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Acting in Plays, Singing/Vocal technique
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Question
Hello Mr. Martinfield. I am 16 and I have noticed that when I sing, I have two very distinct voices with different ranges. When I sing as a solo or duet for a musical, I seem to be more of an alto-belter. I have a rather small range (I believe a low F to a middle C). In choir I sing in my head voice as a soprano (I believe my range falls between a low C and a high Bb). Last year in my high school's musical I was Penny from Hairspray. In Without Love, while I was able to belt most of the song, I was forced to switch into head voice for a few phrases. Unfortunately, my head voice, while not necessarily bad, is not very loud (especially when compared to me belting#, so barely anyone could hear I was singing #on the second and third night I ended up speaking the lines#.
This year I was planning on auditioning for my next school's musical, the Wizard of Oz as Glinda #even though she is know as more of an operatic role, and I would be belting). While I am able to sing the audition song, I was listening to a recording of Poppies and realized if by chance I got the part, I would most like not be able to belt out the end of the song. I was wondering if there was anyway to smoothen this transition between my loud belting voice and quiet head voice. Also I was wondering if you had any tips for either broadening my belting range or making my head voice louder.
Thanks so very much for your time!
Hello, Kristin –
)
Thank you for the question. I appreciate the surrounding information.
You and I both know that "Glinda" in THE WIZARD OF OZ is not a belter. Her vocal quality is bright and her manner and bearing suggest that she descends from the Divine. Thus, the role of a soprano. But not an operatic soprano.
Your voice is not divided into two separate regions: the chest voice and head voice. Be careful not to conflate "belting" with an energy output that allows you to be heard across the footlights. Many young singers, particularly mezzo-sopranos (or altos), feel like they must be "belting" since they are working so hard to be heard. Speaking in treble clef, many of them cannot carry that same sense of energy and placement past 3rd-space C# without breaking into a disconnected "head voice". If you are in fact a mezzo-soprano who can "belt", then my job as a professional vocal coach is to teach you how to work that troublesome area of your voice between 2nd-space A-flat and 5th-line F.
As you suggest – you want to smoothe-out this transition. That happens through exercise. There's no other way around it. You must learn a reliable vocal workout that will make that transition in that area of your voice – as well as throughout your entire range – totally smooth. In other words, balanced from top note to bottom note, no breaks. That's where I come in.
High school choirs are not the best training grounds for singers who want to be in the solo spotlight. My first responsibility is to determine your true vocal category, i.e., soprano, mezzo-soprano, etc., Once that is established, then it's about teaching you how to maximize and maintain your vocal range and to keep your vocal chops performance-ready. You are already aware of the vocal problems you are facing simply because you lack good training and do not have a reliable technique.
What if you came to me for an appointment and we discovered that you are not a mezzo, but a full-fledged soprano? It's totally possible. If it's true, then that would immediately explain a lot of things – particularly why you are losing your vocal tone after the first performance.
You are working hard, yes – but not to your advantage. And now it's catching up with you in public.
All my mezzo-sopranos – including those who sing the belter roles – exercise to High A, some go higher. All my sopranos sing to the D above High C, some go higher. Each of them knows how to demonstrate a complex series of scales throughout their range without evidencing any breaks or noticeable shifts. You need to learn how to do the same.
Once you know your true vocal category and how to keep your range in shape, then – if you want to work in musical theatre – your job is to become familiar with the repertoire written for your voice type and be able to demonstrate those skills to a conductor. My job is to teach you how to do that. That cannot happen with a few tips on an Internet bulletin board. It has to happen in person.
If you have any samples of your material available on-line, I will listen to them and offer you some feedback.
I am a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.
Check out my recent interview with popular TV host, David Perry, on "Ten Percent":
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Below are links to my articles and youtubes on San Francisco's entertainment and cultural scene:
The Sentinel's own editor Sean Martinfield is interviewed by David Perry on Comcast. Catch the Action!
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=166025
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BEVAN DUFTY – A Conversation with The City's Most Effective Candidate for Mayor
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"XERXES" – At San Francisco Opera
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AT LAST! – ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY – An Interview with Seán Martinfield
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THIS GUN FOR HIRE, 1942 – Looking at "Now you see it, now you don't" sung by Veronica Lake
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"Would You Like A Souvenir?" – Sean Martinfield and Janet Roitz explore a song from Film Noir classic NORA PRENTISS (1947)
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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
SanFranciscoSentinel.com
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?cat=65
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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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