becca –

Did you warm up again the following day for a really long time?
Probably not.

You have to practice your scales everyday – with total focus and attention – throughout your range. It’s no different than getting yourself in shape to be a centerfold. You have to work at it everyday and not worry about hurting something.

You will never hear me talking about “mixing”. That is a recently invented term that has everyone confounded as to what it means and how to do it. And no two people describe their problem with it the same way and no two teachers agree on how to fix the alleged problem.

It’s baloney.

I stand by my previous advice to you.

You cannot avoid the process and the tedium of building your vocal chops. Simply because you belt out one good High E on Tuesday does not mean it and you will be ready for it again on Wednesday.

My job as a professional vocal coach is to show you how. I must guide what I hear you do and you must sing the corrected notes back to me. Over and over. That cannot happen on an Internet Bulletin Board.

Keep working. Keep becoming the most informed musician you know. That’s what libraries are for.

Best regards,
Seán Martinfield

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Sean Martinfield

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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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