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Acting in Plays, Singing/Contralto Voice?
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Question
Hello,
I am a musician who has been a closet vocalist for a very long time. I recently have begun singing my own songs with my guitar and wish to improve my voice, but unfortunately live 7-8 hours from the closest city with a voice coach. I have a friend who has offered to show me some basics on breath support and the like, but she isn't a trained coach, she's just a singer who has had training in the past.
I suspect that I have a contralto voice, partly because I sing much lower than most women, and also because of where my chest voice breaks. I do not know the difference between my middle voice and head voice, so I can't tell you much about those breaks, but I can sing in chest voice quite high, and very low.
I do have an upper register as well but even ignoring the breaking, I get to a weird vibrato that I've been told is that top of my range lower than most. I can't sing 95% of popular female songs in their entirety without altering the high parts. I can sing the low notes of contralto music comfortably, and that is where my "comfortable" singing is. I know that my high range can be improved, but I still believe that I am a contralto. my voice sounds quite good in the low ranges, not forced.
I would like to know if you still recommend I travel and see a coach in the city to have my voice properly diagnosed? It sounds like a lot of people think they are contraltos but just don't know how to use the upper ranges?
I know that seeing a coach would be the best thing to improve my singing. However, its not feasible on any kind of regular schedule for me - what other avenues would you suggest I pursue? There are a million CDs and DVDs that can be ordered online, but I am hesitant to choose any since I don't know even the basics. Can you suggest somewhere for me to start?
Hello, Tash –
Thank you for the question.
I understand your frustration. What you don't mention are the specific notes of your range. The vocal line of the vast majority of popular music is set in treble clef. Looking at those five lines (E-G-B-D-F) – Middle C sits below the bottom line, E. My contraltos exercise to Bass C, i.e., one octave below Middle C, past the octave above Middle C (3rd-space C), and up to at least the high F on the 5th-line. Most go higher. Like you, some newcomers experience a break or a shift in their sound somewhere around (again, in treble clef) 1st-space F to 2nd-space A. The goal is to balance the areas above and below that. My job as a professional vocal coach is to show you HOW. That must happen in person – or maybe one day through digital TV. What you or anyone else needs specifically cannot happen solely through a book or a CD.
What kind of material do you want to sing? And based on your location – and with an eye to the future – where are you going to sing it? That is what ultimately determines the kind of vocal coach or school you want to find.
As a professional singer and coach, I know that a reliable daily vocal workout is everything. Sing through a series of simple scales – just like you would find in your guitar manual – throughout your entire register before you begin learning or reviewing your material. That should last no less than 15–20 minutes. Just like a runner, you need to exercise and stretch the voice before putting performance-demands on it.
Consider consulting directors of community or faith-based choirs in your area. Not all, but some are well-informed about teaching vocal development. More than likely, you will encounter other contraltos who may also be able to help you.
I am a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of these days when you can come to The City, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1784488999.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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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
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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