Screaming... some pointers

[sinkman]

haha I feel like im in science class, well thanks you very much

[Generals Warning]

what is the best way to do the used scream?

[PhatPhishPhan]

I really wanna learn how to sing like robert plant from led zeppelin or the guy from acdc. I don't know if they are screaming, or what...

[opaque miasma]

I wanna try like a mixture of screams, i wanna be ablke to like scream like Wayne Static, the dude from Atreyu, Davey Havok, and George from the Casualties. So yeah, any help on any of the screams would be nice.

i scream kinda along the lines of Alex (Atreyu) it is more in the throat and i think you either have it or dont... i dont know anyone who can scream like him... not that is is rare or amything.

[Light_Fantastic]

Hey Guys....
In reference to screaming....
Opaque Miasma has a good point....
Every singers voice is unique...
Your range may be limited, higher or lower, tenor, high tenor, baritone etc...but before you guys go out & destroy your potentially good voices, you need to learn how to sing, diaphram support, other tools & tricks of the vocal trade. All the greatest screamers, are also some of the greatest singers. There is a reason for that.
They work hard, they train like an olympian, they all have vocal coaches, & they all practice for hours before live or studio gigs.
When you are starting out, it is OK to emulate (copy) your favorite singer or screamer, but the limitation & tone of your own voice may make some of the stuff you want to achieve almost impossible.
I have written in other threads about the effects & distortion & harmonizers pro singers use live & in-studio to achieve that rough edge vocal sound. so, there is so much more to it than just screaming yer lungs out till your tonsil blow up & you can't hardly speak in a whisper.
In my case, being a trained vocalist, I would have to hear what you sound like one on one by MP3 or phone or whatever.
I am working hard on a site that I think will benefit a lot of you younger rock vocalists.
Meanwhile I will try to answer as much as I can about the mechanics & basics of singing.
Singing in a rock band is one of the hardest band positions out there.....
Now, you know why a great vocalist is an asset & so hard to find..
All you young rock vocalist can be that kind of vocalist, with lots of hard work, dedication, & training, I can help with the basics, give you the tools, put you on the right track, the rest is up to you...
How far do you want to go??

Jay

[sinkman]

Bump........

[Generals Warning]

I have been working on my screaming and something just dont sound right...i dont know if i am pushing thru my gut right...and my throat feels a little scratchy while and after i am done...can some one help me out ?

[Generals Warning]

can some one plz help??????

[Light_Fantastic]

I have been working on my screaming and something just dont sound right...i dont know if i am pushing thru my gut right...and my throat feels a little scratchy while and after i am done...can some one help me out ?

Hey Generals....
I would need some more info from you to determine if you are singing right.
You might be pushing too much air , then your throat would begin to feel dry & scratchy.
DO you have anything with your voice recorded, with a band, by yourself, or even acapella?
What type of songs are you singing, and how old are you?

Jay

[shadedlife]

Hey Jay - I don't know how much of the advice I took from you guys, but I decided to make a quick recording of myself while my brother went to play outside. I guess it was no use, cause when he came in he told me that he heard me screaming from outside. ah well....

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/shagra.htm
i was screaming along to My Own Summer by the Deftones. I just recorded a little clip cause the rest sounded much too ****ty, and it would have been too big to bother to upload. I am thinking of being the background screamer for my band (i'm the guitarist). I'm 16 years old, and I've had around 7 years of classical training with a choir (st.michael's choir school). I don't have any effects on this track - i just have my mic(****ty one) running through my guitar amp with the reverb at max - i have my computer mic up to the speaker.

Please give me some advice Jay - thanks in advance

edit : I added a bit from Be Quiet and Drive - it's longer

[Generals Warning]

Hey Generals....
I would need some more info from you to determine if you are singing right.
You might be pushing too much air , then your throat would begin to feel dry & scratchy.
DO you have anything with your voice recorded, with a band, by yourself, or even acapella?
What type of songs are you singing, and how old are you?

Jay

i dont have anything recorded...i am singing to the new underOATH and emery and i am 15

[Generals Warning]

and also if i dont push out as much air as i do i can not get loud enough

[Co&Ca]

How do you scream like A7X?.
and the really high pitched screams in some coheed and cambria songs ie the crowing

[italic zero]

and also if i dont push out as much air as i do i can not get loud enough

That's what a mic is for ;)

[shadedlife]

can you put microphones through guitar effect pedals and into a PA? or are vocal effects always done after recording?

p.s. - JayLink - i need some advice about my screaming - it's a few posts up

[Light_Fantastic]

Hey Shadedlife, I will answer this question & get back to you on the other post.
Usually in the studio, all vocals are recorded basically dry, with no effects or processing. While you are laying down the track (singing live) the engineer can add a bit of reverb or slight echo, just so it sounds a little warmer to you while you are singing. When you load in effect with the vocal track, you will find yourself going off pitch a lot because the effect make it hard to stay on key ...
Live, you can add procerssors & effect at your sound board & have your live mixer get you a good effected live vocal sound. Plus you can have a dry mix in your monitors or ear monitor so you can hear yourself better.
Hope than answers your question.

Jay

[Light_Fantastic]

Hey Jay - I don't know how much of the advice I took from you guys, but I decided to make a quick recording of myself while my brother went to play outside. I guess it was no use, cause when he came in he told me that he heard me screaming from outside. ah well....

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/shagra.htm
i was screaming along to My Own Summer by the Deftones. I just recorded a little clip cause the rest sounded much too ****ty, and it would have been too big to bother to upload. I am thinking of being the background screamer for my band (i'm the guitarist). I'm 16 years old, and I've had around 7 years of classical training with a choir (st.michael's choir school). I don't have any effects on this track - i just have my mic(****ty one) running through my guitar amp with the reverb at max - i have my computer mic up to the speaker.

Please give me some advice Jay - thanks in advance

edit : I added a bit from Be Quiet and Drive - it's longer


Hey Shadedlife:
Man, you got lots of power there...for sure..some of the inverse screams , you had the right idea, but they were kinda weak...
I think you have a great scream, but it sounds like you might be pushing too hard, to get the effect you want....try re recording with a bit less reverb , so I can hear your tone better... You also said you took choir & studied for 7 years. I would be interested in hearing your singing voice also...
I think you got something to work with & develop there..
Jay

[truth]

shaded, your scream sucks, i am seriously going to message soundclick to take that garbage off, just quit. as for all the other newbs that like listening to sum sic slipknot and mudvayne bro, quit, that **** is ****ing gay and always has been gay, lets just like committ suicide and talk about the sikness. all of this is just too funny! listen to some good bands like black dahlia murder, necrophagist, arsis, arch enemy. but you guys probably won't think it's cool until a decade later, seriously all of you stop giving advice, you are seriously sounding like idiots...I am going to post this thread on as many message boards as possible..it's just way too funny.

[Light_Fantastic]

shaded, your scream sucks, i am seriously going to message soundclick to take that garbage off, just quit. as for all the other newbs that like listening to sum sic slipknot and mudvayne bro, quit, that **** is ****ing gay and always has been gay, lets just like committ suicide and talk about the sikness. all of this is just too funny! listen to some good bands like black dahlia murder, necrophagist, arsis, arch enemy. but you guys probably won't think it's cool until a decade later, seriously all of you stop giving advice, you are seriously sounding like idiots...I am going to post this thread on as many message boards as possible..it's just way too funny.

Hey Big Man:
Put up or shut up.
Would love to hear you sing or scream. It's easy to hide behind a name & put people down.
Funny name for a guy who's talks Bulls***

[shadedlife]

Thanks a lot for the advice, Jay. I'll re-record the next time I have a chance. I can hear a bit of sound that has a high pitch that seems to be coming out along with my scream. Is that supposed to be there? I'd like to get rid of it, if possible.

I would be interested in hearing your singing voice also...
i don't know if i'd be interested if I were you :) My singing voice needs a bit of development - I'm quite sure that my singing problems are all stemming from low confidence and such. I also haven't had many chances to sing out of the choral style, so my voice is set into the choral groove.
some of the inverse screams which ones are inverse? I'm pretty sure I used the same technique on all of them .
shaded, your scream sucks
thanks :)
listen to some good bands like black dahlia murder, necrophagist, arsis, arch enemy.
I do.
seriously all of you stop giving advice, you are seriously sounding like idiots
It's definitely better to sound like an idiot here than to sound like an idiot on-stage without a clue as to how to scream. wouldn't you agree?

wow - went a little quote-happy there. ahh well - everything in moderation, including moderation.

[Light_Fantastic]

Hey Shaded...that guy is a goof ball..
Your doing real well for just starting out...

Jay

[shadedlife]

Hey Shaded...that guy is a goof ball..I'm fully aware... .goof balls can be fun sometimes, but never when taken seriously. I've added a little bit from Five Pointe O's "untitled" onto my soundclick account... give it a listen when you have the time.. thanks Jay.

[majestic]

i am a beginner screamer and i am wondering why after i scream my falsetto voice is gone but my regular voice is fine?

[shadedlife]

you're probably screaming in a rough fashion through your falsetto voice.

[italic zero]

i am a beginner screamer and i am wondering why after i scream my falsetto voice is gone but my regular voice is fine?

I also find that when my voice isn't in good shape (dehydrated, sore etc) my falsetto is the first to go. I'm not sure why though.

[Light_Fantastic]

Hey Guys, Usually when you punish your voice or push it too hard, & hell, we all do...I am just as guilty with all my training..lol
The falsetto goes first because your vocal chords become taunt & cannot vibrate in a normal manner, so once your falsetto voice is totally blown, like only a whisper comes out, you need to rest you voice for at least two days to let some healing take place...
Hot tea with honey...works well, & I use Chloroseptic, when there is any throat pain. so, if this happens consistantly, it means you are singing wrong & lessons will help you build up your voice , so this only happens once in a while & not constantly.

Jay

[majestic]

but if i lose my falsetto does that mean i am doing it right and just pushing to hard or something or am i screaming the wrong way?

[majestic]

but if i lose my falsetto does that mean i am doing it right and just pushing to hard or something or am i screaming the wrong way?

[majestic]

but if i lose my falsetto does that mean i am doing it right and just pushing to hard or something or am i screaming the wrong way?

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

Your just pushing your falsetto way too much. To produce falsetto your folds have to completly thin and they don't vibrate at all. Thats what makes its FALSEtto. The breath is what's producing the sound. So when you push and your fold's swell, they can't thin completley and your falsettos gone. To bring it back first relax then sing up and down scales on the vowel EE as in TEETH. Do this from your lowest to your highest. Don't worry about sound, just form

[italic zero]

You can lose your falsetto without using it at all. Just drink tons of water, sing soft excersises, and don't push if it doesn't feel good.

[Remem]

K so first off... Unsound THanx for taking the time to post this. I havnt tried any fo this yet, but have been looking for a guide for months now and none were as well thought out and... hilarious :D SO yeah Thanks. Oh and if you guys havnt heard these guys yet.... check them out. I think 3/4 members in this band (Fear Before The March Of Flames) scream and they all have slightly diffrent screams... they rule... check it out...
http://www.purevolume.com/fearbeforethemarchofflames

[LeaDHeaD]

Hey jay maybe you can help me out i was wondering if i might be screwing up my singning voice by screaming. I'm usually pretty careful about it. How i started out was i screamed (sang some too) for a half hour every day after school before anyone got home for a few months. At first my voice would get all low and i would sound like a frog and cough alot. Now, i can get through a two hour band practice without my voice even hurting the least bit. Soo here is a clip of my screaming on soundclick and tell me what you think (its a few months old its way better now) I did not use a microphone i was singing along to killswitch engage into a crappy tape recorder. Any tips for me?

peace
jeff

http://www.soundclick.com/leadhead (click on the vocal demo one)

oh yeah ps im doing it along with a stereo in the backround the one with the lower voice is me

[shadedlife]

Leadhead - I can't give you any advice, but I just want to say that I like your scream - it's more of a growl... if you could post the technique as to how to do that, it would be greatly appreciated, since i would like to find out how to do it.

[Teh1337Darklink]

Yeah thats a great scream you got there, man. I can do a decent low-mid range scream off of a mic, except i dont have a microphone to record myself with, nor an amp of any sort.

Anyways, with my kind of singing i want to achieve, I want to try and sing like Slipknot and Mudvayne.

Its come to my attention that you use your falsetto to scream high pitches. If anyone knows Story of the year -- Anthem of our dying day, I wanna know how to do that kinda high scream he does. Its been explained a little bit how to do a pitch like that, except i never did completely understand.

so to cut things short, i would appreciate if someone told me how to do the following:

1. How to do a falsetto scream
2. And correct me if im wrong, falsetto is like when you make girly sounds, really high pitched notes? I need some clarification...
3. what kind of screams to slipknot and mudvayne do?

[LeaDHeaD]

I just push out all the air i can with my diaphram, although im not growling i just have a low voice. You have to have confidence when you do it just scream your head off and you'll get it eventually. Your diaphram is what you use when you want to push out a really big ****, use that. I use my throught alot latley when i scream, all the teqniques will come to you eventually it takes a few months.

[Teh1337Darklink]

But its so loud... well it seems that way anyway. I heard using your throat when you scream could completely paralyze your vocal chords, so i dont do that anymore, i just use stomache; i mean diaphragm, and push really hard ;D

[Sir Killalot]

I read all the god **** 15 pages ! Let me tell you that all those tips are really itneresting ! I'll try all of them as soon as I have time .. My friends and I sometime jam just for the fun of it on death/black metal songs and I am the singer/screamer/growler. I was wondering if my techniques for growling and screeching are ok because I practiced a lot and the only thing that hurts when I really do it loud is the muscles around my throat that are constantly contracted when I tighten or widen my throat. My vocal chords seem ok but I've been doing this since the last 6 months.. Here's some samples from an account that I just created on soundclick. A few feedbacks would be appreciated. There is three samples, one of them is me growling for 12 seconds, the other is me, screeching at 6 feet from my microphone (I wanted to avoid Distortion) and the last one is a crappy song caricaturizing a grindcore death metal song like Cannibal Corpse(I dont really like CC but it fitted what we wanted to do). The music is made using a midi sequencer and all the song was created and recorded in an hour and a half at 3 am. lol so don't take it seriously, in fact, the song is funny in its ugliness but it still gives a good idea of my growling skills! The high pitch scream is by my friend, i'm doing the whispers and the low growls ... I don't want feedbacks for my friend.. He had a cold anyway !

