Merkabas Voice-Help Hotline

[MikeyEss]

Hey Merkaba
Thanks for the info earlier. I was reading the rest of the posts and noticed the one you replied to for punkskater... about how his voice might sound find and he may just not like it. I'm kinda interested in seeing if thats the case for me, because i've always enjoyed singing but never liked my voice. I sent a recording to my sister, and she said that she was totally surprised i could sing. Could you check out the two songs I posted on soundclick --->

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

One is Cemetery Drive by My Chemical Romance, the other is an acoustic (I believe you but my tommy gun don't) by Brand New

Let me know what you think, be brutally honest, and thanks a lot!

edit>> I'm adding 1 more song as well 'soco amaretto lime' by Brand New, could you please check it out as well?

Also a new scream, which i personally think is my best so far, for anyone who wants to check it out.

[Peg Dizzler]

Well, I don't know the original songs, so I'm not really sure what to say about the singing. However, it was very soft and sounded pretty good, aside from a few pitch problems, but that's fine considering you weren't singing to anything (at least I don't think you would have been).
I'm not sure about the screams though man, sounds like you're tightening things up. I can't really be sure though. My falsetto scream sounds so much different from the typical "american hardcore" scream, so I really don't know.

[kaotic3]

Would singing along with a CD do anything to improve my voice?

[Merkaba]

Would singing along with a CD do anything to improve my voice?
Thats basically how i learned to sing and still how I practice. Just be careful that you dont try to compete your acoustic instrument with the electrically amplified stereo! This can be dangerous.

[Merkaba]

Hey Merkaba
Thanks for the info earlier. I was reading the rest of the posts and noticed the one you replied to for punkskater... about how his voice might sound find and he may just not like it. I'm kinda interested in seeing if thats the case for me, because i've always enjoyed singing but never liked my voice. I sent a recording to my sister, and she said that she was totally surprised i could sing. Could you check out the two songs I posted on soundclick --->

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

One is Cemetery Drive by My Chemical Romance, the other is an acoustic (I believe you but my tommy gun don't) by Brand New

Let me know what you think, be brutally honest, and thanks a lot!

edit>> I'm adding 1 more song as well 'soco amaretto lime' by Brand New, could you please check it out as well?

Also a new scream, which i personally think is my best so far, for anyone who wants to check it out.
I thought I had replied a few days ago....oh well.
The screams sound ok...but like CD said it sounds like youre closing up too much....maybe as youre first trying to find that area of rasp...then you kinda let it back off more and let it flow out. The First scream sounds a little better.

The songs...well it sounds like youre not singing. Probably trying to hard, and you dont have breath support. It sounds like youre trying to sing parts in head or falsetto that should be done in maybe a lower head or higher chest. ...thats why it sounds soft and the cords arent buzzing the sound out. I would recommend you try the song an octave lower...even if its way deep....then sing it like like two notes lower from the orgininal. Just to get a feel for keeping the cords closed and relaxed. Also just sing the song like you were talking. Even if its in a different key.

[fenderplayer1100]

Hey, I just started singing a month ago...I don't have a vocal coach or anything, but the singer that i'm TRYING to mimic is Freddie Mercury....Well first off when I wake up and try to sing along with Queen songs I can't hit certain notes because of flem blockage in my through. How do i get rid of the flem....and could u tell me some warm-ups that u guys use to prepare for singing. And did Freddy Mercury use his head voice in the song "Killer Queen". Oh and another thing...Sometimes when i try to hit some really high notes I end up sounding like Kurmet the Frog...Does anyone know how to stop that from happening? Thanks

[lloydapalooza]

to fenderplayer: links to warmups are posted on the first page of this post


alright so i recorded some growls and it would be cool if you could give me some input on them , see if im doing them right etc


link (http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/lloydapalooza_music.htm)

[luciano]

sounding good man. nice upper register. it suonds like you're straining to hit the highest ones but just keep practicing and it will get easier. i think you should work on your pronunciation/articulation because i can barely understand what you're singing or if its even english.

thanxs, man!!!

i'll work harder.

btw, i am not a native english speaker... is it too evident????

