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Acting in Plays, Singing/Three (not so) quick questions.
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Question
First of all, Hello.
I started singing about 9 or 10 months ago, discovered by myself what a diaphragm is and never took singing lessons, but my father is a semi-professional singer and sometimes he gives me tips (altough I see him like twice in a month and I wouldn't consider him as my vocal coach).
First of all, a question about chest voice and belting. I'm just 16, so I wouldn't put me in a vocal category, but I'm definitely on my way of becoming a bass, considering that my range is roughly C2-E4, altough I can sometimes hit a B1 or a F4, but those notes are just uncomfortable. The fact is that I can belt up to B4, if I know what belt is. That sounds slightly similar to legit singing, even if it is a totally different technique (if I understood, legit is about lowering larynx and belting is about raising it, so it's quite the opposite). The question is: is there a way to get those notes (F4 to B4) more easily? And if it is, how? Do I have to practice scales daily, do particular excercise? I can't financially afford singing lessons, or else I wouldn't post here.
Now, something about head voice (or so called by Americans "mixed voice"). Basically, my head voice is just horrible. It sounds awful and I find very very difficult pitch adjustment, actually I think I'm totalli out of tune. What do I have to do in order to get a better sound and tune?
And last but not least, since I covered the other two registers, falsetto. I think I have very good falsetto, but I find difficult to access whistle register. I can always do that, but never easily, and that results in problems hitting my highest notes (B5-C6-D6). Again, are there any excercises to do in order to get an easier whistle performance?
Note that I'm not going to learn Opera, I'm more oriented to jazz, rock or anyways pop voice.
Thank you for reading til here and forgive me for my bad english, I'm Italian.
Cheers
Hi, Giuliano –
Thank you for the question.
Sometimes at 16 and with the right coach – it’s possible that your voice may be that of a true bass. One of my clients was recently accepted into New York’s School of the Performing Arts. He came to me at 14. He was cracking around E-flat and his lowest note was D. Within about six months he had increased his lower register to C and his upper register to F#, i.e., a range of two octaves plus an augmented 4th. Before he left for New York, he could exercise from B1 to G4. He’ll be 16 this year. He wants to sing the Classical repertoire. Everyone agrees he is a bass.
It all happens with scales. My job as a professional vocal coach is teach you how to sing them according to your vocal category. Then it's about applying those skills to whatever you want to sing.
It might also be true that your untrained voice may be that of a bass-baritone or baritone. All my bass-baritones sing to High A-flat, some go higher. All my baritones sing to High B-flat, some go higher. I have to hear you to make such a determination.
You are inviting all kinds of vocal problems by fooling around with gimmicks you call a “whistle register”. What’s the point? Name the song that asks a bass to pop-up into such a sound. You are wasting your time and energy with that.
If you are attracted to jazz, then learn the standard jazz songook. Listen to the great male jazz artists who have sung that material since it was first made available. That will keep you busy. While you’re doing that, study music theory. There are all kinds of introductory books to help you acquire this knowledge. Jazz singers must work with jazz musicians. You have to know what they know about keys, chords and tempos.
I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco. When you are in town and want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1646265517.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.
Take a look at my You Tubes:
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http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=64126
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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
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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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