Links : http://www.soundclick.com/bands/1/malegothbabesmusic.htm

Thank you for all the tips ! ;)

[LeaDHeaD]

But its so loud... well it seems that way anyway. I heard using your throat when you scream could completely paralyze your vocal chords, so i dont do that anymore, i just use stomache; i mean diaphragm, and push really hard ;D


Yeah i'm using a TAPE recorder with no microphone and I haven't had any problems using my throught when I scream. That clip is old maybe i'll post a new one over the summer if my band records.

[Teh1337Darklink]

Lol oh... sounds like its a stereo, with a cheap 5$ microphone recording. I tried to record my screaming once. it sounded like so much ***. Anyway, i dont know how to get a body on my scream, its just a scream. Like i mean.. i can go low, to low-mid, to low-high and thats about it. If i use my throat i can go higher and such, but i duno ifthats such a good idea.

[LeaDHeaD]

I dunno man. I'm no expert

[mansonsgod]

dis helped me aton thank you. becu im in a industrial rock bands singer i have to scream alot and have to take several tries when recording this helped aton

[Teh1337Darklink]

Thats ok....

so what you do is use your throat, and stomache?.... ;/

I gotta try it sometime.

[LeaDHeaD]

I'm not too sure what I do, I posted a newer clip which i recorded today. I didn't warm up at all but I think my voice got lower over this past year, tell me if you agree. Anyways IM also looking to have better throught control than I have like the messhuggah vocalist possibly? Wheres jay at lol.

Anyways darklink dont worry about technique too much just when you start gettin tired stop and you'll get more and more throught strength. I think the mudvayne singer had the best advice about screaming, just scream your head off all the time. It takes a few months to get a hold of.

http://www.soundclick.com/leadhead

click on the new vocal demo can anyone help me out here

[Teh1337Darklink]

sweet, alright man i'll check it out. Thanks alot.

and jay, where;'d you go? :O


Edit: I listned to it, sounds great. All you need is a mic, and amp, with some drums, guitars, and some other stuff in the background, and your set !

[Light_Fantastic]

sweet, alright man i'll check it out. Thanks alot.

and jay, where;'d you go? :O


Edit: I listned to it, sounds great. All you need is a mic, and amp, with some drums, guitars, and some other stuff in the background, and your set !

Hey Guys sorry to be away for so long, but I have been on the road meeting with publishers & distributors to make sure our debut CD is released worldwide, and then setting up recording dates & mastering dates in Los Angeles, and finally , setting up my on-line rock vocal clinic (whew)...
It's late here in Chicago, but I promise in the morning I will go thru this whole thread & try to give some help...
Keep Rockin'

Jay

[Harmonisation]

Jay > Is there any news on what happening with your rock vocal clinic yet?

[Light_Fantastic]

Jay > Is there any news on what happening with your rock vocal clinic yet?

Hey Harmonisation there is...
We were delayed a few weeks, cause my web designers Mac blew up, but thinkg are back on track . We are opening the site up late next week, around June 3 or 4th hopefully.
You can go to www.rock-vocals.com for some info, or if interested send me an e mail at jay@rock-vocals.com .
I have had 18 people sign up for the pre- launch, so about 20 more spots are open..
Take Care

Jay Link

[WhenSorrowFails]

ive heard chester (from linkin park) screams he can have up to like 3 different notes. is that true. & what about bert mccracken from the used. he screams so hard he pukes in his shows. bert & chester have the best screams ever. give me some kinda idea on how to scream like each of them... e-mail me. travis_walls_22@hotmail.com

[Harmonisation]

Jay > Ive just sent you a mail dude, so if you could get back to me in your spare time it would be appreciated. Thanks =)

[poetic_tragedy]

I saw The Used live yesterday and they were awesome! I just wanted to know if the screaming method posted at the beginning of this thread is the same one Bert uses. Also, can someone post what they sound like when they scream?

Thanks

[WhenSorrowFails]

poetic tragedy... first off The Used is freaking awesome... anyways ive tried my hardest to sound like bert when i scream but when i scream it sounds a lil high pitched but it still sounds good but its not raw & as strong as berts. more like... chester from LP or something close to it. i dunno if that was what you were but yeah. later

[Teh1337Darklink]

how do you do the scream like chester, WhenSorrowFails?

[Yatty]

Anyways...

Here is me singing Cradle of Filth - Dusk and her embrace...

http://yatty.vahst.com/Recordings/cof2.mp3

I've sung a few songs, which some of you know. But without any practice or excercises before hand.

I would like to know how to sing more like the original. You can hear the original in the background..

[ManWhoSoldTheWorld]

Wow, I just got done reading all 16 pages, and it's help me a lot, just in one night, but using the techniques my scream is already a little better. I'm aiming for a Story of the Year and Nate/Randy from Finch scream, and I think its coming along ok. I don't have a good sounding voice for singing, but it does sound pretty good screaming, so I really don't care if i damage my singing voice...so..any tips?

(im 15 by the way)

[EcolliJK]

Anyways...

Here is me singing Cradle of Filth - Dusk and her embrace...

http://yatty.vahst.com/Recordings/cof2.mp3

I've sung a few songs, which some of you know. But without any practice or excercises before hand.

I would like to know how to sing more like the original. You can hear the original in the background..


i'll try to help
so here it go's

take more air and take it at the right moment. try to get as much air in as possible.
if he screams high pitched and you can't reach the the note try to warm up first
by singing scales and then push as much air out as needed to get to your top pitch (you'd probably knew that allready but i'm just telling everything)
o and think forward while screaming (believe me it works)
try to put the high pitched scream in the front of your mouth.
and think about the note before singing/screaming it while breathing in

good luck

[EcolliJK]

tip for everybody:
ALLWAYS warm up if you're going to sing seriously (gig's , band practise)
big change to scr3w up your voice if you don't.
keep vocal chords/throat hydrated, but that's been said before

if your throat or vocal chords start to hurt...stop.
You can continue if you want but don't complain if you lose
your voice for 1 or 2 days.

[LeaDHeaD]

Also you kinda gotta push out with your diaphram when your screaming not only is it louder, it doesnt hurt your throught as much.

[italic zero]

You should be regulating air flow from your diaphram anyway :thumb:

[LeaDHeaD]

You should be regulating air flow from your diaphram anyway :thumb:

Yep :cool:

[Yatty]

i'll try to help
so here it go's

take more air and take it at the right moment. try to get as much air in as possible.
if he screams high pitched and you can't reach the the note try to warm up first
by singing scales and then push as much air out as needed to get to your top pitch (you'd probably knew that allready but i'm just telling everything)
o and think forward while screaming (believe me it works)
try to put the high pitched scream in the front of your mouth.
and think about the note before singing/screaming it while breathing in

good luck


Thanks for that...I've been warming up for a little while now..and I'm about to attempt to sing Cradle of Filth - Saffrons Curse...it has a lot of high pitched screaming, and goes from real low to real high in 2 words..or even in one word...:(

But I'll try nonetheless..

[EcolliJK]

thnx for adding the diaphram thing i forgot :upset:

yatty for the quick change of pitch i might have something that's work to practise it.
hold your arm, in the air and when you go from low to high let your arm fall.
let it go completly loose.
practise that way a couple of times, untill you're used to the pitch changing.

my vocal teacher allways told me that that is a good way to get used to it.

good luck

[fleas_fingers]

I've got a question....are girls physically able to scream? because i've never heard a girl scream before.

[shadedlife]

yes, girls are able to scream. listen to kittie.

[EcolliJK]

agrees ^ see arch enemy aswell

[shadedlife]

see arch enemy aswell
i don't know why i forgot to mention them. sick vocalist in that band.

[hollyhox]

ok im a girl and im soon starting a band with no singer so i sed iwould do it but i wanna scream, is the tequnique the same i want to sound like walls of jericho and i kinda dont understand how u do the screaming notfrom ur gut if that makes anysense!!!! sorry if theres anything bout it in here but i only read the first bits

[Trent Hatfield Manson]

my main thing is i wanna have Trent Reznors vocal range
i use to be able to hit every note he could, then i ****ed my voice a bit, but, it seems to be comming back a little......but you know..i'd love to be able to sing the chorus to Hurt without ****ing up the "MY EMPIRE OF DIRT" part

[mia913]

ok im a girl and im soon starting a band with no singer so i sed iwould do it but i wanna scream, is the tequnique the same i want to sound like walls of jericho and i kinda dont understand how u do the screaming notfrom ur gut if that makes anysense!!!! sorry if theres anything bout it in here but i only read the first bits

yeah im a girl too and i wanna kno if there's ne diff too in technique cuz girls voices r diff than guys, iffya ever figure that out let me kno!! :)

[EcolliJK]

there's no difference
we both have the same vocal chords
only girls pitch range is higher (usually)

[hollyhox]

thats super, now i gotta find somewhere to practice hahaha

[Underoath]

Norma Jean, how in the hell can I scream like this guy? I used to try all the time but still can not come close. I know he uses some distortion on his voice but if you guys have any ideas on how to scream like him...Please tell me! Thanks ^_^

[tr0n]

I have heard two different people talk about two vocalists excellent at screaming and nobody really seemed to acknowledge them. Tommy Rogers of Between The Buried and Me has such a dynamic array of screams that it's amazing to hear him--especially on their self-titled album. The other vocalist mentioned earlier is M. Shadows who is the vocalist of Avenged Sevenfold. His scream(s) are so powerful and "hardcore" sounding that nobody that I've heard could come even close to reproducing what he does with his voice. I just thought that they should both be acknowledged. Be sure and give em a listen to see what I'm talking about. Yes, I did register just to make this single post. I enjoyed reading this thread a lot. Thanks to everyone who contributed to it.

[Poi]

Hey jay, I've been reading your replies and it seems to me you know your sh¡t. I am currently seeing a vocal coach but hes away in new york (broadway singer). I guess I have a good singing voice, I can say I have a voice similar range wise to Ace from The Early November up to Kenny from The Starting Line and some stuff by Davey Havok from AFI. I have a few questions for you that maybe you can help with.

1. I'm mixing my chest voice w/ falsetto, but going up towards notes that I cant reach with simply my chest voice I start to strain, neck tenses and I kind of tilt to the right. If I try to slide into falsetto from my chest it sounds almost opera like and quite pússy lol. What is a good excercise to add weight to my falsetto. I do vocal excercises every morning and evening in my car and and practicing on flexing that muscle (forgot the name) but it seems to be right under my tongue, on the underside of my face. Just wondering what else I could do.

2. I have absolutely no scream at all. I've tried but my throat started to kill so I stopped. I can scream where theres absolutely no pain and its fun, but I sound like a chick or Justin Hawkin's range from The Darkness. Trying the falsetto scream its way to high pitched, and I can't seem to bring it down.

3. For the longest time i've been doing what I call "sirens" where i basically make a sound very high up and gradually bring it down from falsetto to chest without making breaks. I've basically passed one break but the lower break, i think it might be a low G, continues to break. I try vocal frying and done what my vocal coach says but I can't get it. He says it comes with time and its one thing thats taking longer for me to get. Any help?

4. I do some chord stretching excercises but I was wondering if you have any more that I could possibly do.

Thank's a lot Jay or whoever else would like to reply to this. By the way Jay, the name of your band would be ______. I'd really like to check it out. Thanks. :thumb:

[Harmonisation]

poi > I aint heard from Jay in adges. So dont expect a reply back too quick. But opefuli he will be back soon!!

[Understanding]

Norma Jean, how in the hell can I scream like this guy? I used to try all the time but still can not come close. I know he uses some distortion on his voice but if you guys have any ideas on how to scream like him...Please tell me! Thanks ^_^


if i didn't know any better, there seems to be a clipping in his mic. Josh must've screamed really loud into that thing.


I came home from a band practice a while ago, and we tried to make a song from scratch. While the results are good, I screamed throughout the whole song, like, extensivly. And when i left, my throat was a little sore (my voice was fine, but my falsetto seemed hoarse). I want to replicate my scream so i don't muck up my voice box. But i also want to know if i can strenghten my voice to handle it a little more.

[Understanding]

also, i heard from a friend a guy from a hardcore band lost his voice (i'm not sure what band, or if it was permanent.

[shadedlife]

i tried some growling today. recorded a song for fun, then recorded the vocals a couple days later. put a little bit of distortion on it, and a slight bit of reverb. www.soundclick.com/shagra (decapitated by a ceiling fan)
am i doing it right/wrong? my voice didn't hurt afterwards, but after a couple takes, my throat felt slightly itchy while growling.

[Metallicadrummer]

Okay, i know this guy isn't well known for screaming, but i want to get somewhere near james hetfields scream...he screams most on kill 'em all, and theres one song in particular i just want to be able to scream like...Phantom Lord...

the bit at the end where he screams "Fall to your knee's!! Bow down to the Phantom Lord!!!"

i don't even klnow if this is what you would technically call a scream, but this was the most suited thread i could find...thanks :D

[osirisblind]

The Refused anyone? Pointers on how to scream in a similar way? Thanks..

[Your Tourniquet]

I have one problem... my falsetto, like Matthew Bellamy, is extremely high pitched o_o

[Understanding]

The Refused anyone? Pointers on how to scream in a similar way? Thanks..


my god, to get a scream like that...

you have to be awesome :thumb:

[osirisblind]

my god, to get a scream like that...

you have to be awesome :thumb:

Haha I'm guessing this is sarcastic.. sorry it's kinda hard to tell on here..
But come on whats wrong with my question?

[Thrice1700]

Ok, well I tried your techniques...and I was screaming a bit today and my throat hurts. I don't know if my vocal chords hurt or if my muscles hurt. How can u tell which one hurts?