[Majic]

The Natives Are Restless

btw, i am not a native english speaker... is it too evident????
Yes. Your words are properly spelled and your grammar is too precise. ^:p^

Mispell your words, use excessively opaque, esoteric slang and post in incoherent sentence fragments and -- us Americans, anyway -- will assume you're a product of the U.S. public school system, and therefore a native speaker. ^;)^

[luciano]

The Natives Are Restless


Yes. Your words are properly spelled and your grammar is too precise. ^:p^

Mispell your words, use excessively opaque, esoteric slang and post in incoherent sentence fragments and -- us Americans, anyway -- will assume you're a product of the U.S. public school system, and therefore a native speaker. ^;)^

:D lol :D thanx :D

i was actually referring to my singing rather than my writing. anyway, i didn't write the lyrics, and in case you need them, you can find them here:

http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/helloween/keeperofthesevenkeyspartii.html#5

if you haven't heard the song i sang, here is the rapidshare link:

http://rapidshare.de/files/3598880/dr_stein_lu.ogg.html

any comments appreciated
(thanx rats and merka :) )

[Merkaba]

Fender check out the first page of this thread.

[MikeyEss]

Merkaba

I've recorded a new clip of my singing. Could you please check it out? (its under test)

http://www.soundclick.com/artist/1/mikeyess_music.htm

I've just been reading through a lot of your posts, and with this clip i sang at a fairly low volume, 'robot faced', and in a relaxed and upright position in an attempt to create good air flow and keep a relaxed and open throat. My range isn't great at the moment so you'll notice some breakage at high notes. Could you give me some feedback on it? thanks!

>>Also, i've been trying a lot of variations in my screaming using the advice you've given, but its been to no avail. I listened to the rasp 101 instruction for example, trying a high note and adding rasp in an attempt to get a falsetto scream and it comes out... well... kinda f***ed up. Even with lower screams, when i sing and add rasp it just comes out as more of a super loud growl...

[lloydapalooza]

alright so i recorded some growls and it would be cool if you could give me some input on them , see if im doing them right etc


link (http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/lloydapalooza_music.htm)

in case you missed it

[Peg Dizzler]

Hey MikeyEss,

I listened to your new scream, and I can definitely say you're doing what I thought was screaming at first. I'm 99% sure you're tightening your throat up and just pushing some air through it; do you feel tense when you do it, does it hurt, and is it quiet? If you said yes to any of those, then that's what you're doing. Before I found this thread, I never really knew how to scream and I remember I used to "scream" along with some CDs in my car... I could sound pretty close to them, but, it was always quiet and it hurt.

Same goes for your singing, before I knew ANYTHING about singing, I used to "sing" like you. All soft and crap. I don't want to offend you, but it's true. What you're doing is just "singing" with little to no breath support, so it ends up like a soft whisper. To get past that, you just need to put some volume behind it. Don't be scared to belt it out. If it helps, try just yelling to get in the mood. I can't really recommend yelling too much, because that can hurt your voice, but it taught me how to put some diaphragm behind my singing, and how use the back of your throat for rasp. Using the back of your throat should be somewhat natural too, don't think about it and try to tense up your throat. Like Merk said, it's like the aaannnk sound, the incorrect buzzer sound on game shows and stuff.

Just keep reading Merk's advice in the previous pages of this thread. Keep working on your falsetto, and warm up beforehand. Instead of just thinking to yourself "I'm going to scream!" just work on falsetto. I would recommend learning to sing with rasp first, but you may be able to figure out how to scream if you just keep pushing your falsetto harder and harder. Don't hit an exceptionally high note, but hit a generally "low" falsetto note, and try to just push it and let the air "scrape" your back throat. It might just take some experimenting to figure out.

[Peg Dizzler]

in case you missed it

They sounded pretty good. I was impressed that you did them soft, that's a key thing with guttoral screaming, at least I think so.
If it hurts at all, then I think you need to figure something else out. But if you're warming up beforehand and it's not hurting, congratulations.
The last one in "growl2" definitely sounded the best. Just make sure you're isolating and try to keep it soft and "airy." It's a little hard to explain. Or you could try using the gargling tecnique that Kristina showed me, but it's hard to form any words while doing that... yeah, growling is kind of a hit or miss thing, I can sort of do two different kinds of growls but I'm not sure if I've quite perfected it or not.

[Peg Dizzler]

Merk, you need to post some more sh|t. :thumb: I went to your soundclick hoping you'd have some new stuff. Take a day off work and record a bunch of falsetto screaming, and some singing, and some chest voice singing, and some whistle notes (I really wanna hear this.. and learn it), and some guttoral stuff if you can... do it for MX, man! :p Haha.

I want to figure out inward screaming too man, how'd you do that, that one on your soundclick? aaahh, I don't even know where to start to figure something like that out.

