Acting in Plays, Singing/A Legit and A Belt

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Expert: - 1/23/2012


Question
Dear Mr. Martinfield,

I responded to an audition notice and I was then asked to send an audio or video clip of myself singing a legit and a belt.

Can you please explain with examples what they are looking for, I am new to the musical theatre world and don't have extensive training yet.

I would classify my voice as a mezzo-soprano/alto.

Thank you for your time.
Sabrina

Answer
Hi, Sabrina –

Thank you for the question.

There are a number of components that go with the term "legitimate voice". It starts with a voice that can be heard in a standard-size theater or concert hall without the use of a microphone. That takes some training. The well-trained singer can demonstrate better phrasing, breath control, endurance, and overall musicianship with material labeled as "legit".

"Belting" is about spurts of huge volume and substance. It can be discussed in terms of such classic shows as GYPSY and it's leading character, "Mama Rose". All of her songs require huge belting chops. "Everything's Coming Up Roses" is a great example. Belting is also about the big amplified Pop/Rock musicals and the Pop/Rock "sound" required of its lead singers. That variety of musical theatre singer could also succeed as a Lead Singer of a Pop/Rock cover band. As "Mama Rose" in GYPSY would say to either the legit singer or the contemporary rock singer, "You either got it, or ya ain't." Simple.

My job as professional vocal coach is to teach you these skills and make you a more marketable talent.

If you are a true mezzo-soprano with a belt, then you have a wealth of material to explore.

Consider adding these songs to your audition portfolio:

Legit:
Always True To You In My Fashion – KISS ME, KATE
The Sweetest Sounds – NO STRINGS
Look To The Rainbow – FINIAN'S RAINBOW

Belt:
Gimme, Gimme – THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
Show Off – DROWSY CHAPERONE
I Can Cook Too – ON THE TOWN

Go to this web site to find the following volumes in the series of anthologies devoted to the Mezzo Soprano/Belter:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=32001285122&lc=recs:det

I am a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm also the Music and Theatre critic for SanFranciscoSentinel.com and Classical music reviewer for Examiner.com: www.examiner.com/user/4557381/articles

Check out my recent interview with popular TV host, David Perry, on "Ten Percent":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKeeTYTYMAI

Below are links to my articles and youtubes on San Francisco's entertainment and cultural scene:

Tchaikovsky's Other 'Onegin' – At San Francisco Ballet
http://www.examiner.com/classical-music-in-san-francisco/tchaikovsky-s-other-one

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http://www.examiner.com/classical-music-in-san-francisco/blomstedt-and-de-waart-

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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
SanFranciscoSentinel.com
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?cat=65

Acting in Plays, Singing

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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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