Thanx million

[EcolliJK]

*reminder: be carefull with screaming. Don't go scream your bumbum off immidiatly.
Just build it up.
@Thrice try to use water with honey to protect your throat

[Thrice1700]

@Thrice try to use water with honey to protect your throat

How does honey help protect your throut....just curious!

thanx

[EcolliJK]

you get like an extra layer in your throat

[Thrice1700]

you get like an extra layer in your throat

Oh, well that's awsome! Does it affect your scream though? Thanx man...I'll have to go and buy some then!

Thanx

[mia913]

can ne beginners post a link of themselves screamin? preferably like girls or high pitched guys, thanx

[shadedlife]

www.soundclick.com/shagra. I'm a beginner. I had a few clips of just screaming, but I took them down... add me msn if you want me to send you the files. "decapitated by a ceiling fan" has lower screaming with a few high parts, and "atmospheric conspiracy" has a small section with a bit of high screaming. tell me what you think.

[thefitsrule]

Have you guys heard henry rollins scream in the my war black flag album? I want to scream like that..

[pyrophnx]

hey guys...ive tryed all the techniques posted here...but i still irritate my throat...but it doesnt when i use honey...so can i just use honey all the time..or is that bad?

[shadedlife]

I doubt it's bad. If you're using these techniques, and you're still irritating your throat, then you're probably not doing them right.

[xXSobbingAlwaysXx]

Hey, does anyone know how to scream like (I dunno the name) Story of the Year or any "scremo" type of scream? I can do the low ones easily but I can't get that high pitched type of scream...I tried today and could but almost threw up afterwards, so I figured I wasn't doing it right. I need to know because a band I just joined wants me to scream like that while I play, so, any help would be thanked.

[eski]

Please look at the screaming topics before posting these questions, they have been discussed and answered many times. The other screaming thread shows how to scream in that screamo style in the first post i believe...

[jackblack]

erm...anyone heard of Our Lady Peace, specifically Automatic Flowers...i don't think it's screaming per se...but after the second chorus, Raine does a sort of frantic scream, similar to the choruses of 'Sad But True' or 'Enter Sandman' or the verses of 'The Unforgiven' by Metallica...what would that be considered, and how would a 15-year-old vowel-and-tone-obsessed baritone with a relatively mature voice go about trying to imitate it? if anyone can get back to me, thanks, if not, 's all good, i'll try it out and see what i can do...

Also, i have a problem with my falcetto voice...i have been working on covering, so i can make my falcetto sound like chest voice and put lots of strength behind it, but can wouldn't screaming in half-chest-half-falcetto voice be rather dangerous?

[xXSobbingAlwaysXx]

Please look at the screaming topics before posting these questions, they have been discussed and answered many times. The other screaming thread shows how to scream in that screamo style in the first post i believe...
Sorry about that, I just signed into this thing and haven't read everything completely, I'll be sure to be more attentive to what people say

[shadedlife]

jackblack - i listened to it today. he's just singing loudly. if you're a baritone, then i doubt you'll be able to imitate it.

[jackblack]

erm...ok, then, thanks!!! I'm not a baritone, per se, though...i have a range that extends both into mid-bass and mid-tenor, which averages out as a baritone in choir...just tried it and i managed to belt it...barely...with effort, i think i can manage it...

anyway, thanks!!!

[whispercore23]

Ok, I dont know how long this thread has been going but for anyone who knows ive been using more or less the technique mentioned in the first post and I find that afterward my singing voice is way shoddy and for days I lose alot in my range for my singing voice. Can anyone tell me whats up with this

[EcolliJK]

could be multiple things
..you scream to much
..you're not using the technique right
..you don't drink enough water
..you didn't warmed up before singing
etc.
just make sure you use your voice right.
Don't overdo it.

[SubsonicWax]

So someone help me get this straight? Your falsetto voice is like how you talk when you close your throat slightly to "fake wheeze." Im not good at describing what I think it is... but bear with me. Its sort of like talking/ screaming in that fake wheeze sort of tightness in your throat? Like when your quetly singing a screaming song to yourself and you sort of whisper the scream in the back of your throat? This is what I think you mean by falsetto but please PLEASE correct me if Im wrong.

[Teh1337Darklink]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but your wrong :(

Your falsetto is that thing at the back of your throat.. hmm indeed it is hard to explain how to use it. you know how you can hit those high notes , the ones that girls can do except you can do it as well but not with alot of power? (refer to the first post, it explains better what im talking about) but you use that when you scream. Although i havent learned how to do that kind of scream, im still working on it. If you want to know how to do screams like slipknot/korn, i can do those, and can probably teach you how.

[Katana]

You use falsetto to scream? I use falsetto to make fun of my female friends, and since that's often, I'm good at it... I can sing most anything in falsetto.

[whispercore23]

So someone help me get this straight? Your falsetto voice is like how you talk when you close your throat slightly to "fake wheeze." Im not good at describing what I think it is... but bear with me. Its sort of like talking/ screaming in that fake wheeze sort of tightness in your throat? Like when your quetly singing a screaming song to yourself and you sort of whisper the scream in the back of your throat? This is what I think you mean by falsetto but please PLEASE correct me if Im wrong.

falsetto is like when you make your voice really high like your balls havent dropped, like if you ever impersonate a little brother or firls your probably using your falsetto voice

[whispercore23]

could be multiple things
..you scream to much
..you're not using the technique right
..you don't drink enough water
..you didn't warmed up before singing
etc.
just make sure you use your voice right.
Don't overdo it.

thanks alot bud

[ktululu]

Ok guys i've never tried growling or screaming seriously before but could someone tell me how to growl/scream like the black metal singers e.g. Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom. Actually it is more of a screech, but anyway, some help would be appreciated :thumb: . Thanks in advance.

[bigskinny2006]

What about the Scream in Doomsday Jesus By Black Label Society, i love that scream. I've tried some things from the first post, but dont know if i should use my falsetto or my diaphram. I think i kind of need to use both. But any help would help me out.

[TheUsedRules]

This thread has been pretty helpfull but its easier said than done... everytime I go to scream it gets stuck! its like theres a closed door in my troat and the scream wont get out, it just gets stuck!!!!! It pisses me off... I can scream sometimes but mostly that happens and it sucks, help?

[Merkaba]

This thread has been pretty helpfull but its easier said than done... everytime I go to scream it gets stuck! its like theres a closed door in my troat and the scream wont get out, it just gets stuck!!!!! It pisses me off... I can scream sometimes but mostly that happens and it sucks, help?

Read my replies on this post

http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214130

its active in the jam session, the subject is something like "how do i scream, there are no singing forums..."

[Merkaba]

to find your falsetto take a breath and do EEEEEEEEEEE slowly rising up in pitch till you feel/hear it start to get airy. then work around that area. its important to know where you go to falsetto, everyone is different but it gives you so much more confidence because you'll have fewer breaks and bad notes around that area because you wont be trying to sing falsetto notes with your normal voice and vice versa.
falsetto takes way more air because again, its like a flute. so people Fvck up there voice when they see people screaming and taking deep breaths...so they do the same , but they push their vocal cords...and blow them out or damage there voice. but you have to open your throat to let the air flow and "flute" out. I can do mudvayne and deftones all night with no pain, no hoarseness, no ill effects. not to brag because i'm not a natural singer, i dont think, cause i learned how and practiced everyday....not a few times a week. everyday. it takes practice. if you cant practice and scream alot everyday, then youre singing way to hard and way too incorrectly and you need to keep looking around this board! professionals will tell you the same.

[xmetallica4lifex]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but your wrong :(

Your falsetto is that thing at the back of your throat.. hmm indeed it is hard to explain how to use it. you know how you can hit those high notes , the ones that girls can do except you can do it as well but not with alot of power? (refer to the first post, it explains better what im talking about) but you use that when you scream. Although i havent learned how to do that kind of scream, im still working on it. If you want to know how to do screams like slipknot/korn, i can do those, and can probably teach you how.ive been tryin to copy the jon davis screem. But he has like 20 different screaming voices. I have trouble changeing pitches like he does(twist). ne help would b appreciated.

[alexliwoch]

how does one do matti way vocals? his vocals completely bamboozle me. if one doesn't know who matti way is he was the vocalist for "Disgorge"(USA, not the mexican one) he sings on the albums "she lay gutted" and "cranial impalement" listen to the beggining of the song "deranged epidemic" . Matti Way also does vocals for the band "Liturgy" and "cinerary", but "cinerary" isn't that great IMO. similiar vocals to matti way's can also be found in the band "brodequin"

[pinkboxers]

after i scream,there is a light pain at the bottom of my throat.Is it normal or am i doing it wrongly?

[Merkaba]

after i scream,there is a light pain at the bottom of my throat.Is it normal or am i doing it wrongly?

pain is a reaction the body gives the brain. it is uncomfortable because its trying to make your brain change the action that is causing the pain. its trying to do this because damage is occuring. in your case, probably swelling, and slight tears.

so the answer is, no this is not normal. stop doing it. if you are screaming incorrectly youre pushing too hard for your current level. but im guessing youre doing it incorrectly. so change something up bud. I know how much i love singing and i'd hate for you to hurt your voice. how long have you been singing? and how long have you been screaming? and how old are you?

[alexliwoch]

hmmm when i do screaming my throat doesn't really hurt at all ive been trying it for around 2 weeks now and it used to hurt but it doesn't anymore, but sometimes when im screaming and i finish then my head starts to hurt unbelievably bad, i almost feel like im gonna black out sometimes. im 14 years old. my screaming still sounds unbelievably crappy but im practising every day. i have no idea on how to sing or the diffirent techniques to use i just scream.

[alexliwoch]

i still have no clue on how to do death metal vocals any tips would be greatly appreciated. some death metal bands:cryptopsy, cannibal corpse, liturgy, brodequin, decapitated, disgorge(the one from u.s.a.). also check out the band opeth they are a proggressive melodic death metal band with beautiful acoustic interludes with clean vocals and incredibely powerful death metal vocals

[Merkaba]

hmmm when i do screaming my throat doesn't really hurt at all ive been trying it for around 2 weeks now and it used to hurt but it doesn't anymore, but sometimes when im screaming and i finish then my head starts to hurt unbelievably bad, i almost feel like im gonna black out sometimes. im 14 years old. my screaming still sounds unbelievably crappy but im practising every day. i have no idea on how to sing or the diffirent techniques to use i just scream.

right. now how many people do you think are gonna make a career out of something that painful? your head is more than likely hurting from you pushing too hard and closing off your throat because you cant isolate the cord muscles from your throat muscles yet. that puts all kinds of pressure on your circulation system and especially your head! you have a set of false cords above your vocal cords. they close up when you tense and are there to help keep air pressure inside and not escaping, which supports your body and organs when youre doing something strenuous like lifting. thats why people get lightheaded from lifting too much or whatever. its the same thing. people blacking out from singing is far more common than you might think. do you think this is natural. no. you have to learn the difference between your throat shaping muscles and your vocal cord muscles. there all in the same area yet do totally different things. the easiest way to learn this is from exercises. Noone wants to do exercises. they want to run before they can walk. which leads to many falls and bruises. but in the vocal cord area, it can be very bad for your musical outlook. do it right. learn to scream first and then work on range. again, you have to be able to sing the note first. youre not gonna be able to scream it. otherwise youre just setting yourself up for failure. how long would it take you to bench press 300 pounds if someone dropped it on your chest everyday? the damage you would inflict before getting there would make the trip less worthy. you eventually would be able to stop it, but your body would be shot. now if you lifted a little bit of weight every day and added a bit every other day. you'll get there very quickly. get it?
screaming is just distorted singing. the distortion comes from extra air hitting your throat, to withstand the extra air you have to be strong. if you cant hold that note, then you cant scream it. any professional book or teacher will tell you the same, and they will also tell you that the most common mistake is tension in the throat area blocking airflow and or adding extra pressure to the vocal cords and thus giving you bad notes, pain, blowout, etc. again, its all pretty simple. but you have to work at it. and if youre trying to jump right in and get there with one step it will take you longer because you have to go through the process of healing twice the damage from being beaten, instead of healing from working. and when you do it right, you develop muscle memory that makes it easier and easier. plus too much pressure can permamantely or chronically ben and bow your cords out, which of course wont let them align properly and you can chalk up any kind of strong tone , or strong anything after that. go check my replies if you havent already:
http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214130

[The Scientist]

don't strain for the sound you want. it'll come eventually with time

[Guitar Symphony]

Whether this has been said or not. I don't really have the time to read through 15 pages of posts. I read through about 5 or 7 and was like, OK enough of this lol.

But here, have you heard the opening to Walls by Emery anyone? How in the world does that dude do that? It's crazy!

And how do I get my scream to sound like any of the dudes from Thursday? They all scream and have a different one. I just know I want the one who is white and plays guitar. I wanna say Tim Payne but that could be the Hispanic guy. bleh I dunno. Anyways, and pointers?

[Merkaba]

theres only one way to scream properly.

try readin my replies in this post
http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214130

[0_nothingspecial_0]

Hey, I'm not that advanced at screaming yet, but I'm slowly moving along with everybody's tips that they've put in here, and they're really helping me out, so thanks! But my problem is when my band is practicing, I'm using our drummer's pa system. And each time I scream, I usually hold the mic close to my mouth to get more distortion and a bassy sound (leaning towards a Finch/Story of the Year scream), and my drummer yells at me that I'm gonna "clip" the speakers...I really have no idea what he's talking about, since we just started using the pa (before I used a ****ty guitar amp). Anybody know?