[Merkaba]

I was actually just thinking of recording some more stuff as i read the posts...I'll have to sit down and go through what people are having trouble with and post some stuff related to it. Inner screaming..I dont know...I dont do it but i guess I can if i want. And you say you wanna hear the whistle stuff...I posted it a while back...or are you saying that you want more? The new shift I work really limits my time but I'll try to get around to it, and listening to any samples soon. Its 8 in the morning, and I just got home from work...gotta sleep. Then be back to work at six in the evening til six.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Loyd, the growls sound pretty good. If its comfortable then keep practicing. Is that the lowest you can go? If not try to go lower and practice singing low notes and alos mid as well, as it helps strengthen the muslces that keep the cords held together. Are you gonna be trying to do wods that low or just a growling? If words...then try all vowels and see how well you can growl through them all....ay,ee, I , Oh, U, ah.
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Ah....Mike...I heard that song twice on like Conan or Leno reruns. The chorus I loved...and I had to look up the lyrics and found that I liked that song more. Its not my usual genre or style but I'm finnicky.

I say youre trying too hard. Sounds like you have a good voice. I say youre trying too hard because you've altered the approach, and youre singing slow and airy. Post a sample of you trying to sing this song the way they sing it. Just relax when you do it. Youre in falsetto and I dont think you have to be...bust I can tell youre holding back. The best thing that happened to me was someone said..."you've got good tone but you could sing harder" . Fallout boy, whoever the singer is, just basically sings this chorus hard. I think if you did you could find out alot about yourself and rasp because its not a high song and if you push it a little you might surprise yourself. Now I know I always say be careful and all but you will eventually have to push. Now I would recommend you try that with this song instead of a higher scream because its not too high at least most of the chorus isnt. Try to push the chorus and sound like he does...you dont have to worry about the Higher parts of it...if you cant do it all just practice the "sugar were going down swinging" part. And just relax and do it like you were singing it at someone across the street, to somebody, yet kinda yelling it, frankly. There should be a slight position as if you were talking it. That keeps you in true voice, or keeps the resonance close to true voice even when you go to falsetto so that people cant really tell that its falsetto. I can sing almost all of my falsetto range and sound like its true voice, due to that. Its basically the power falsetto, supported falsetto, or mixed voice, etc,blah blah position. Kinda like singing both and the same time. It kinda makes it louder by default. When youre in the soft airy falsetto, it creates more tension because youre opening up the cords when they dont really need to be. So when you try to go louder youre more prone to recreate that tension. Sing it normally.

Relax...but push it...not maximum...but go ahead and sing it loud and hard, and shift the feel til you get a sound and way that feels good and comfortable. Its awkward because you dont really feel much of a strain when youre clamping your cords around big air...the muscles are small...what most of us feel is the strain of our throats as we tense them up. The cords, you dont really feel them as much and alot of the faces you see from singers is straining to open the throat and keep the larynx from slamming up...Its not coming so much from straining for the note itself, although over time as you start driving your voice many times youre doing both. After a while it will come natural but youre not gonna get there singing soft in falsetto. You're gonna be more prone to letting your cords not hold tension if you sing soft which will make it harder to get stronger. I know from experience.

p.s. if you can upload that song I would like to have it. :)

[MikeyEss]

p.s. if you can upload that song I would like to have it. :)

Hey its the least i can do after your help. Its on my soundclick page :thumb:

Thanks a lot for the advice, i'll attempt what you suggested and post it later today if possible. Tty soon

[Bass_Guy_Jay]

Hey Merk, I was wondering if you could check out our song on My Space (sorry for posting in another thread) but I just need an opinion.

I didn't make lyrics for the song, I was just trying to test my scream, I find the second half is more efficent then the first half... you can check it out here at: www.myspace.com/SeiryuRock (Its called "Evermore")

Also man, I just wanna thank you for making those sound clips, they helped me so much, yesturday, I couldn't scream, I used your clips.. practice for about 4 hours last night (untill like 1 am) and I have made a big step, I still need to practice beyond belief (same with vocals) but you have been a BIG help to me, and I just want to say thanks.

[brainproof]

mikey, i listened to your soundclicks. you sound like you have the same problems as my friend who sings for my band. you still sound like your holding back and your just staying in your falsetto. i dont really know what to say because i dont know much about singing. but it sound like your afriad of someone hearing you at your house. i dont think you supposed to use your falsetto through the enite song. you have to use your true voice.

[brainproof]

whenever i scream(lower falsetto) i can barely manage a 3 sec scream or so. it sounds fairly good when i record and play it back. how do i do longer screams? am i doing something wrong? and how does puting a book and breathing help? also, my friend(good singer, got awards from choir) said to "hiss" like go tsssssssssss for as long as i can. how would that help?

