Acting in Plays, Singing/relaxation

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Expert: - 7/21/2009


Question
I'm a 21 year old bass.  My low range is beautiful and solid.  But when I attempt to sing higher than the D above middle C, My larynx tenses up and rises and I can no longer keep the sound on my Eb to F consistent with the beauty of the lower notes.  I am switching into head voice for the notes already, I have a consistent vibrato and I am supporting these notes with lots of flowing air.  Yet these notes are extremely inconsistent with my sound and I get a slight burning sensation when I sing them and it stays for awhile.  I am trying to relax as much as I can, but I am unable to sing these notes without my larynx raising up.  Is the problem the fact that I just need to increase my breath support, even though I feel I am at my max, or is it that I am just too young and just need to wait for my voice to mature, or is it something different?  Do you have any pointers or tips for me?   Thanks.

Answer
Hello, Sean –

Thank you for the question.

All my basses exercise to High G, some go higher. Thus, their E-flat and F is a day on the beach. It’s all about placement. Then it’s about applying that technique to your repertoire and performing it in front of an audience or at an audition.

The burning sensation or dryness that you feel is about being stuck in the throat above an E-flat. It doesn’t matter how much air you have behind the production or what picture you have in your head of your larynx. You must be able to anticipate the placement of every note within the course of any phrase. The term I use is “vocal choreography”.

At some point you need to work with a professional vocal coach, and specifically, with a man. My job is to teach you a reliable vocal work-out that will enable you to demonstrate  flexibility and balance throughout your entire range. That happens through a series of complex scales.

You must learn how to practice to your advantage. You must do your practice before you begin rehearsing or learning your material.

If you have something available on-line, I will be happy to 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. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1287906980.html
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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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