[Merkaba]

maybe the amp is too weak for the speaker. The distortion that comes from a high volume setting (not the volume) is usually what does it. its actually a true term that basically means damaging the speaker from the distortion vibrations if im not mistaken. so you should try to find a balance to where you dont have to have the output so high. use as much gain as you can without feedback that will help you have the tone, clarity and fullness (not to mention more volume) that youre trying to control by moving the mic. technically speaking...you shouldnt have to move the mic. you should be able to control everything by your internal mechanisms. sounds egoish but its true. of course in a show situation you have a sound guy , usually...that can respond accordingly. but just for future things to think of, i would try to not move the mic too much. its a good habit to acquire, though with harder music its just one of those things. so compare the wattage of the amp with what the speaker can handle. if the amp wattage is way lower than the speaker rating then you need a bigger amp. if vice versa, a bigger speaker. If the amp is higher wattage then you can just work down the output. the opposite is where youre more liable to clip. thats when youre trying to make up for a big seperation in wattage. like a 100 watt amp trying to push a 400 watt speaker, ya know? then you have to redline that amp to get some sound from the speaker. redlining somewhere is what fuks up speakers. but dam, otherwise, tweak the volume and gain settings. I dont really know much about speakers and amps, so maybe someone else has some better info. But Im glad that youre making progress though. cool.

[btoto]

Merkaba-1

You have great advices. Some of them really kind of helped me. I didn't know there are so many moments in singing.
I know it has already become irritating,...............but can you please give advises on Cobain like singing and screaming.
I know people say you have to born with such a voice. But I read that Kurt had a horrible voice when he was young. And he gained it later. And my friends told me to smoke to get his voice. But I don't smoke, And I'm not going to rape my lungs because of a voice.

Maybe you have any other tips. Not about just his screaming, but his singing too. Even when he sang not loudly, he had that kind of distorted voice.

Thanks beforehand

[Merkaba]

Merkaba-1

You have great advices. Some of them really kind of helped me. I didn't know there are so many moments in singing.
I know it has already become irritating,...............but can you please give advises on Cobain like singing and screaming.
I know people say you have to born with such a voice. But I read that Kurt had a horrible voice when he was young. And he gained it later. And my friends told me to smoke to get his voice. But I don't smoke, And I'm not going to rape my lungs because of a voice.

Maybe you have any other tips. Not about just his screaming, but his singing too. Even when he sang not loudly, he had that kind of distorted voice.

Thanks beforehand

Well yea, dont smoke now if you dont. hell i smoke like three times a week on the weekends only. And thats not good. Im trying to cut back and quite altogether but theres something spiritual i find in a black and mild cigar while being outside and in nature or riding. sue me!
And of course you might get a raspy voice from smoking because youre fukin up your cords. I mean, i'm glad youre smart enough to where you didnt even have to say, "does this work" because you already know better.

I dont know if you read some of my other replies, if you havent then i suggest you do. But again, theres only one way to get rasp correctly. AFter you learn how to do it succesfully, the more you do it the stronger your cords become, which gives you more flexibility. But cobain basically does like Louis armstrong, and lots of other singers. its just the same thing. youre getting the same rasp. Its all the same , trust me. once you have the muscle memory to be able to get it, you can sing raspy the whole time. like i said you should be able to get rasp with at least 50 percent push, and over time you should be able to get it with less, like with a 20 percent push or so. maybe slightly above talking. keep practicing the isolation excercises. Over time doing cobain will probably be nothing. it might take a while. its muscle memory because you have to switch angles a bit for different vowels and different tones. Cobain had kind of a whiney tone to me, so that comes from just being able to manipulate your tone and and notes well. remember you have to be able to sing the notes well before you can rasp them well. But theres only one way to rasp. remember that. and dont try too hard. its just you have to find it. and remember to try to relax as much as possible when trying all this stuff. because you have to learn to relax one part of your throat while using another. just keep at it. to sum up, cobain is just singing with rasp. any specific way or tone is up to you to decide. it sounds a little nasal to me at times. i dont know alot of cobain's stuff. of course the guy from PUddle of Mudd is basically doing the same thing. all the screams and rasp you hear(except for high pitched mariah carey shlt) is done the same way. as far as the rasp goes. once thats down, then you can experiment with manipulating the cords and throat to get what kind of tone and sound you want. its not hard once you get the rasp down. keep practicing man. it will come. after a while you will probably be saying , dam, i can really push harder now. Another thing is, remember there is a balancing point. if you push too hard you will lose tone and volume because too much air is escaping. so dont push too hard while youre learning. furthermore when you do, ** many people push harder because they think that the lack of volume and tone is coming from them not giving enough air. any extra air has to escape and thats where you have to make sure youre open so that extra air isnt creating a wall of pressure. when it does you get fatigue and loss of everything faster, then you think yo uneed to push more air, then youre back up there to where i put those two stars. then you go through that cycle again and again and again until youre shot. and be sure youre singing from your diapghram. thats what alot of people say because when you dont you push from the throat, kinda like a cough feel. that squeeze is when youre closing the throat. the big no no. so staying open and singing from the diagphram are the same idea. so remember to relax and practice staying open. and dont think too much. Warm up good too. it took me like an hour today to be able to slip into a comfortable rasp. it was like today my vocal cords were ready but the muscles that control my throat were still sluggish. so if i would have tried to rush it, i wouldve been pushing more air and going downhill. But Im ready now. i mean, i can wake up in the morning and do mudvayne and chino and cornell, but i would be shot as far as working later on. its not that its that hard, i just know my comfort zones. dont think into all this stuff too much. again, i like being wordy because i like sharing quality communication. it might be one last minute sentence that i decide to throw in that might be the turning point in understanding. And so with everyone when communicating. so take it easy and take care of your cords and it will come. and again, try practicing achieving the tone and some rasp with like a 50 percent push. the volume wont be the same, but it will help you not to tense and close up the throat. and try singing a cobain song but only using the word HAY.
dont try to do too much at once. the time it takes to grow and strengthen is all planned out in relation to what else you need to learn and experience along the way. dont choose to fuk up your voice by being impatient. that would be your choice. not an accident. enough on this book. didnt i say "to sum up" about three minutes ago? oh well.

[btoto]

Merkaba-1

wow. I didn't know I would cause you so much trouble. You wrote so much. Thanks a lot. I really appreciate that.

ha ha. Now I know my problem. I was pushing 100% of air and I felt like cats were fighting in my throat. :) So, now I should try 50% as you said.
It's great that it is possible to get raspy voice. Because all that tales about smoking and having it from birth really disappointed me.

However, I will have to bother you again. The thing that causes me trouble, is that when I try to sing raspy, I don't get raspy voice I get more of a growling. Smth like death-metal stuff. And I hate that. I mean, it sounds raspy, but in the same time it sounds like a growling vocals. Do you know how I can avoid that?
And another thing.............I didn't really get it. What is isolation exercises?

Thanks a lot man,
Sorry to bother you again.

[elmodman]

Posion the well has some good screams, especially Nerdy and Botchla

yes those are my fav ptw songs

cuz the screams :thumb:

[guitarrey]

thanks man, i now know the secret to like cobain and bennington. I guess its the same with Jonathan Davis, who knows. but thanks. I guess i need to start practicing

[guitarrey]

Well like if its not, how does Jonathan scream? Is there a certain way to do it, or is it all the same?

[Merkaba]

Merkaba-1

wow. I didn't know I would cause you so much trouble. You wrote so much. Thanks a lot. I really appreciate that.

ha ha. Now I know my problem. I was pushing 100% of air and I felt like cats were fighting in my throat. :) So, now I should try 50% as you said.
It's great that it is possible to get raspy voice. Because all that tales about smoking and having it from birth really disappointed me.

However, I will have to bother you again. The thing that causes me trouble, is that when I try to sing raspy, I don't get raspy voice I get more of a growling. Smth like death-metal stuff. And I hate that. I mean, it sounds raspy, but in the same time it sounds like a growling vocals. Do you know how I can avoid that?
And another thing.............I didn't really get it. What is isolation exercises?

Thanks a lot man,
Sorry to bother you again.
no trouble at all. There have a been a few instances that i get long winded because i love singing and i like to try to help. i've come a long way and i hope others can too.
And you poor thing. you were killing your poor innocent cords. you HAVE to learn the feeling of coming from your Diaphragm. you must have support. and an open throat. go to this link, and i do think that the first one under screaming has a couple of long replies in it. in which i discuss some isolation techniques. its quite simple. just takes time. http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911

and again, you didnt bother me. i have free will. if i was bothered i wouldve acted like i didnt see your post. trust me , its easy on a forum to not be bothered. :)

and yes, you should practice at 50% or so. but with good diagphram support you should be able to get some rasp. this will help you to not over push and constrict the throat while emotion and singing get the best of you. trust me, learning to isolate can be a big key. you must learn to move your vocal cords and your throat independently of each other. you havent been doing that i assure you. and yea, its cool to be able to generate a raspy voice, yet in normal conversation have a delicate soft one. i think thats kick ***. and thats what i have. and many greats like maynard and cornell, a few of my idols, are like that. rasp is technique, and is not vocal cord related like it would be if you were a smoker seeking to rasp your voice. lol. nothing good about that at all. and theres nothing genetic about being able to reflect air off of the back of your throat after passing it over over your cords. it just takes good support, and open throat, and practice. keep at it. if you have any more questions feel free to ask me.

[Merkaba]

Well like if its not, how does Jonathan scream? Is there a certain way to do it, or is it all the same?

heres the skinny. Theres only one proper way to do a rock/metal/emo/blues/r&b/country/etc type of scream. and that is to scrape extra air off of the back of the throat. thats it. The only other scream is when you can just hit a real high pitch
like prince or mariah carey. if its high enough people consider it screaming. that just takes strong vocal cords and cant be gained by everybody. probably not really what you want to do.

the changing factor is how you shape the tone youre hitting off of the throat. that is the only thing that is one of a kind or can be compared. either you use more tone or less tone, or trill, vibrato, etc. which means you icorporate more of the cords or less. remember, you have to be able to sing the note well and have control over it before you can scream it well. thats just it. youre just singing the note off of the back of your throat, so if youre not strong enough to sing it strong and tight first, then you need to practice more. you realize that once you can sing it flawlessly tight with alot of push, then you can do whatever you want with it. so try to sing a jonathan scream first. and sing it hard. be sure to relax, not move the mouth much(while youre learning), support with a good inhalation into the gut, and sing from the gut, with an open throat. (or sing the note using "hah" as the word) keep practicing. and warming up and warming down.

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

how does one scream in key :confused:
iv got the scream that i like down pretty good but its just the whole staying in key thing that puts me off........please help me,im in need :D

my scream is like the dudes from alexisonfire if thats any help.

[Merkaba]

any tone/note in the scream comes from your vocal cords. staying in key, means youre hitting the proper note while you scream. that just takes practice dealing with the cords. you should be able to sing the note first, in key, before you scream it. practice singing the note instead. and dont push too hard when trying either. you shouldnt have to push that hard if you warm up properly. staying in key is just practice. practice scales and notes on the piano or guitar to get your ears on the same page with your cords. but one common problem is thinking too much. most people arent tone def. if you relax your cords will automatically stay in key, most of the time. if youre singing or screaming with a tense or closed throat it makes it harder to stay in key because the airflow is restricted, and if you dont support with your gut area, you will have a harder time. and every scream doesnt have to have a full set of lungs. this can also make you mis notes. inhale as much as needed. not automatically as deep as possible just because youre gonna scream.

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

:thumb: thanks for that. Ill start practicing my scales.
my porblyem isnt staying in key alltogether because i can sing an stay in key pretty well beh ehh..

[italic zero]

Question: I can do a sort of death metal type growl from the back of my throat, to a lesser extent a la Therapy? Hey Satan- You Rock, and I can do a hardcore punk type scream just by going all out, I feel it a little further forward. Both of these make my throat a little irritated, though. Not bad, but if I did a 30 minute gig like that I'd be worried. What I really want is a Trent Reznor kind of scream, as in when he goes: I want to f*ck you like an ANIMAL! It's not all that different from his singing style though, I think he incorporates a little of that most of the time. Anyway, I get what Merkaba is saying with scratching the notes (something like what Brendan Perry (dead can dance) does in Severance), that happens to me on random days just when I'm singing, but I can't do it when I try... Also, with falsetto. I got nothing. I have a very weak lower falsetto, when I push I can only make an extremely high pitched, short scream without that much rasp. Where am I going wrong? Help me...

[Merkaba]

Question: I can do a sort of death metal type growl from the back of my throat, to a lesser extent a la Therapy? Hey Satan- You Rock, and I can do a hardcore punk type scream just by going all out, I feel it a little further forward. Both of these make my throat a little irritated, though. Not bad, but if I did a 30 minute gig like that I'd be worried. What I really want is a Trent Reznor kind of scream, as in when he goes: I want to f*ck you like an ANIMAL! It's not all that different from his singing style though, I think he incorporates a little of that most of the time. Anyway, I get what Merkaba is saying with scratching the notes (something like what Brendan Perry (dead can dance) does in Severance), that happens to me on random days just when I'm singing, but I can't do it when I try... Also, with falsetto. I got nothing. I have a very weak lower falsetto, when I push I can only make an extremely high pitched, short scream without that much rasp. Where am I going wrong? Help me...

well its just like anything else. you have to work that area. and not just trying here or there. i mean its nothing for me personally to spend an hour on working on specific parts of my voice. but the fun thing is you can do it while singing. so for me, its been the kind of spiritually led thing to where i automatically have seemed to come across the next step in my development. by that i meant something that i like, that i could try to emulate. so get some songs or artist that you know sing high or higher than you normally can. then try to sing them. this is kinda a no no among alot of professionals. but the important part is to relax and dont sing too hard at first. just try to relax and make those notes. I worked on my upper registers by singing stuff like sarah mclachlin. Sweet surrender's chorus is a good exercise in and of itself. i mean youre talking about working every day to some extent. like 360 days a year over the past few years. thats alot of work, but i have grown immensely. i dont know if everyone has that kind of time. during the early part i was singing somewhat incorrectly, but it still helped me grow. Now i usually gauge myself by using Chris Cornell, mudvayne, Deftones, Tapping the vein, a little mars volta, at the drive in. it all helps keep the upper range strong while emulating the songs. hell i just figured out that Elite, by the Deftones off of the white poney album is gonna go into my reperetoire. if you havent heard it, you should listen to it. but i will use that to help train. just sing songs you like, from the gut, and relax. try to keep doing this for a long time, its the only way to get the area to grow and change. it is also imperative you make sure the singing push is coming from your gut area. not from your throat. there shouldnt be any push like a cough, but you should be open like a yawn. and when you push out, that force should come your belly button going in and up, kinda that feel. pay attention to how your throat feels when you yawn, very open. again, there shouldnt be any pain. if you ever do, stop. and at least come back and tell us what you were doing. maybe i could help shed some light. I like to get out as many angles and info as i can. again, not cause i try to be a look at me and what i know. i just know that it can take one or two sentences that can take your understanding to another level, thus your singing. like for me, it was the fact that the vocal cords are horizontal. i thought they were in the back of my throat kinda . but when i visualized them being horizontal and lower down the windpipe, it gave me a different perspective to what i should be feeling and doing with them and the air that comes to and through them. so just stay relaxed. warm up, and no pain. and also if your speaking voice is more than minimally affected you also are doing something wrong. over time you shouldnt have change in your speaking voice after you workout your voice in any capacity. you should never get hoarse in other words. at first, maybe slightly. but if you do youre strainging the cords too much. anyways. cheerio. keep at it.