[Merkaba]

whenever i scream(lower falsetto) i can barely manage a 3 sec scream or so. it sounds fairly good when i record and play it back. how do i do longer screams? am i doing something wrong? and how does puting a book and breathing help? also, my friend(good singer, got awards from choir) said to "hiss" like go tsssssssssss for as long as i can. how would that help?
I gave this same advice yesterday in another post. Holding a zzz or ssss sound. I say try to hold it for thirty seconds or more. Because it teaches you breath control. You cant sing without the diaphragm. You have to tense it instead of just relaxing like youre exhaling from a normal breath. You have to push a bit but not that much. ...depending on the sound you want. But by holding a sound that long it will teach you to not just let all your air out. You will have to get your diaphragm involved. So practice it.
Putting a book on your stomach(I guess thats what you were gonna say) and breathing helps you inhale correctly. The book should rise as you inhale. Its no big deal..you could use your hand. Some people breathe incorrectly and suck in their stomach some. But you stomach should rise first...then at about 75% your chest should start to rise a bit. Not as much as your stomach...but a little.

[MikeyEss]

Hey Merkaba, can you check out my new version of fallout boy? Thanks!

[lloydapalooza]

hey merkaba i can do this thing where i make clicks with my vocal cords but at the same time hiss air. its pretty wierd. i was just wondering if there was any relevance to it. i uploaded an mp3 here (http://www.soundclick.com/artist/0/lloydapalooza_music.htm)

its titled wierd

[Merkaba]

hey merkaba i can do this thing where i make clicks with my vocal cords but at the same time hiss air. its pretty wierd. i was just wondering if there was any relevance to it. i uploaded an mp3 here (http://www.soundclick.com/artist/0/lloydapalooza_music.htm)

its titled wierd
Yea I've been doing this since I was a kid. Youre using the false cords for the click. And thats pretty much the area you use for rasp. If you listen to my samples you can hear me kinda do this louder as I was starting off some of those rasp screams.

If you have trouble rasping try doing it, and slowly adding more sound and "click" and seperating them in and out from clean to not raspy will help learn some isolation.

[Merkaba]

Hey Merk, I was wondering if you could check out our song on My Space (sorry for posting in another thread) but I just need an opinion.

I didn't make lyrics for the song, I was just trying to test my scream, I find the second half is more efficent then the first half... you can check it out here at: www.myspace.com/SeiryuRock (Its called "Evermore")

Also man, I just wanna thank you for making those sound clips, they helped me so much, yesturday, I couldn't scream, I used your clips.. practice for about 4 hours last night (untill like 1 am) and I have made a big step, I still need to practice beyond belief (same with vocals) but you have been a BIG help to me, and I just want to say thanks.
Ahhh..thought I had listened to that one before and thought it was instrumental since the vocals kinda took a while to start. I like it though. Sounds like Linkin park mixed with some deftones. Some of my influences in those....I like it. I was looking for a link to download it. I was coming up with some melodies and things myself...I'd love to do little mix in there with you just for "play play" hehe.

I think you could sound almost twice as better...not that it sounds that bad. You did go a little flat sometimes...but I still do that when just fartin off. How does your voice feel after the screams? Because it sounds really pushy...but if you cant handle it then fine. But too much push robs you of your tone. I think you would sound better with more tone. At least in certain parts. If i were you I would take an instrumental if you have one....give one to me...hehe...and then ride around and sing those parts that you were doing, or whatever parts you come up with.....sing them like you were gonna sing them in opera. Back off of the push. Even the screaming note...sing it, I think its "no", or sounded like it. But for instance just sing it normally without so much push, and dont rasp any part of it. It will help you i think, to close up some of those notes and get the muscle memory to stay right on key. I do like the falling melody of you singing "Ehhh verrr morrre". Keep that. I can really hear that with a little reverb or something melting off...sounding like a dream or something. REally sounds like something I would do so I love that part. hehe. Maybe draw it out a little more. Just a little....and like I say, just a little more controlled...which I think would come from less push...for now at least. Thats my two cents. But then again you were just testing the song a bit...so whatever, no big deal. Keep me posted on this one.

OH yea...the second half ...maybe around the 2:40 mark the screams sound better. I'm on dialup. So my deal stops and buffers every ten seconds or so. sux.

