Acting in Plays, Singing/Vocal Type

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Expert: - 1/5/2010


Question
Hi,
I am 19 years old and am just starting to sing. I am having difficulty determining what my vocal range is. I can comfortably sing from the Eb below middle C to the G above, sometimes a note or two higher. I have a much easier time producing a quality sound in the lower part of my range and I start to lose that power and resonance when I hit F4. I can definitely feel that i have the potential to go at least to a High B or higher but have not trained my voice enough to get there. I understand finding a vocal coach would be the best option to help me classify my voice, but I am in no position financially to find one right now. I am starting voice lessons at my college in a little under a month but would like to have a better idea now so i can better prepare myself.

Answer
Hello, Daniel –

Thank you for the question.

Nineteen is a great age to have your vocal category correctly identified. If you were my client and we had determined your true range to be as you have described – including the challenges around your High F – then we would also be looking at the possibility of you being a bass-baritone. All my bass-baritones sing to the A-flat above your High F, some go higher. On-stage, that translates to their High F being secure and competition-ready.

Vocal training in college can include singing a variety of material – including Italian art songs from the 18th Century. No matter how relevant the aria may be to your personal goals, your assignment will be to sing it to perfection – if what you want is an A+ and to graduate with honors, right? It helps to sing your material in the key that best suits your vocal category.

Along the way, you will find there are plenty of ways outside of school to become a better musician without it costing you a cent. Only your time. For example, community or faith-based choruses are always in need of bass and baritone voices. Some of these groups are led by extremely gifted directors. You can learn a great deal about sight-singing, harmony, blending, etc., from such experiences. It’s not unusual that some of the directors also work as vocal coaches. Again, the point is – no matter the opportunity to study or perform or maybe an audition for American Idol – you have to sing in the key that shows off your true voice.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you are in the Bay Area and want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1524777568.html
You may also contact me through my website: http://www.thebeltersmethod.com/The_Belters_Method/Welcome.html
I am the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews about the Performing Arts provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Download Carmen Milagro’s BlogTalkRadio and her recent interview with Seán Martinfield. It’s all about singing and the 2009/10 San Francisco Opera Season:
Women and Legends Who Really Rock, 9/11/2009

Take a look at my You Tubes:
”Embraceable You” – Gershwin and Rodin at the Legion of Honor
Lorena Feijóo - A Look at "Giselle" with Seán Martinfield
SAMSON & DELILAH – Meet Seán Martinfield
CA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES – A Preview Look with Seán Martinfield

Below are links to my recent interviews and articles about what's happening on San Francisco's cultural scene:
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=55040
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=55040


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Best regards,
Séan 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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