[btoto]

Merkaba-1,

ha ha........I have some good news for you: I can already make some rasp. thanks to you of course ! :thumb:
But I can sing raspy only when I sing at a low voice. I mean, if I want to sing loudly, I'll get no rasp. And it is sad :upset: Probably, it's just a matter of time.

Also, one more question: Right now I'm 19. And I started singing when I was 18. A year ago. And I have never sang before that in my life. Is it where the problems come from? Maybe because I started singing too late. Or you think that's OK?

Thanks again, :wave:

[shadedlife]

hey merkaba - could you please use paragraphs? that would make your long replies so much easier to read... they're so full of information, so it's a pity that i don't want to read them solely because it's a huge chunk of text in the middle of the page.

[btoto]

what year is it now? *secret bump*

[Merkaba]

hey merkaba - could you please use paragraphs? that would make your long replies so much easier to read... they're so full of information, so it's a pity that i don't want to read them solely because it's a huge chunk of text in the middle of the page.

I think about that all the time actually. but i usually am typing so much im too lazy to hit space five times. i cant use tab because that switches my curser to the submit reply button, but i'll try to work on that. but also a simple space or indention is also just a mental thing. its still the same info. so that gives us both something to work on! :thumb: :lol:

:wave:

[Merkaba]

Merkaba-1,

ha ha........I have some good news for you: I can already make some rasp. thanks to you of course ! :thumb:
But I can sing raspy only when I sing at a low voice. I mean, if I want to sing loudly, I'll get no rasp. And it is sad :upset: Probably, it's just a matter of time.

Also, one more question: Right now I'm 19. And I started singing when I was 18. A year ago. And I have never sang before that in my life. Is it where the problems come from? Maybe because I started singing too late. Or you think that's OK?

Thanks again, :wave:

well im willing to bet that you just havent got full control and seperation of the throat muscles from the vocal muscles. its easier to do at lower tones because the cords are thicker, stronger. so they can take more push. just keep practicing, relaxing. and dont forget you dont have to push much harder just because youre going up in range. and make sure youre pushing from your gut, not your throat. if it feels like youre pushing from your throat then that is the pressure that comes from having a closed throat due to the tension of pushing without enough support from the gut. it should be like an accordian, it is so important and i realize that i havent put enough stress on it, but its just hard to put into words. but concentrate on that too unless you know for a fact that you are supporting with your diaphragm.

So to help build rasp range, go to your highest rasp note. and go up to the next one and try. try it with a guitar note by note. it helps to work in semitones when youre trying something like this. it makes the muscles increments smaller which gives you more feel and control. But congratulations. you'll keep moving up, watch. just warm up, stay relaxed, dont overpush, but push from the gut, and warm down. and dont forget that near the end of your workout you should do some hard singing to build strength. just stay the same technique wise. and if you ever feel pain or if your speaking voice is affected then you know youre doing it wrong.

And your other question, i didnt start singing seriously until about 20, super seriously at about24. Im 28 now. so by being so young and really working you have an advantage because youre just more recuperative at a younger age. If youre serious, just watch other things too, most importantly your nutrition and exercise, and things like drinking and smoking. you wont have anything to worry about if you do what you know youre supposed to do and take care of your voice. and theres more than enough stuff on this forum and will be that will help you do that. remember that pain= damage. so keep on keepin on dude! :thumb:

[btoto]

Merkaba - 1,

Probably you are right. I can't control vocal and throat muscles independently. But about that gut thing, I can't really imagine how can you sing from gut. It's like singing from stomach. I can't imagine it :) No Joke ! When I tried to sing from gut as you said, I nearly coughed up all I ate for lunch :) maybe I'm doing smth wrong.

Singing along guitar is actually a good idea. I tried it, and it kind of helped a bit. Although still can't rasp loudly. I know....I need patience. :)

Then it's not late for me if you say you started at 20. But I don't really watch my nutrition. Yes, I don't smoke and don't drink (except for good red wine once a month). But I eat all I want :)

Yeah, there is already enough stuff on these forums about singing. And your sticky thread is a great idea. well done man ! :)

[Merkaba]

Merkaba - 1,

Probably you are right. I can't control vocal and throat muscles independently. But about that gut thing, I can't really imagine how can you sing from gut. It's like singing from stomach. I can't imagine it :) No Joke ! When I tried to sing from gut as you said, I nearly coughed up all I ate for lunch :) maybe I'm doing smth wrong.

Singing along guitar is actually a good idea. I tried it, and it kind of helped a bit. Although still can't rasp loudly. I know....I need patience. :)

Then it's not late for me if you say you started at 20. But I don't really watch my nutrition. Yes, I don't smoke and don't drink (except for good red wine once a month). But I eat all I want :)

Yeah, there is already enough stuff on these forums about singing. And your sticky thread is a great idea. well done man ! :)

just take a deep breath, so your stomach bellows out, exhale saying ahh, when youre exhaling the support and push for the exhale should be coming from you drawing your belly button in and up to get the push, and your abs shouldnt contract much. if your abs are contracting hard when you push hard, youre probably gonna be pushing from the throat. a no no.

look online for some techniques to help you get the feel. i'll try to do the same if i have time. its hard for me to describe.

And hell, if you dont watch your nutrition its not like you have to be perfect. its just something to keep in mind. But i must say that after a day and a half fast, and starting back up with fruit. my voice is superb. Everything affects everything. but hell, im a sweet freak, which isnt good either. im probably gonna go get some Krispy Kreme doughnuts tonight. i live like 2 minutes from the actual shop where they make them fresh. a fresh krispy kreme dougnut is almost like cocaine. its just like you bite into it and you say this cannot be good for me. by the time you realize what youre thinking you've finished it and youre halfway through the third one! anyways, i digress....

[rural_route]

how the **** does jim morrison to scream like that?...alcohol?

[Merkaba]

unfortunately i dont have an immediate recall of the sound. got a link?

but its all technique. I'd like to see if i can try his. But hey, some people do just have more capacity than others. we cant all do what others do, but we dont know until we try properly, we might even be able to surpass our favorites. you never know

[btoto]

just take a deep breath, so your stomach bellows out, exhale saying ahh, when youre exhaling the support and push for the exhale should be coming from you drawing your belly button in and up to get the push, and your abs shouldnt contract much. if your abs are contracting hard when you push hard, youre probably gonna be pushing from the throat. a no no.

look online for some techniques to help you get the feel. i'll try to do the same if i have time. its hard for me to describe.

And hell, if you dont watch your nutrition its not like you have to be perfect. its just something to keep in mind. But i must say that after a day and a half fast, and starting back up with fruit. my voice is superb. Everything affects everything. but hell, im a sweet freak, which isnt good either. im probably gonna go get some Krispy Kreme doughnuts tonight. i live like 2 minutes from the actual shop where they make them fresh. a fresh krispy kreme dougnut is almost like cocaine. its just like you bite into it and you say this cannot be good for me. by the time you realize what youre thinking you've finished it and youre halfway through the third one! anyways, i digress....


Well actually it's really hard to describe........so I won't understand it the way you want :thumb: Nevertheless, I thing I got the idea. Still, I sometimes push from throat. It's really hard to avoid it. It happens independently. But what the hell? I will overcome it :thumb:

It's the same with me with the food I like. Although I don't like doughnuts, I eat lots of sweets. But I don't think it can somehow affect my voice. The only thing I hate about sweets is when next morning you see whole your face covered with disgusting red things :D

Thanks for all man. I think there is already enough stuff on these forums to read. But I'll always know that I can ask Merkaba-1 if I have anything wrong with my voice :wave:

[Merkaba]

youre welcome. but yes, sweets do actually affect your voice. its not something you might particular notice right up front. but simple sugars tax the bodies hyrdration efforts. so again youre talking about mucous.... and stamina

And yea, i think i remember seeing a new member thats been singing for like 20 years. shes in here somewhere, im sure she can help too.

[A_Tossed_Dwarf]

I need some critiquing of my screams...

I can do (as I understand it) death metal screams and spaz metal (converge, Black Dahlia Murder) type screams, but I need an honest opinion on how they sound!

I've made these songs as inside jokes for my friends, but those are my actual screams...

http://www.hxcmp3.com/bands/12455/

Listen to:

Theme for Mike Goughan (goofy with death and spaz, Zao song)
Good Jalepenos/Mike's Theme Part 2 (death and spaz vox, Cryptopsy song)
Theme for Tony (death vox, Decapitated song)
Zachary's Theme (really goofy with death and spaz vox, tunes by Cryptopsy)
Theme for Kyle Farley (death and spaz vox, Funeral for a Friend song)
Theme for Baron Van Haas (death vox, Decapitated Song)

Please give me an up front, honest judgement of how my screams sound (if they sound like they're "supposed to", etc.)...and yes, I did sing over other bands' stuff.

[Merkaba]

cold beef! cold beef!....
hamburgerrrrrrrr

awesome! that little snippet, i dont know why, but i love it. i swear! i think its the rhythm or something. lol

well, sounds good. I'd say youre still closing up your throat a bit on a few notes i heard. just try to relax the throat even when youre portraying facial emotion(takes considerble practice for many of us). the low screams, its so hard to coach. I mean, all i can say is make sure you drop your jaw a bit and bring the push from your gut. with low stuff, you can get into whats called vocal fry, which is when the rasp comes from the cords just flapping. that you dont wont. but i must say that i do believe you still should be able to make it more than thirty minutes before feeling too fatigued. make sure youre getting good balance with the other instruments without having to push more than is necessary for the desired tone. other than that you sound good for the low scream technique which is not really my cup of tea. warm up though, and warm down!

[Children_of_Lilith]

Hey Dwarf,
I gotta say that's probably some of the best screaming I've seen posted on here (so far) but I'm pretty new to the forums. You're growls are great. Only thing I could possibly suggest is that you may want to try reaching down a little deeper into your diaphragm when you do them. Should give you a bit of a lower tone and fill it out just a bit more. As for the screaming good stuff as well but not quite as strong as the growls. They sounded a little thin but that generally seems to be the problem and you're probably not physically at fault for it. Maybe try changing your mic position. I think you may benefit from keeping it closer to your mouth to bring in (again) that deeper tone. Also, and this I'm sure will help the most, put your channel gain up as much as you can afford w/out feedback and w/out making the distortion too apparent. You just want enough to fill it out and still sound (fairly) human. you could also try throwing on some little amount of delay. Experiment. Otherwise you'll never know. Good Luck :evil: !

P.S. I have to commend Merkaba-1 for all his advice. definitely the most informed person I've seen on the threads so far. Keep it up. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that your assistance is greatly appreciated. :thumb:

[furtherseemsforevan]

Ive got some questions. I was a choir student for 7 years so know a lot about different singing techniques. I took lots of voice lessons and stuff like that. Would you say that I need to go back and get "professional help". Its been about three years since my last choir competition. Im looking for a sound like Nate Barslow from finch. I think he has a melodic but rough scream and I love it. SO any tips on how to attain that would be gretly appeciated.

[A_Tossed_Dwarf]

I'm working on my grind scream/growl.

As best as I can understand, it's not really about projection but about getting as close to sounding like the spawn of Satan as possible (see: Lord Worm).

Any tips for grind/grindcore vocals? I'll post my results as soon as I get em recorded.

[Merkaba]

well that depends on what your career/longevity goals are!

i would agree with children of lilith. play around with your mic. you usually want your output level to be 7 or 8, or around 80%,(depending on the system) with as much gain as you can can before you get feedback and distortion. you have an acoustic instrument. a little reverb is always good. if youre running through a mixer, keep the mic input hot, around 80%, and adjust the outs, monitor level etc. you want the mic hot as hell with alot of gain going into the mix. keep it hot and adjust the gain, then the outputs.

There is only one way to properly vocalize. an open throat, and bringing it from the gut. go to my sticky titled voice help hotline. no i dont know everything, but i know a bit. and by grindcore you basically mean a lot of rasp, correct? its all the same. you've got rasp. but if youre not concerned with projection your going to probably end up falling into the black hole of over pushing and tension, which is probably why you get fatigued after thirty or so minutes. youre probably already losing it after fifteen, and just compensating until you cant anymore. you cant headline if youre losing it after thirty minutes, with shows five or six times a week! and warm up, stay hydrated, and warm down, thats my signature almost.


But i must say that i was singing cold beef/ hamburger all day at work today!

[alexliwoch]

your vocals are amazing dwarf guy.

my head doesn't hurt anymore after singing :thumb: but this whole singing thing really confuses me. id ask on a diffirent forum about bands liek disgorge and they would say that its gutteral vocals or something like that and tell me to sing from the gut or the diaphram :amaze: :eek: and then theres some specific breathing techniques that you have to do and everything :amaze:

this is a disgorge sample of the site, its not their greatest song but you can hear the vocals pretty clearly
disgorge(usa) - atonoment (http://www.deathmetal.com/disgorge/Atonement.mp3)


heres a power metal band from british columbia with interesting sounding vocals. it might be just me but he goes frigin high at times :amaze:
Omega Crom - Battlefield (live) (http://www.omegacrom.com/media/live_tracks/Battlefield.mp3)

i think both of those vocal styles sound amazing

[Merkaba]

yea it can be like golf(dont laugh, i play a bit). the more you think, the more difficult it can be. its all just words to give you an idea of the feel. you dont want to squeeze anything in your throat, you want it open like youre saying ahh for the doctor, or yawning. and you want your breath to be supported by your stomach. thats it. read through my sticky, i've updated it twice in the past three days.

