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Acting in Plays, Singing/Vocal chord and singing\talking in low tone

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Expert: - 7/16/2009


Question
Hi,
I am an actor.
I would like to know if singing and talking in a very low tone can damage the vocal chords?
I have been trying to talk in low voice to immitate certain actors and my throat now hurts (belowe the Hyoid Bone) especially when i talk. I have decided to stop talking and singing for a week and see whet will happen.
I noticed since im a kid i can talk in 2 styles:

1. low voice
2. middle voic

While using my middle voice i feel more tensed muscles in my neck then using a low voice.

from my amature diagnostic i can tell you that in middle voice a muscle probaby called mylohyoideus is tensed nad in low voice its relaxed (soft)

My questions:
Does it safe to use my "low voice"?
Does talking in a low tone can cause damage to the vocal cords? I thogth there was only problem with the high tones that could hurt the cords by tensing the muscles.

Thanks for your time. Ron.

Answer
Hey, Ron –

Great question. Thank you.

I know exactly what you are talking about and understand all the motivations for wanting to maximize certain aspects of your voice.

You must learn to develop and maximize what you have – not what you might prefer to be.  The fastest way to take yourself out of the world of performing arts – especially as a vocal artist – is to ruin your voice trying to be something or somebody you are not.  If I am on your audition panel, I will be the first to recognize the strain and falsity in your vocal delivery and self-image.

I am the acting major with a degree in Theatre Arts who wound up in classical music.  As a young lyric-baritone, I went through years of developing my lower register in order to achieve a richer and more vibrant tone. Along with that, I learned particular roles I loved and those for which I was best suited. I stayed with my first coach for eight years.

The best advice I can give you is to work with someone such as myself who can determine your natural vocal range, i.e., tenor, baritone, bass, etc.  Then it’s about developing the entire range associated with your category. After that, it’s all about competing against other highly trained artists whose skills match yours and may be better.

So, bottom line – the answer is YES.  You invite all kinds of vocal damage when you work against the grain of your natural equipment.

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/1264201967.html
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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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