[Merkaba]

Hey Merkaba, can you check out my new version of fallout boy? Thanks!
Mike, still sounds like youre scared. Or not wanting to be loud for fear of something. If thats the case then wait til you have the house or whatever to yourself. If thats not the case then....

Do you have to be in falsetto to sing this high? I dont think you do. I would like you to sing it about three notes lower. Do this... right now...without thinking of any specific note or pitch or anything..just sing and EEEEEE. Now sing this song in that same pitch even if its not the same key. It will give you practice anyways. It might sound like something from a lounge bar or a restaraunt but thats not important. So give it a try. And I dont think your pressurizing your lungs much with the diaphragm either. Dont fret...its just around the corner.

Maybe I'll post a sample if I can get around to it.

[brainproof]

thanks for the explaination, but your forgot one question, is it normal to for beginning screamers to have realyl short screams or am i doing something wrong?

[Merkaba]

Well yea...Youre not using enough breath control...i.e. diaphragm. I dont think its a matter of normalcy. But if you want to hold any sound long you have to take in a deep proper breath...and then be able to control how much your diaphgragm pushes up against your lungs. Thats why holding the ZZZ kinda gets you working with that. Because it will be hard to hold any sound without a good breath, and the diaphragm. Now you will have to manipulate it over time but thats second nature once you know how it feels. I might post another sample kinda dealing with this soon.

[Bass_Guy_Jay]

Hey Merk, thanks buddy for the help, I am glad that you (from what I gathered) like the instrumental for the song "Evermore" This is my favourite song so far.

When you say it sounds like I am pushing to hard, I think your right, cause when I try to do the more aggressive screams, I do push harder (Probably around 50% push) which, from what I have gathered is not good, I could easily get the same effect with less push right?

What does my throat feel like after doing these, well we played the song a lot that one practice, and my throat felt fine, didn't hurt, but I did notice it was harder for me to sing higher, so the screams maybe effecting my vocal chords, probably from pushing to hard. Also, when we start practice, at the beginning I have some tea, then always have 2 waters on hand (i drink so much water... lol)

When your talking about tone of the scream, could you give an example (on the song Evermore... if you can) what’s good tone, and what’s bad tone. Or maybe all my tone was bad, so how would I control this? How do I know if the tone is correct?

The only instrumental version of Evermore me have (that is the whole song) our Rhythm guitarist was to loud, and he has trouble with timing, so its quite messy. If you want it, you can find it here: "Evermore" Instrumental (http://www.franticgames.com/seriyu/Music/Evermore_instrumental.mp3) (its about 8 mbs)

So feel free to record over it or whatever, put a little Merk touch on it, ha ha... basically what I want to do is just follow the rhythm of the tune.

I think that’s it for now Merk, you have been a big help to me buddy :)

[MikeyEss]

Thanks Merkaba
Yeah a post of it from you would be very helpful if you have the time.
Much appreciated.

I'm just not exactly sure what the feeling would be if i were using correct diaphragm support... I breathe correctly, but you say it still sounds like i'm not getting correct support. Also what should the 'push' on a note feel like?

Oh, and how is singing really loud going to help me? Is it to find the true voiceor something? I attempted singing the song pushing hard and loud and it just sounded quite bad... lol

[Boondock]

Hey everyone. I've always wanted a raspy voice. Kinda like Foo Fighters raspy. Any tips? Also, can your voice ever become permanently raspy?

[MikeyEss]

Yes, by smoking 10 packs of cigarettes a day... lol

[Kosta]

I never post due to a lack of time. But..

To anyone who wants to learn the falsetto scream...

..first, read most theory found in this topic. SERIOUSLY. That's important.

But, theory is not all. It's just as much mentality towards your singing itself, as it is actual technique. I'll make a little guide to actually learning how to use it. Most assumptions here are from experience. It's nothing big, but heh, I guess any help is useful.

You don't have to force a falsetto scream. You just do it. I gave a similar tip before, but these past few weeks, I've been practicing for hours every day while showering, cleaning my room, etc. Every free time I kind find.

So you got something that sounds like a falsetto scream. Thing is, you're probably tensing it too much at first. So you'll work on that, just relax, don't move a muscle on your face, and just do those "screams". Just to get a feel for it. Just to improve your technique and such.

Right well. Singing with your raspened falsetto can be a bitch at first. It sounds and feels very unnatural. Hell, you probably can't even pronounce words yet, I sure as hell can't. That's fine at first.

So after having warmed up, listen to a song with falsetto screams. Let's say, Laid To Rest by Lamb Of God or I'm Broken by Pantera. I picked those because I didn't have to scream several sylables with one breath.

