Acting in Plays, Singing/Head voice problems

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Expert: - 6/15/2009


Question
Hello,
It is difficult to describe my issue, but I really need help, so I'll do my best. If something is not clear, please ask.
A few years ago (I'm 18 now# I was able to produce very high screechy sounds without any effort. I remember it used to feel like the whole nose area was resonating and the sound used to be more like a squeak than a normal voice. However, I didn't find it useful nor was I interested in singing, so I haven't used it for quite a long time.
About a year and a half ago I started singing. At first it was just for fun and I didn't practice very much. Anyway, today I am hoping to become a professional singer. I've started learning some singing theory, I've figured out that my chest voice ranges from somewhere around D2 up to D4, where it 'breaks'; became familiar with diaphragm breathing, chest voice, belting.
After watching some videos of males producing those 'head notes' I remembered my abilities to do that younger. However I am not able to do that now! I try to do everything just like before but I fail. I just can't get that feeling in the nasal area nor can I produce those sharp high notes. All I can actually do is produce some airy tone which goes from D4 to B4 (I consider it falsetto).
Also, I can produce some other sound, which also ranges somewhere between D4-B4 and feels a little stronger, but has ABSOLUTELY NO CONNECTION to my singing voice.
So I would like to know two things: first of all, where's my head voice, and how to restore it? And secondly, what is that sound that has no connection with my normal voice?
Hope it is clear. If you need some examples of what I am talking about, please ask.
Thank you,
Jonas

Answer
Hello, Jonas –

Thank you for the question.

All answers to questions involving the vocal range start with your true vocal category.  From your basic description, “D2 up to D4”, it may very well be your young and untrained voice sits in the Bass category.  “A few years ago” probably saw you in the throes of puberty as you were producing your “high screechy sounds”.

The second consideration is about the genre of music in which you hope to succeed, i.e., classical, contemporary pop, Gregorian chant, etc. If you are in a music conservatory or university with a strong vocal department, then you will be learning about all components of music on an increasingly advanced level. If you are a vocal major – and unless you are in “musical theatre” – then the emphasis will be on Classical literature. Somewhere along your course of studies and with your vocal development, the professors should be able to correctly identify your true vocal category.

My job as a professional vocal coach is to determine your category and to train you accordingly.  Let’s say you are a true bass.  Your performance range should be at least within the range of Bass C# to High F, i.e., a two-octave plus a major third stretch between C#2 and F4. I have a 14 year old bass with that range. I have been working with him over a year. This week he pushed it up to F# and down to C2. You have some catching up to do.

All other sounds, i.e., falsetto or countertenor, deliberately pinched nasal tones, an actor’s growl, a rock singer’s scream, etc., are all within your creative power.  The question is – why, when and where are you going to employ those sounds and in what variety of material?

If you want to earn your living with your voice and specifically as a singer, then you need  to focus on the genre of music you most want to do.  But again, the first thing you need to understand, accept, and develop is your true vocal category.  The range of a tenor is not that of a bass, and baritones don’t share all that much in common with either one of them.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  One of these days when your worldwide tour brings you to San Francisco and you need to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1223869393.html
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Acting in Plays, Singing

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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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