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Acting in Plays, Singing/Shaky voice
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QUESTION: Hi,
I was wondering how to control a shaky voice? I was singing "Catch Me" by Demi Lovato. I can hit the notes well, but my voice is just too shaky. Someone suggest that I need "breath support," but I really don't know what that means. Maybe my nerves just get the best of me when I sing loud enough for others to hear. How can I control this?
ANSWER: Hi, Stephenie –
Thank you for the 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
SanFranciscoSentinel.com
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi,
I was wondering how to control a shaky voice? I was singing "Catch Me" by Demi Lovato. I can hit the notes well, but my voice is just too shaky. Someone suggest that I need "breath support," but I really don't know what that means. Maybe my nerves just get the best of me when I sing loud enough for others to hear. How can I control this?
Hello, Stephenie –
Thank you for the question.
As you use the term "shaky" – at least two factors can be in evidence. The first applies to the vibrato. I have my interpretations and favorite examples of a "shaky vibrato". The second is all about breath control. This variety of "shakiness" is always due to lack of breath control. It has a feeling of something like panting.
With the above in mind, what you need to learn will not be acquired by singing along with Demi Lovato.
No matter the material, singers have lots in common with the wind instrumentalists – such as clarinet players. Playing the right notes in a Clarinet Concerto – especially with critics like myself out in the audience – requires an absolute engagement with the breath. Part of that knowledge includes: how to grab the next breath for the next phrase coming up. And sustain the high-note climax in the middle of the phrase.
This is an acquired skill. It doesn't happen overnight. My experience as a professional singer and vocal coach suggests that the best way to acquire proper breath control is to work with a personal trainer. The ultimate proof of the training is found in public performance. At the moment, your nerves are getting the best of you because you aren't always certain about how to control whatever is going on. It always comes back to breath support.
My Broadway singers know they must replicate the same song night after night in very much the same manner as was established on Opening Night. Perhaps it will get even better along the way. They got the job because they demonstrated vocal reliability through their audition material.
You must learn how to do the same.
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.
Take a look at my You Tubes:
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Best regards,
SanFranciscoSentinel.com
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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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