In laid to rest there is a 12 second falsetto scream where Randy scramed the "ure" part of "failure". It's quite easy.

In I'm Broken, Phil Anselmo screamed "Too young for" with a falsetto scream. Again, I picked those because I could scream a sylable at a time.

..to be honest, the only reason I listen to those songs is just to practice to them.

If you figured those out - which is very easy...

..I'd suggest just talking with added rasp. Just talk to yourself, or sing along songs with added rasp. Also to get used to it. Just get used to rasping your voice.

I couldn't do **** with my falsetto scream at first because it felt so alien. So I just tried to get used to it that way. And it worked.

I'd also suggest to stop using your chest voice to scream for the time you're learning to use your falsetto scream. Just fully focus on it. 'cause getting a feel for it as important as the technique.

Right. So you can sing with a raspened voice by now and talk with it, too. Now.. just practice some random screams as much as you can and see if you got more control over them, if not, keep trying.

ALSO. Force yourself to do stuff you thought you couldn't before. I got a better feel for my scream when I tried to scream along Aqua Dementia by Mastodon (what a brilliant song, by the way). And hey, I could do it immediately. Plus, it's very fun to scream along to.

The last, and probably most important tip is;
DON'T WORRY IF YOU DON'T SOUND LIKE WHATSHISNAME FROM WHATSTHEBAND. You have your own voice. Strop wanting to sound like let's say Jacob Bannon and accept your voice for what it is, unique. You might not be able to sound like..Greg Puciato from The Dillinger Escape Plan, but hey, he might not be able to sound like you either.

Hope that was even slightly useful.

[La Revolucion]

Merkaba (or anyone else who knows)- I haven't exactly read all of this thread yet, so hopefully you haven't answered my question already. Dave Grohl, from Foo Fighters, sings aggressively, according to definitions of that kind of singing I've found. I'm wondering how he sings like that, because I have a very nice normal singing voice (kind of like Chester from Linkin Park, when he sings normal) but I can't get much rasp in it at all. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[MikeyEss]

Thanks Merkaba
Yeah a post of it from you would be very helpful if you have the time.
Much appreciated.

I'm just not exactly sure what the feeling would be if i were using correct diaphragm support... I breathe correctly, but you say it still sounds like i'm not getting correct support. Also what should the 'push' on a note feel like?

Oh, and how is singing really loud going to help me? Is it to find the true voiceor something? I attempted singing the song pushing hard and loud and it just sounded quite bad... lol

[Merkaba]

Merkaba (or anyone else who knows)- I haven't exactly read all of this thread yet, so hopefully you haven't answered my question already. Dave Grohl, from Foo Fighters, sings aggressively, according to definitions of that kind of singing I've found. I'm wondering how he sings like that, because I have a very nice normal singing voice (kind of like Chester from Linkin Park, when he sings normal) but I can't get much rasp in it at all. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Well yea...we've all answered that before. Its all the same thing. Unfortunately at this time I dont wish to repeat it...nothing personal but I'm about to go eat. But if you read around.....you'll read what I would write anyways so...

Louis Armstrong, Wonderful World.

Good post Kosta...

[La Revolucion]

Oh ok sorry for bugging you then. I'll look around.

[Peg Dizzler]

Thanks Merkaba
Yeah a post of it from you would be very helpful if you have the time.
Much appreciated.

I'm just not exactly sure what the feeling would be if i were using correct diaphragm support... I breathe correctly, but you say it still sounds like i'm not getting correct support. Also what should the 'push' on a note feel like?

Oh, and how is singing really loud going to help me? Is it to find the true voiceor something? I attempted singing the song pushing hard and loud and it just sounded quite bad... lol

Talk to someone, at a normal volume. That's your true voice. Yell really loud at someone. That's your true voice. Scream like a girl, or like you're on a roller coaster. That's falsetto. Falsetto isn't bad of course, but it isn't proper singing if you're singing a whole song in falsetto, really softly.
So, try just talking loud, or yelling for that matter, and try to make notes out of it. Use a guitar or piano, it helps. It's not going to sound good at first, but you need to discover how to use your head voice in singing.

[MikeyEss]

Cool, thanks CD

I'll record some new stuff soon and post it.

[darklife]

Hey Merkaba...

I'm determined to learn how to scream, if only just to be able to do it for fun if not in a band setting. Your posts have helped quite a bit. I just have one question though.