[davidw_9]

first of all i'd like to thank everyone who has given great advice so far :thumb: . I've been working on my scream for a couple weeks now and I think im doing an O.K. job (especially with all the pointers on this forum). I was just wondering if anyone could give me any advice on how to upgrade my scream to become louder and "fuller". Any advice would great! thanks alot. :D

[Bandchik210]

so screamings fun..... i do it all the time before a show jus to " warm up"

[Merkaba]

first of all i'd like to thank everyone who has given great advice so far :thumb: . I've been working on my scream for a couple weeks now and I think im doing an O.K. job (especially with all the pointers on this forum). I was just wondering if anyone could give me any advice on how to upgrade my scream to become louder and "fuller". Any advice would great! thanks alot. :D


sorry, only father time. cause that builds experience and strength. you gain more feel for yourself with experience and you figure out what does what for you. plus youre going to have to build more muscle and stronger cords. that just takes time. and you dont want to try to rush it. just take care, and you know how by now, and it will come and keep coming. again, dont think pushing harder will necessarily do it. although if there is no pain, i would up the agression a bit, if you feel your technique can handle it. again, no pain, no affect on your speaking voice. otherwise, keep testing your limits.

[jcooldude]

I have a problem..i cna scream liek hardcore scream really low..and i can scream like too high..but i can never get it in the middle like story of the year..etc..any tips..?and now practice i realized does make better..before i used to sscream once a couple months but now every other day and its improved..as well as my throat is stronger..haha no raspyness or loss of voice

[davidw_9]

thanks alot for the advice, ill keep trying my best :chug:

[Sparx]

I wanna ask thee unsound about Dez's screaming (ex. Coal Chamber vocalist, now Devildriver's vocal) Take for example Devildriver - The Mountan. I've heard lives and he makes the screamz 100% like it's on the record, so it's like he's screaming from the gut and the other way at the same time... or I hear it kinda like that.

btw about the "chino" way of screaming, I practiced a lot with my falceto voice, but all I can do is scream like a raped monkey... But I can do it other way, less louder, but when I turn up the mic, it sounds pretty good, with my whispering and some of my normal voice (I think I use my diaphragm), but after too much of that my head starts to hurt :)

[radio_flyer]

for some reason when i scream, it doesn't really sound like anything. it's pretty much a whisper, i can't get any tone on it unless there's a microphone. other than that, it's just a distorted whisper, it that the way it's supposed to be?

[Merkaba]

In response to the last two posts. There is just one way to properly scream. and thats to slightly close the upper throat AFTER the sound has been activated, but professionally you do it at the same time. when you get into mid and high pitched screams, youre either using your cords as usual, for mid range stuff, or youre using falsetto voice, or a mixture of the two. Thats it. if youre trying to scream out of your range, or push too much, then your cords just cant activate and youre gonna get less or no tone. so practice singing the note first. if you cant get it strong and tight, why do you think you will be able to push even more air over it to hit the back of the throat for a scream effect...? you have to be able to sing the note hard, thats all screaming is. but you just open the throat and hit the extra air off your throat. practice singing the notes.

[MtlGtrRckr]

Hey im just 18 now n iv been a big metal fan for about ever. I wanna learn how to scream well. I can do things like godsmack n mudvayne... but i get hoarse after singing like 1 or 2 songs. i dont even know if im doing things right or really where to begin. It would b really cool if somebody could give me a good instruction on a place to start and how to practice to get really good. Also, how to get the indurence. In my band, i really need to know how to switch back and forth between screaming and actually singing. can anybody help?

[Merkaba]

Hey im just 18 now n iv been a big metal fan for about ever. I wanna learn how to scream well. I can do things like godsmack n mudvayne... but i get hoarse after singing like 1 or 2 songs. i dont even know if im doing things right or really where to begin. It would b really cool if somebody could give me a good instruction on a place to start and how to practice to get really good. Also, how to get the indurence. In my band, i really need to know how to switch back and forth between screaming and actually singing. can anybody help?
If youre getting hoarse at all, but ESPECIALLY within fifteen minutes, you are doing things WAY wrong and you need to stop now. at least read my replies in the voicehelp hotline sticky, and read around. but for your own sake dude, dont do irreversible damage to your cords by using improper technique.

[osirisblind]

Hey I've posted a few times but I never get any response. I've got a fairly deep voice, and almost no range, like when I try to go into a falsetto voice it just breaks up and its like I'm pushing air out but no sound comes out. Is it still possible for me to get a good quality scream (ie. Deftones - Around the Fur, Refused - New Noise) with this problem I've got? When I try to scream it sounds just like a loud shout and is very clear but I want it to be distorted..
Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Merkaba]

Hey I've posted a few times but I never get any response. I've got a fairly deep voice, and almost no range, like when I try to go into a falsetto voice it just breaks up and its like I'm pushing air out but no sound comes out. Is it still possible for me to get a good quality scream (ie. Deftones - Around the Fur, Refused - New Noise) with this problem I've got? When I try to scream it sounds just like a loud shout and is very clear but I want it to be distorted..
Any help is greatly appreciated.

http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911

[MtlGtrRckr]

hey thanks a ton merkaba. like everyone else says, you deffinitely sound like u know what ur talkin about. its funny, my car is pretty much the only place i really sing (or scream) too. Ur help page is very informative. i appreciate it man. :thumb:

[LivingDeadBoy]

Thanks a lot for all this tips, i will be uploading my screaming shortly for evaluation.. but to compare i just wondered, can someone tell me how Poison The well does their screams? Thanks in advance.

[A_Tossed_Dwarf]

well I haven't posted in a while - moving into college and stuff. Once I get some time and know that I won't scare every single person in the dorms, I'll get some new screams recorded. The grind-core vox hurt a bit still but they sound siiicckkkk.

[Merkaba]

well I haven't posted in a while - moving into college and stuff. Once I get some time and know that I won't scare every single person in the dorms, I'll get some new screams recorded. The grind-core vox hurt a bit still but they sound siiicckkkk.

Pain=Damage

just remember that

[another guy]

alright, ive got a set of questions here: first of all, #3 says "make a weird grin thing by lifting your jaws' or whatever and i don't get that, but it sounds really important; can somebody explain that? also, how do i know if the scream is coming from my stomach or chest or throat? and how do i control which it comes out of, and which do i want it to come out of for what types of screams? i just tried screaming Metallica - Ride The Lightning and i could do it and it sounded cool but i would start to taste blood in my throat and my throat hurts now, so i know i wasnt doing it right.

[Merkaba]

well, its like if you are going to pretend snore. you know how you have to look like a snarling dog. at least thats how i feel.

Everything really comes from the gut. so dont overthink it. its just that if you have proper support AND a relaxed throat then you shouldnt feel alot of pressure in the throat. when you dont have enough support, you will tend to close your throat off to build up the pressure you feel you need. but this pressure comes at the expense of your cords because its not balance with whats being released. you should check out my audio samples. it might give you a bit to listen to that might help you. "coming from the gut" is the same feel as if youre were going to cough or grunt. as far as the diaphragm. now you dont want to sing with that much pressure, but it is the feeling that you need to be in touch with. you have to be able to hold that pressure behind the cords and keep it there, instead of blasting it like a cough. but its the same feeling of the belly button pressing up and in.

and yea, the taste of blood is just not good. There is a chance that you were blasting so much air against your throat that it kinda blasts your throat. if you have a soft throat. does it hurt behind your adams apple or like when you have a sore throat?

and all notes really should come from the gut. you can apply different pressure as needed. its like having a tank. you fill it up and you can dispense it as you need. now its not good to deeply inhale for one short or low note. you usually have too much air for a short note. but you still use the support from the diaphragm to take the tension off of your throat.

[Spliggity Splot(I got banned)]

its weird, if I scream I either go in my head voice and sound like a little girl, or sing from my tummy:D and sound growlish...Maybe my voice is to deep???

[frisb]

Could anyone please take the time and listen to my screams on one of my bands songs? I'm not the singer in the band, I do backing vocals as well as the prominent screams you hear on "Casualties Are On Both Sides". Our singer also did a few less prominent screams.

The song can be found here: http://www.guaranteedalifetime.com

Am I doing things the right way and what do you think of the sound? Also, comments on the song are more than welcome!

[metaliq]

So, I have a question for you Merkaba-1.

I am in a metal band... and I can do deep vocals pretty well, but if I try to do a higher falsetto scream, I end up not harming my voice or so (or so I think) and i can go back to my growls, but afterwards it kinda feels like my throat is somewhat irritated. Somewhat, not immensly.

So question for you... how would I know whether or not I am doing the falsetto scream properly? I do not feel any irritation DURRING the process, but i feel a little dry afterwards.

Also... am i harming anything permanantly if I am growling by doing the grunting voice (you know, caveman style) then pushing air through and forming words? I feel a vibration at the back of my throat, but I am not completely sure if I am doing it improperly.

Thanks buddy.

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

you get the same thing as me........also when i breathed in deeply after i was practicing for about 1 an a half hours i kept getting a tickle in my throat an had to cough??????am i doing damage

[sliver]

I can't believe this thread I made is still alive :D

props to Merkaba-1 for maintaining it so well. :chug:

[Merkaba]

its weird, if I scream I either go in my head voice and sound like a little girl, or sing from my tummy:D and sound growlish...Maybe my voice is to deep???

if youre still in your head voice you have to open up to falsetto to get that static sound distortion. you can rasp a high head voice note though, to give it more of a bite, unless you want it girly sounding. If you want a high scream youre gonna have to practice falsetto notes, not head.

[Merkaba]

So, I have a question for you Merkaba-1.

I am in a metal band... and I can do deep vocals pretty well, but if I try to do a higher falsetto scream, I end up not harming my voice or so (or so I think) and i can go back to my growls, but afterwards it kinda feels like my throat is somewhat irritated. Somewhat, not immensly.

So question for you... how would I know whether or not I am doing the falsetto scream properly? I do not feel any irritation DURRING the process, but i feel a little dry afterwards.

Also... am i harming anything permanantly if I am growling by doing the grunting voice (you know, caveman style) then pushing air through and forming words? I feel a vibration at the back of my throat, but I am not completely sure if I am doing it improperly.

Thanks buddy.

are you sure this irritation isnt from the air hitting your throat? that might take some getting used to and i still get it sometimes, especially if i havent done alot of work in a while. If you know its your cords, around your adams apple, then you need to work on technique. If it feels like its related to a scratchy throat like allergies or when you swallow, then its not your cords. if there is no pain and your speaking voice isnt affected, then i would say keep going so you can really identify what it is. its hard to "feel" your cords being dry, so im thinking its your throat.

when youre doing low vocals your cords are thicker so you need a little more push. But just be sure to try to relax and still work on coming from the gut. you still want the rasp to be in the back of the throat. its best to drop your jaw a bit and keep your head level, maybe slightly tucking your chin. i know with performing we tend to do wild shlt but try to keep that in mind. plus you can just keep your eyes on the crowd more, use it to your advantage. again, practice sining the low notes first.

and check out my samples as far as the falsetto stuff goes, and the rasp too. it might help you a bit.

again, let discomfort and your speaking voice be your guides.

[Merkaba]

you get the same thing as me........also when i breathed in deeply after i was practicing for about 1 an a half hours i kept getting a tickle in my throat an had to cough??????am i doing damage

well probabaly from mucous on the cords.

no pain?/speaking voice?

warm down.

[Merkaba]

I can't believe this thread I made is still alive :D

props to Merkaba-1 for maintaining it so well. :chug:


i just do what i do. what i can. :thumb:

:chug: <--- (cherry coke please)

[Merkaba]

Could anyone please take the time and listen to my screams on one of my bands songs? I'm not the singer in the band, I do backing vocals as well as the prominent screams you hear on "Casualties Are On Both Sides". Our singer also did a few less prominent screams.

The song can be found here: http://www.guaranteedalifetime.com

Am I doing things the right way and what do you think of the sound? Also, comments on the song are more than welcome!

its hard to tell since its in the backgroung kinda. but i must say that my initial response was that its a little throaty, kinda like theres not enough gut support and youre squeezing the throat to compensate and pushing harder than you need. it sounds forced. It just sounds like it to me based more on experience. But again, its hard for me to tell for sure. how do you feel ?

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

well probabaly from mucous on the cords.

no pain?/speaking voice?

warm down.

yea i didnt warm down :upset:
but yea my speaking voice if fine an no pain....just scratchy

thanks for that dude.....ur a mad help :thumb:

[Merkaba]

well hey, i would keep going. i mean youre working out so. its probably your throat, and not your cords. but i dont know. just dont rush it and feel yourself out. you'll develop your own sense of whats good and bad based on how quickly you feel fatigue, lose notes, and get discomfort.

remember you lungs are way stronger than your cords. find the balance point for optimal air push and optimal sound. if i could draw a graph , as push increases volume and tone increase too, but as you keep increasing push, the more the line starts to go down on the side that says quality, tone, stamina,etc. ya know.

see ya

[BeefyBassist]

Hey sorry to bug you about this its probably somewhere else in this huge thread but i just started screaming for my band and like a month ago i couldnt scream at all. and i practiced for a while and now i can but my scream goes in and out some days it sounds good and others like crap. i want to know why that is and some basic tips for a beginner screamer. I would love to sound like As I Lay Dying or that type.

[metaliq]

Merkaba-

Yea, it might just be air irritation in the back of the throat. Is there anything to take to keep the throat from gettin dry? I know water and such... and ive tried honey, and it doesnt help an extreme amount.

I dont think i could find anything in your stickied thread, so is there a way to get used to it more quickly.

