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Acting in Plays, Singing/Baritone or Bass-Baritone?
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Question
Mr. Martinfield,
Thank you for taking my question. I often read your answers and find them to be of excellent quality!
This may seem like a fairly basic question, but I was wondering if you could help me classify my voice. I am not sure whether or to put "Baritone" or "Bass-Baritone" on my resume so I will give you a little information about myself and maybe you can help me out.
I am 22 years old and currently a BFA Acting student at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada and I have 4 years of professional summer theatre experience.
My range is roughly from the low F in the bass clef to the F# above middle C (I know you are going to say all of your baritones and bass-baritones can get to the A, but I can't quite get up there yet.. haha). Some of the roles I have played in the past are Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (professional), Wild Bill Hickok in Calamity Jane (professional), a "Johnny Cash" type character in a 50's review (professional), Spettigue in Where's Charley? (professional) and Javert in Les Mis (very good amateur production). I had to turn down an regional equity contract because of conflicts with school but I was asked to understudy a principle role in Aida and in February I will be playing Simon Stride in a professional concert version of Jekyll & Hyde. My voice is versatile and I have the ability to switch back and forth from a lyric to a dramatic sound in order to suit the role.. I have been told my tone is actually quite similar to Brian Stokes Mitchell. I have four years of substancial vocal training, but my previous two teachers have been very hesitant to classify my voice type.
Some of my "go-to" audition pieces include:
The Impossible Dream, Lonely Room, If I Can't Love Her, Ol' Man River, Who Cares? (Of Thee I Sing), Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, Stars.
I really think I could be classified either way... But I am curious to get your expert opinion. Thank you again for your time and I hope to hear from you soon. I will continue to read your suggestions to others and take them to heart.
Brent
Hello, Brent –
Thank you for getting back to me. I appreciate all the information. Obviously, the best answer would come with a private vocal session.
Let's consider "Ol' Man River" from Jerome Kern's SHOWBOAT. Great song. Years of Tradition and Expectation behind it. If I'm on your audition panel and you tell me you're singing "Ol' Man River" and you've indicated "Bass-Baritone" on your resumé and/or on the Sign-In sheet – I will tell you to begin with "Tote that barge" and sing through to "land in jail". If you measure up to the vocal expectations of the composer – which can be located in the two major film adaptations – then you are probably a legitimate bass-baritone. Bear in mind, such a comparison is a very tall order. Each of these singers was Classically trained and boasted a resounding and beefy lower register. Compared to their other performance repertoire, "Ol' Man River" was a day on the beach. But their renditions were powerful in the voice department and, hence, in the acting department.
Does that describe your sound? Especially at an audition? If you launch into a Frank Sinatra version I will simply cut you off and ask for something else. Probably from your more baritone side. Or I may cut to the chase and ask you to demonstrate a series of scales for me. We'll both have the answer then.
It may also be true that your skills as a trained actor include a proficiency in mimicing or re-creating another's sound. Most actors are not equally trained musicians. Do you learn your material through recordings? If so, you may be unintentionally taking on the tonal characteristics of whoever you're listening to. Not the best way to learn or to improve your skills – especially when the central issue is your vocal category.
I am a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area. When you want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1743222727.html I am also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com. All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.
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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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