If I scream at a lower volume it sounds a million times better. If I try to get it louder I either lose the rasp or I lose the whole thing completely. If I sing the note first and then try to add the rasp the volume drops a lot, I'd say to about half of what it was when I was just singing the note. Am I closing my throat too much as you keep warning about, or am I doing it wrong altogether?

I'm gonna keep playing around. I realize I'm trying not to be too loud cause I don't want people freaking out cause I'm in my room screaming all the time, but it doesn't seem right that I can't scream at the same volume as I sing. It sounds like I'm whispering. I am making sure I feel my gut tighten like I'm grunting. Actually, the very first part the the scream (when the diaphragm first contracts) is at a decent volume, it just trails off after that.

[Merkaba]

Hey Merkaba...

I'm determined to learn how to scream, if only just to be able to do it for fun if not in a band setting. Your posts have helped quite a bit. I just have one question though.

If I scream at a lower volume it sounds a million times better. If I try to get it louder I either lose the rasp or I lose the whole thing completely. If I sing the note first and then try to add the rasp the volume drops a lot, I'd say to about half of what it was when I was just singing the note. Am I closing my throat too much as you keep warning about, or am I doing it wrong altogether?

I'm gonna keep playing around. I realize I'm trying not to be too loud cause I don't want people freaking out cause I'm in my room screaming all the time, but it doesn't seem right that I can't scream at the same volume as I sing. It sounds like I'm whispering. I am making sure I feel my gut tighten like I'm grunting. Actually, the very first part the the scream (when the diaphragm first contracts) is at a decent volume, it just trails off after that.
Well your definition of low and decent volume might be different than mine. Without a sample I couldnt really know for sure. It will take some strength and coordination and you must know how to rise up into head without trying to stretch your chest voice up into it. Without a sample I couldnt really tell you, but if youre singing a decent volume you should be able to hold that volume and add rasp without it dropping in volume.

Thanks Merkaba
Yeah a post of it from you would be very helpful if you have the time.
Much appreciated.

I'm just not exactly sure what the feeling would be if i were using correct diaphragm support... I breathe correctly, but you say it still sounds like i'm not getting correct support. Also what should the 'push' on a note feel like?

Oh, and how is singing really loud going to help me? Is it to find the true voiceor something? I attempted singing the song pushing hard and loud and it just sounded quite bad... lol
I was gonna make some samples today but I opted to work so I dont have time...

by singing louder it will get you out of the falsetto position...hopefully. Because its hard to sing loud with tone in falsetto....unless you start using power falsetto/supported falsetto... thats another story.

The best way is to start at a normal note and rise up in pitch. You will have to feel like youre opening up the back of the throat a bit. Start with Ah...it naturally helps to accomplish this.

[darklife]

Well your definition of low and decent volume might be different than mine. Without a sample I couldnt really know for sure. It will take some strength and coordination and you must know how to rise up into head without trying to stretch your chest voice up into it. Without a sample I couldnt really tell you, but if youre singing a decent volume you should be able to hold that volume and add rasp without it dropping in volume.


I practiced a bit while recording and I did a couple that were on par with my singing volume-wise. It felt like I had to push a lot harder than when I sang the note. Is that normal?

Also, I noticed that when I sing the note and try to add the rasp, it feels like the note goes from about chest level to my stomach. That's not supposed to happen, right? If not I think I need to keep playing with it then, I may just not be adding the rasp correctly.

[Merkaba]

I dont really know what you mean by going from chest level to stomach. I would say play around with it and let your gauge be how comfortable it is and how much/long you can do it...and how your cords feel afterwards and the next day.

[darklife]

I dont really know what you mean by going from chest level to stomach. I would say play around with it and let your gauge be how comfortable it is and how much/long you can do it...and how your cords feel afterwards and the next day.

Hey, I figured it out. I was adding the rasp all wrong lol. I was sorta making that weird sound from The Grudge cause I do stupid stuff like that when I'm bored (and by myself), and then it dawned on me that that is how I should try to add the rasp. It doesn't make my throat feel scratchy like the way I was doing it before, and the note remains at the same volume. I still have a lot of practice to do, though, cause sometimes I accidentally drop in pitch when I try to add it.

[tatsu]

Hey Merkaba, just wondering if you'd mind checking out my scream and telling me whether or not I'm not doing it right, and where I stand. Here's the link:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=388240

Thanks in advance, I have so much trouble exhale screaming, I get no volume whatsoever.

[Peg Dizzler]

Well, I believe I have finally figured out INWARD SCREAMING!! yayus..!

