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Acting in Plays, Singing/2 Questions Concerning Singing
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QUESTION: Hello. I am 17 and plan on being an actor as a career. Among the many things I plan on acting in are musicals.
I have been taking voice lessons for about 20 months now, and my voice has certainly improved. But there are two things I would like to know, and hopefully you can help.
1. How can I improve my falsetto?
2. There are certain times when I can sing these really high notes (ex. the final bars of 'Defying Gravity'), but I can only sing them softly. And sometimes it happens with notes that a baritone (which I am) could easily hit. Basically, how can I let the sound out?
It is also possible these two questions could fall in the same answer.
Thank you and hopefully I will be hearing from you soon.
ANSWER: Hello, T –
Thank you for your question. Why private? Many performers have concerns similar to yours. Let's share our exchange.
Please re-submit your question openly and I will respond.
Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hello. I am 17 and plan on being an actor as a career. Among the many things I plan on acting in are musicals.
I have been taking voice lessons for about 20 months now, and my voice has certainly improved. But there are two things I would like to know, and hopefully you can help.
1. How can I improve my falsetto?
2. There are certain times when I can sing these really high notes (ex. the final bars of 'Defying Gravity'), but I can only sing them softly. And sometimes it happens with notes that a baritone (which I am) could easily hit. Basically, how can I let the sound out?
It is also possible these two questions could fall in the same answer.
Thank you and hopefully I will be hearing from you soon.
Hey, T –
Thank you for the question.
All my baritones sing to a fully-voiced High A-flat, some go higher. After 20 months of voice lessons – and speaking in treble clef – you should be able to knock out the 4th-space E and 5th-space F (of "Defying Gravity") in your sleep and in front of a paying audience by now.
Expanding your range happens with a reliable and daily vocal workout that includes a variety of complex scales. It's all about the placement of each note within your baritone range. My job as a professional vocal coach is to show you HOW. With daily practice, it may take as many as 2 lessons to get your High G. Then it's about maintaining it.
Likewise, developing the falsetto happens with scales. In your falsetto, begin on High G-flat. Sing a series of three 3-tone scales, i.e, do-re-mi, on the vowel sound "ee". Take a breath, go up a half-step to G, repeat the exercise. Continue up until you are beginning on B-flat. Return and repeat the exercise on the vowel sound "oo". Feel the sensations of the tone on the roof of your mouth and the up & down movement of the three notes toward your skull. That's just the beginning.
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/1663489068.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.
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Best regards,
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Answers by Expert:
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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