As well... if there is 'phlem' (or whatever, haha) in your throat for metal growls, it shouldnt harm it really would it? Because i noticed milk helps with that, but its not good for singing... but I really am not singing in a classical sense.

Also- so grunting to growl/scream is the proper technique? I am trying to go from the gut, but I am still not quiet understanding how that works. I think I am getting it, but I still have to grunt per-say.

Thanks man.

[Merkaba]

just stay hyrdrated. i would recommend gargling with salt water and or listerine, and or hydrogen peroxide after you know your forceful duties for the day are through. it will help to keep that area from getting infected or getting a sore throat. There is a tea called throat coat that you can try. i've never tried it but a few instructors mention it.

my opinion is just say no to milk. i just posted a book on it in another thread. whats gonna happen is that the extra mucous makes you have to push harder to get your tone and youre back at square one. just sing low, and rasp it. its all the same. practicing singing that note like an opera dude is the best way. that way you know you have to strength set up to be able to rasp it without extra undue pressure, or strain or tension.

and no, grunting is wrong. i do think that i mentioned that you dont grunt, but its the PRESSURE that you feel like a grunt. maybe i need to make that clearer. but no you dont grunt, but its almost like youre getting ready to. you need that feel. grunting is usually a tense larynx move. you can practice by lightly grunting with a blank face like isolation exercises. just barely do it. and you ll feel the same pressure in the gut and on the cords. then just work from there to a hum, then a note. just dont tense up like you might with a grunt. a grunt also doesnt allow enough airflow for a big push note. but to get the feel of the pressure in the gut and cords its pretty dead on.

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

okok one more question.....i know im a pain in the *** ay? :cool:
ok it feels like i got the scream now an im kinda happy with the sound of it...its not perfect but im assuming over time ill get better at it. This scream causes no pain excpt a small amount of scratching but now my falsetto is gone...could it be from over practicing or is this something bad...cause i shat my pants :confused:

heres my scream ........i did it in a song to sound cooler :naughty: haha nah its all good.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/3/gnikregrubmusic.htm
thanks for any advice given.

[LivingDeadBoy]

Thanks a lot for all this tips, i will be uploading my screaming shortly for evaluation.. but to compare i just wondered, can someone tell me how Poison The well does their screams? I sound somewhat like Alex is on fire(i hate the band though) Thanks in advance.
...

[metaliq]

Merkaba-1:

Okay I recorded something... not sure when it will clear, but here is the link...

http://www.soundclick.com/updateband/SongInfoCharts.cfm?BandID=230699

Its of how i do the metal scream... but its not very full, so it isnt actually how I do it... people are here and I dont want to disturb the peace, lol.

I have been practicing for about a year now on and off, and now that I have a band I need to make sure im donig this properly. You should be able to tell somewhat if I am screwing up completely :).

Thanks man.

EDIT: Aight, i found out no one was home (haha) and I added a falsetto and a somewhat full scream/growl.

[ilikeyoubetterdead]

you got any tips on children of bodom type screaming?

also you said that low end growling is easy
could you explain it alittle of link me to someone that does?

[Merkaba]

Merkaba-1:

Okay I recorded something... not sure when it will clear, but here is the link...

http://www.soundclick.com/updateband/SongInfoCharts.cfm?BandID=230699

Its of how i do the metal scream... but its not very full, so it isnt actually how I do it... people are here and I dont want to disturb the peace, lol.

I have been practicing for about a year now on and off, and now that I have a band I need to make sure im donig this properly. You should be able to tell somewhat if I am screwing up completely :).

Thanks man.


EDIT: Aight, i found out no one was home (haha) and I added a falsetto and a somewhat full scream/growl.

I think you need to get me a better link first! hehe

[metaliq]

Ah yes! Im a loser. Here is the correct link man. Thanks.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/9/metaliqmusic.htm

[metaliq]

They are now cleared and ready for downloading... :)

[LivingDeadBoy]

noone ever answers my questions eh?

[shoot2kill]

Allright....here's my deal. I can do the really low death metal growls like glass casket (the heaviest vocals they do... see "In Between the Sheets" at about 1:27). I'm really pushing from my gut, keeping my mouth more closed than usual, and have my chin slightly more down that normal. I can also match the rest of the vocals ( -the clean part) but if I haven't been singing these ways in a while my throat has that "I feel like I might cough" kind of tingle after a bit of this. But after resting, doing more, resting, doing more.....I can do it continuously with no irritation. I've been singing a lot lately and haven't had irritation in.....well...a long time. Is this beginning irritation something I should be worried about or does my voice just need that breaking in? Also, I can do the Norma Jean type screaming, but I have to push harder to get it (once again....no irritation) which ends of overpowering the mic unless I hold it waaaaaaaay too far away. I think I might be depending too much on pushing from my gut but want your advice. I've been somewhat hessitant to use my throat to distort my voice because a friend in a band told me that doing this can take away from your range if you do it too much or in the wrong way. Just wondering if you could help me out here of if this is just a myth.

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

no one answered mine either........i feel so alone :upset:

[Merkaba]

noone ever answers my questions eh?

All by myyy seheeeyelf, dont wanna be ...all by my seheeyelf....

sorry, but i dont know who poison the well is. But i guarantee they are either wailing a loud high note like a banshee, or they are forcefully singing any note in any pitch and rasping it off the back of their throats.

[Merkaba]

okok one more question.....i know im a pain in the *** ay? :cool:
ok it feels like i got the scream now an im kinda happy with the sound of it...its not perfect but im assuming over time ill get better at it. This scream causes no pain excpt a small amount of scratching but now my falsetto is gone...could it be from over practicing or is this something bad...cause i shat my pants :confused:

heres my scream ........i did it in a song to sound cooler :naughty: haha nah its all good.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/3/gnikregrubmusic.htm
thanks for any advice given.
sounds good, but it sounds extremely hard. how much are you pushing? if its alot, you should try to find a way to get it without pushing so much. i cant tell though, so..... that could be why you get some scratching, and why your falsetto is gone. your falsetto shouldnt be gone. you might lose a not or two due to fatigue after a long time, or the quality will be shltty, but thats it. After a two and half hour session i usually feel like my falsetto is stronger, or at least more flexible. my sustain sucks cause of fatigue.

the thing is , with falsetto, your vibrating only the outer edges of the cords. so if youre wailing a hard chest voice youre really taxing that edge because in chest voice its closed and vibrating together a few hundred times a second. falsetto , they open up. so if you can , you want to scream from a falsetto openness, even if its not a high note. it only takes a few chest voice screams to get your cords heated and tired. if theyre swollen or got a mucous parka on then you can forget it.

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

"if theyre swollen or got a mucous parka on"
whats that mean.......
bad thing??will it go away???noooooooooo

[Merkaba]

^ if you've got that, your career is pretty much over dude!!I hope you dont have a mucous parka , **** dude, you should ease off!!! dont sing for two weeks!



Haha, J/k
parka...a thick coat, like a winter eskimo coat, never heard of a parka? Damn, thought i was being clever...

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

hahahhahahaha geeze i though i was gonna blow up.

:thumb: thanks for that.

[metaliq]

Hey Merkaba, you happen to check out those recordings? I am starting to doubt myself more and more now ;).

[Merkaba]

Allright....here's my deal. I can do the really low death metal growls like glass casket (the heaviest vocals they do... see "In Between the Sheets" at about 1:27). I'm really pushing from my gut, keeping my mouth more closed than usual, and have my chin slightly more down that normal. I can also match the rest of the vocals ( -the clean part) but if I haven't been singing these ways in a while my throat has that "I feel like I might cough" kind of tingle after a bit of this. But after resting, doing more, resting, doing more.....I can do it continuously with no irritation. I've been singing a lot lately and haven't had irritation in.....well...a long time. Is this beginning irritation something I should be worried about or does my voice just need that breaking in? Also, I can do the Norma Jean type screaming, but I have to push harder to get it (once again....no irritation) which ends of overpowering the mic unless I hold it waaaaaaaay too far away. I think I might be depending too much on pushing from my gut but want your advice. I've been somewhat hessitant to use my throat to distort my voice because a friend in a band told me that doing this can take away from your range if you do it too much or in the wrong way. Just wondering if you could help me out here of if this is just a myth.

well i mean, its hard to not get any irritation when you dont know where your limits are. its easy to go beyond those. but over time you figure them out and know how to dance around them so you stay growing but dont blast damage. Sounds like youre just growing to me.

Remember the mic is your friend. should be set up to be your friend. you wouldnt overpower your friend. So dont overpower the mic. yourre probably pushing too hard if you have to move it too far away from your normal singing position. you should be able to control the level with your internal working. it just helps to save your voice. It might take some work to get your rasp or whatever to occur at a lower level, but you win by gaining more stamina. it just depends on how hard youre pushing though. You just shouldnt have to push too hard, but if you cant pull your throat down enough, you will push harder to get the air to reach your throat to scrape. ya know.

And dont forget that just because your coming from the gut, it doesnt mean you have to push harder. you just support with the gut, but you dont have to squeeze it all the time. depends on what youre singing. but gut support is key. you should use it pretty much all the time and trim it off or add with respect to what you need. its not gonna be the same. the pressure might change ten times in one line, ya know. but youve still got that tank of pressure ready to be valved how you see fit, how the music sees fit. so dont think youre too dependant on it. just use it how you need it. you should be able to shift your diaphragm pressure around.

and yes, too much rasp just cuts off your throat and fatigues your cords. especially if youre tense. this is what i always talk about. you can get into lots of trouble with this. worse things than just losing range. so be sure to work on the isolation techniques and work on relaxing the throat and opening up. a coughing sensation is probably direct cord irritation. its good that youre getting out of that. find your limits.

You sound like youre on the right track. growing... just listen to your body. and find your limits, work around them, and youll continue.

show em my motto...

[Merkaba]

Hey Merkaba, you happen to check out those recordings? I am starting to doubt myself more and more now ;).

i can hear your doubt it in your voice. sound more confident dude! its right around your corner. You need diaphragm right now. youre not all too throaty, you are a bit, but youre just releasing air straight out mostly. you've got to dam it up behind the cords first. remember the cords are horizontal. this actually helped me alot, just this fact, and i still use the visualization, hell i was tonight on the way home.

I'm gonna put up a new clip soon to help hopefully. Its late right now. i might try to do one before work. so check back.

[metaliq]

Alrighty, thanks! We messed around tonight, kinda spur of the moment, and i didnt fully warm up and i was drinking soda beforehand >.<. Sooo, here is something I must ask...

I can still do scales, but when i hit my falsetto, the lower section of it (sorry i suck at exmplaining) sounds pretty mute per-say. It has happened before, when i kinda scream wrong, but I was wondering what exactly that means. Is it my falsetto then that took some 'damage'?

Also! I am thinkin bout that throat coat tea you mentioned... you know how the nutrients are released when you boil it or heat it up or whatever? Well what if I was to bottle it, and drink it at room temp, would the nutrients and such still be floating around and be helpful? Thanks.

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

the falsettos sound is a little dampened because from over pushing, you've made your folds swell a little, and it makes it harder to thin them out to create falsetto

[metaliq]

So would will be fine once the swelling goes down? Because usually it returns to normal within a day.

Can overpushing on your falsetto cause permanant damage ever? Or is it just temporary swelling?

[pointless_forever]

when i scream, it doesnt even sound like a scream, its so easy to hear what im saying and theres barely any distortion in my voice, any tips?

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

Alrighty, thanks! We messed around tonight, kinda spur of the moment, and i didnt fully warm up and i was drinking soda beforehand >.<. Sooo, here is something I must ask...

I can still do scales, but when i hit my falsetto, the lower section of it (sorry i suck at exmplaining) sounds pretty mute per-say. It has happened before, when i kinda scream wrong, but I was wondering what exactly that means. Is it my falsetto then that took some 'damage'?

Also! I am thinkin bout that throat coat tea you mentioned... you know how the nutrients are released when you boil it or heat it up or whatever? Well what if I was to bottle it, and drink it at room temp, would the nutrients and such still be floating around and be helpful? Thanks.

hey man, the same thing happened to me(when i try to sing something in falsetto its more like a whisper) but its been about 4 days an its slowly returning to normal. I just kept drinking tea with honey, water an just humming stuff out an slowly pushing into my falsetto an its feeling alright.
So maybe try that :naughty:

[Merkaba]

Alrighty, thanks! We messed around tonight, kinda spur of the moment, and i didnt fully warm up and i was drinking soda beforehand >.<. Sooo, here is something I must ask...

I can still do scales, but when i hit my falsetto, the lower section of it (sorry i suck at exmplaining) sounds pretty mute per-say. It has happened before, when i kinda scream wrong, but I was wondering what exactly that means. Is it my falsetto then that took some 'damage'?

Also! I am thinkin bout that throat coat tea you mentioned... you know how the nutrients are released when you boil it or heat it up or whatever? Well what if I was to bottle it, and drink it at room temp, would the nutrients and such still be floating around and be helpful? Thanks.
the lower section is where you need extra flexibility becaues you going from head to falsetto. that will be lessened when youre swollen or mucousy.

yes, its basically from the swelling and the mucous that comes from that swelling.

the throat coat tea is just to help coat the throat. not the cords. it helps an irritated throat, which you might get from singing alot or especially screaming alot due to the amount of air passing through. Theres nothing you can drink that is directly beneficial to the cords because nothing touches them. it has to be digested and circulated through your whole body before reaching the cords. so thats why water and watching your nutrition are so vital!

[Merkaba]

when i scream, it doesnt even sound like a scream, its so easy to hear what im saying and theres barely any distortion in my voice, any tips?

practice the isolation stuff and relaxing. you have to feel like youre singing the note. youre singing the note! YOU ARE SINGING THE NOTE!!! only doing it harder, and adding some throat afterwards. but you just sing the note first. but the key is to do it with a relaxed larynx. not a squeezing tight one.

[Merkaba]

So would will be fine once the swelling goes down? Because usually it returns to normal within a day.

Can overpushing on your falsetto cause permanant damage ever? Or is it just temporary swelling?
well of course it can cause permanent damage. remember you dont have to increase push with pitch. learn to seperate the two and youll help yourself out.

[Rock_Out_Dudes]

Note: Kurt Cobain "screaming" isn't screaming, its aggresive pitched singing and isn't something you can reallyteach, If you can't hit those notes you can't hit them

so, you mean that there's pretty much no way to get that sound in Smells Like Teen Spirit and In Bloom and so on without being naturally born with it, unless you smoke (which i'm not going to do)?

[StormX]

Merkaba...I know you're really busy and all, but is there any way you could like e-mail a bunch of info about screaming? I've been trying for a while, but I either push to hard and hurt my throat (but i stop as soon as it starts to hurt), or not enough and just kinda hiss. But I want to learn to do it.

[Merkaba]

so, you mean that there's pretty much no way to get that sound in Smells Like Teen Spirit and In Bloom and so on without being naturally born with it, unless you smoke (which i'm not going to do)?

yea, if you listen to someone who doesnt know what they are talking about.
in other words, dont listen to someone that says anything like this guy did.

Its all the same thing. anyone can learn to rasp a note. will you be able to make it sound EXACTLY like your favorite singer? who knows, depends on a lot of things determined by your creator. otherwise. anyone can develop a good raspy scratchy note.

[Merkaba]

Merkaba...I know you're really busy and all, but is there any way you could like e-mail a bunch of info about screaming? I've been trying for a while, but I either push to hard and hurt my throat (but i stop as soon as it starts to hurt), or not enough and just kinda hiss. But I want to learn to do it.

"...Gonna end up a big ol pile of them bones...."

Lazy bones!!

will someone else kinda get on this guys case for being lazy, im too lazy too!

Jos, "Show em my motto!!!"

[StormX]

Yeah, ok I'm lazy, then at least point me in the direction of the right threads? cause there's around 10 screaming threads, and several are a few hundred posts.

[j0s1ah]

StormX, all the screaming threads are helpful.
Merk, i usually don't visit the screaming threads...therefore, i couldn't:
"SHOW 'EM HIS MOTTO!" ;)

[Merkaba]

uh, dammit man!

warmup, relaxed open throat, no pain no effect to the speaking voice, warm down.

hell, i guess thats it, i was thinking...i dont really have a mottoe if i cant remember what i always right. but i know its usually at least the jist of what i just wrote. hehe

[Merkaba]

Yeah, ok I'm lazy, then at least point me in the direction of the right threads? cause there's around 10 screaming threads, and several are a few hundred posts.

ok, shameless plug time...go to Merkaba's voice help hotline...

[Merkaba]

Merkaba...I know you're really busy and all, but is there any way you could like e-mail a bunch of info about screaming? I've been trying for a while, but I either push to hard and hurt my throat (but i stop as soon as it starts to hurt), or not enough and just kinda hiss. But I want to learn to do it.

Important things to keep in mind are this:

Warmup!
learn to isolate. its pricelss!
dont mix pitch with push. just because you go up in pitch doesnt mean that you need to go up in push. it should be choice, not automatic.
learn proper breath support
no pain ever, no affect to the speaking voice
warm down afterwards

[metaliq]

I have another question. I dont know if you can answer this or not merkaba :).

Alright, a few bands use effects on their screaming, just to make it sound dirtier and stuff like that. One is Norma Jean, and check out their MP3 (good song...) here.... http://www.purevolume.com/normajean/music

I was wondering what effects he uses on his voice and such? The distortion pedals we have dont work like that...

One more band with a different effect is Sinai Beach... mp3 is here: http://www.purevolume.com/sinaibeach/music

So any help would be appreciated. Thanks a ton.

[Merkaba]

I'll try to check em out but i can already tell ya i dont know much about effects. i would use alot of reverb for like a falsetto scream but thats about it.

[EcolliJK]

I have another question. I dont know if you can answer this or not merkaba :).

Alright, a few bands use effects on their screaming, just to make it sound dirtier and stuff like that. One is Norma Jean, and check out their MP3 (good song...) here.... http://www.purevolume.com/normajean/music

I was wondering what effects he uses on his voice and such? The distortion pedals we have dont work like that...

One more band with a different effect is Sinai Beach... mp3 is here: http://www.purevolume.com/sinaibeach/music

So any help would be appreciated. Thanks a ton.

i'll answer it
I treid some effects on my v300
got closest with slightly doubling and a slight dist.
and guitar dist.pedals won't work because they ,well they don't

+
is citron is good thing or a no no for clearing the throath?
from like slime etc.

[metaliq]

Hmm i should really get myself one of those v300s. $160 tho... hm...

Alrighty, thanks :). Now i just got to ponder if i should do it or not, hehe.

[Merkaba]

i'll answer it
I treid some effects on my v300
got closest with slightly doubling and a slight dist.
and guitar dist.pedals won't work because they ,well they don't

+
is citron is good thing or a no no for clearing the throath?
from like slime etc.

yes for your throat. but im guessing youre talking about your cords? no fluid can touch them remember? the only way to clear your cords is to stay hydrated with water. juice is not bad but water and fruit is better. not sugar waters and drinks. when you get mucous sing it away, gargalling with warm salt water or water and a bit of apple cidar vinegar. Technically you dont want to clear your throat or cough. but i do it, with no sound though!

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

hey merkaba, could u check out "thursday-wind up" if u can .....or any other thursday song that has screaming .....its all the same i guess, and tell me whe technique he is using. He sounds like he screams but it dont sound like its in flasetto an sound like a whiny cry :amaze: whenever i try it ,it just goes from a high falsetto scream to just singing :confused:
So if u could check it out an give me any advice that would be cool

[davidw_9]

hi, i was wondering if anyone had any pointers for my scream. My friends say my scream sounds like alexisonfire if that helps. I got a good "rumble/raspy" thing goin on, but i was wondering how i could improve my acual scream if you know what i mean. Any help would be great, thanks alot.

[metaliq]

Response to last 2 posts:

Read the thread. Because I am sure 'someone' isnt going to respond because those questions have been asked hundreds of times...

Thank you for your time.

[ScreamWithMe138]

f***in awesome thanks

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

Thanks metaliq......but im afraid your wrong.
I looked all over this thread an there was nothing about the thursday style screams and im sure there is a different technique used to the high falsetto ones....but i dunno.

Thank you for your time. :D

[Merkaba]

havent checked them out, but uh...its just gonna be a matter of how much cord activation you put into it. If you had to guess, what do you think could be any other technique? lol. theres not really much going on in your throat. its not like you have five sets of sound making devices.

Though it could be some whistle...its rare for a guy, but its possible. i'll try to check it soon.

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

i have 5 :cool: makes me extra special.
nah haha i dunno im new to screaming an i havnt been able to try any new stuff latly because my vocal chords are swollen an have been for about a week an a bit an i dont wana start screaming again just yet.......ill wait till its completly better. The most i could do for now was just ask.

[Merkaba]

i have 5 :cool: makes me extra special.
nah haha i dunno im new to screaming an i havnt been able to try any new stuff latly because my vocal chords are swollen an have been for about a week an a bit an i dont wana start screaming again just yet.......ill wait till its completly better. The most i could do for now was just ask.

SEED! man, what the hell are you doing dude!? i told you it sounded like you were pushing too hard and that it sounded like head voice. you cant do that. but i dont know what you did. you should never have voice affects for a week man. you really need to reevaluate your workings. maybe take at least a few classes. ****, youre really gonna get a mucus parka! :lol:

dude, watch out though man. really. i couldnt imagine not being able to get it going for a week! gosh.

do alot of ee's man. and scales, it will keep scar tissue from developing, just do them with little push, but you need to keep the cords stretched. regular push. stay hydrated.

[metaliq]

Thanks metaliq......but im afraid your wrong.
I looked all over this thread an there was nothing about the thursday style screams and im sure there is a different technique used to the high falsetto ones....but i dunno.

Thank you for your time. :D

Lol, sorry for my post. I was a bit frustrated at something at the time so the post sounded kinda mean. :thumb:

But I believe that those screams have been discussed... btw the vocalist for Thursday doesnt do the screams as well generally... the guitarist does... so I dont know if that has anything to do with that.

But the scream just sounds like the generic ones that were talked about the majority of this thread. It does sound like he is using less of his falsetto at some points.

To me, it sounds like its coming more from the throat then the falsetto, but if Merkaba has info on that... it would be kinda nice.

Point of post: to appologize and share my mind, hehe.

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

haha yea its cool dude, sorry about my post aswell.
And yep merkaba your right i was pushing to hard on the screaming an i over done it the first day cause i did it for acouple of hours practicing but its getting better now just been resting my voice from singing a bit and humming stuff out.The main problem is like when i sing my lower falsetto is fine but my higher notes crap out. And my normal speaking voice is fine....went off ur motto :confused:
I was a dumbass cause i was like oh yea its only for a little while it wont matter much but....you have to pay :upset:



ADVIDE TO ANYONE!!!!!! DONT PUSH TO HARD, EVEN IF IT IS JUST FOR A LITTLE BIT. AND DONT PRAC TO MUCH AT FIRST

[Merkaba]

got a link to a Thursday song?

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

www.purevolume.com/thursday i think
Im not sure if the song on there has screaming on it.
His voice will probably put you off the band haha but i reckon he has a mad voice.

[bassistsfingerbetter]

how do i go about a hawthorne heights scream?

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

dude .........i wouldnt ask that question.
People go off their nut because its been asked so many time before.
Its most likly the way that is explained on here already but if its not...im sorry

[Merkaba]

www.purevolume.com/thursday i think
Im not sure if the song on there has screaming on it.
His voice will probably put you off the band haha but i reckon he has a mad voice.

I took a listen.
pretty much the same thing.
sounds like they use some mixed voice as well, which is just what i've been talkig about how much vocal cord activation you want to add to the note. He pushes pretty hard sounds like. but otherwise, i dont know anything else to say that hasnt already been said.

[Winter-seed...AKA b&h]

ahhhh i see.
Thanks for checking it out.

[Sir Killalot]

I read the whole thread and several other screaming threads cause i'm a death metal singer (low growls as well as high screeches) and except the "push it from the guts" stuff, is there any other particular techniques for doing it ?
When I do it, it doesn't really hurt at all for the low death metal growls but when it comes to the high screeches, my throat become really tight in order to do it and that's when it starts to hurt a bit on the front of my throat after about an hour, any tips about that ?
One last thing, you guys talked a lot about warming up, when you say warming up, what kind of exercises to you suggest ?
Oh and thanks a lot for all the tips, this has been reaally useful !

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/1/malegothbabesmusic.htm

On this link you'll find a sample of my high pitched scream and the other song is a stupid cannibal corpse parody that I've made with one of my friend, but it still gives a good idea about my death metal growl ! On the song I'm the low growler.

Thanks a lot again !

[Punkgolfer2k4]

I'm having such a hard time with screaming. I tried the falsetto stuff, and it's like a squeak. I have a relativley deep voice, but I'm trying to hit a Senses Fail type scream, especially like the screaming done in "Irony Of Dying On Your Birthday" it's insane check it out. But yeah, I tried for like 15 min the other day and my throat hurt so I quit. I've never had any singing training, am I a lost cause, or do I just keep trying. The thing is, I don't really understand how to even go about forming the scream.... little help? the stuff on here makes no sense

[EcolliJK]

I read the whole thread and several other screaming threads cause i'm a death metal singer (low growls as well as high screeches) and except the "push it from the guts" stuff, is there any other particular techniques for doing it ?
When I do it, it doesn't really hurt at all for the low death metal growls but when it comes to the high screeches, my throat become really tight in order to do it and that's when it starts to hurt a bit on the front of my throat after about an hour, any tips about that ?
One last thing, you guys talked a lot about warming up, when you say warming up, what kind of exercises to you suggest ?
Oh and thanks a lot for all the tips, this has been reaally useful !

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/1/malegothbabesmusic.htm

On this link you'll find a sample of my high pitched scream and the other song is a stupid cannibal corpse parody that I've made with one of my friend, but it still gives a good idea about my death metal growl ! On the song I'm the low growler.

Thanks a lot again !



see the bold section
don't stress try to relax
act like your rowing (at home though just to practice) because then you won't think about the note to much and you won't go like ooooh that note is high.

warming up:
just the regular going up and down BUT allways work from your middle section or the note you feel most comfortable with.
@home lay on your back with your knees up and hands on your diaphgram
and breath you'll strecht more muscles on this way

*edit

you remember when you were a kid and you'd act like a car trilling your lips
(like a thight version of a horse)
do the up an down thingy on the same way except now like the child-car thingy
you can go higher than normal this way so it's streches your cords more

[EcolliJK]

I'm having such a hard time with screaming. I tried the falsetto stuff, and it's like a squeak. I have a relativley deep voice, but I'm trying to hit a Senses Fail type scream, especially like the screaming done in "Irony Of Dying On Your Birthday" it's insane check it out. But yeah, I tried for like 15 min the other day and my throat hurt so I quit. I've never had any singing training, am I a lost cause, or do I just keep trying. The thing is, I don't really understand how to even go about forming the scream.... little help? the stuff on here makes no sense

:/ don't go off screaming without any preparation man
at least warm up.. or else you can say bye bye to your voice withing 2 weeks

as seeing you've never had vocal lesson it even makes it worse.

read some of the articles about preserving your voice
(think merka. made one just search for it)
and the articles about the screaming techniques
ex. first page from this thread.
you should really practice normal singing first
from the 6 hours band rehearsell (sp?)
i scream aprox. 3hours from it and got no pain or
soar throat at all.
oh and water a lott...
but you should really first get all the techniques right
and now how to use your voice in a safe way.
IMO it takes good singing before you can turn it into good screaming

if there are any spelling mistakes.. don't care i'm dutch

[Punkgolfer2k4]

Thanks man, I think I'm just gonna break down and take singing lessons.....

[metaliq]

don't care i'm dutch

^^^ Best line ever ;).

Question... how much is warming up required for death metal growls? Im not working alot with my vocal chords (to a point of it being obvious at least... or so i think?) and I do warm up, but I wondering what extent I should go to... thanks.