This is my first day at it. So it may not be that good yet. Still working things out. I don't really know how I figured it out, I never really got around to trying to figure it out because I had no clue what tecnique to use, or how, because I've never done any kind of vocals breathing inward. Then a few days ago, while laughing really hard (you know like when it sounds like you're barely breathing that you're laughing so hard?) well I sucked a bunch of air in, and it sounded really freaky to say the least. Today I did the same thing, while I was in the middle of laughing really hard I immediately remembered that I should try inward screaming, and I did it. After about 15 minutes of messing around, I think I got it. I guess it requires a very open throat, it helped if I yawned first, just like when you're trying to falsetto scream, it helps...

Anyway... I can do 4 different kinds of screams now, or if you count the two different falsetto ones (which sound drastically different) and if you count the inward guttoral and inward high pitched separate, then I can do SIX screams. Wee! I assume there's no more known screams, aye?

Oh, and does anyone know if inward screams are damaging at all? I remember someone said it was affecting their singing range...

If you want to know more about the screams.. or want me to record more... just let me know. Here's the link.
http://www.soundclick.com/pendingdemise

[Peg Dizzler]

Hey Merkaba, just wondering if you'd mind checking out my scream and telling me whether or not I'm not doing it right, and where I stand. Here's the link:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=388240

Thanks in advance, I have so much trouble exhale screaming, I get no volume whatsoever.

The inward screams were great. You definitely figured those out. Can you do higher ones or just the mid to lower range ones?

The one called "Tony's exhale scream" seemed pretty good. I can definitely hear the falsetto voice behind it. It seems like you're used to inward screaming though, and your exhale scream was simply making your false cords click, which isn't a scream really. Warm up, practice your falsetto alot, and work with it--don't try to hit an exceptionally high falsetto note, keep it a bit lower actually. Then add the rasp with the back of your throat, if you know how. If not, read some more pages of this thread. I like Merk's example, rasp is like the "aaank" sound of the buzzer on TV game shows when the answer is wrong. If you can make that sound, you're generating rasp with the back of your throat.
Anyway. So always base it on a falsetto voice, and always warm up. Let us know what you come up with! :thumb:

[Dumpweedrock]

Well the other day a freind of mine asked me if i wanted to sing for his band in the fall. I agreed but now im kinda running into some problems. I listen to a lot of Thrice, and i want to be able to sing like Dustin. When i sing along with the songs, i can hit every note perfectly, but when i play it on my guitar my voice just blends in with the music. I guess my question is How do you sing fairly low tone wise and still project without blending into the music. Would simply turing up the mic solve this problem? When i listen to dustin of thrice sing, it seems to me that i am matching his pitch but im not projecting as much as he is.

[tatsu]

The inward screams were great. You definitely figured those out. Can you do higher ones or just the mid to lower range ones?

The one called "Tony's exhale scream" seemed pretty good. I can definitely hear the falsetto voice behind it. It seems like you're used to inward screaming though, and your exhale scream was simply making your false cords click, which isn't a scream really. Warm up, practice your falsetto alot, and work with it--don't try to hit an exceptionally high falsetto note, keep it a bit lower actually. Then add the rasp with the back of your throat, if you know how. If not, read some more pages of this thread. I like Merk's example, rasp is like the "aaank" sound of the buzzer on TV game shows when the answer is wrong. If you can make that sound, you're generating rasp with the back of your throat.
Anyway. So always base it on a falsetto voice, and always warm up. Let us know what you come up with! :thumb:

Well, I can do anywhere with my inhale, but I realize now, looking back, seeing as I don't have my own mic, it made it difficult... what was happening with all the exhale screams, was that I was moving the mic away from me when I was cutting the air for the consonants, causing the entire thing to seem like short, ugly yelps... Inward is my work, outward needs some work... like my life. Thanks for the crit and comment! I'll make sure to post more, when I'm at my buddies...

[Rats!]

Why are ee's and oo's and their variations harder to do than other vowels?

[Rats!]

Hey Merkaba, just wondering if you'd mind checking out my scream and telling me whether or not I'm not doing it right, and where I stand. Here's the link:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=388240

Thanks in advance, I have so much trouble exhale screaming, I get no volume whatsoever.

lol
funny **** man keep it up

[zultone]

Dude, thanks for all the help on vocals.
http://media.putfile.com/eh35

Please laugh at the song as it's a joke.
But that's where my scream is at now.
=D !!

[Peg Dizzler]

So has anyone listened to my new screams yet, including the inward ones? :D

http://www.soundclick.com/pendingdemise

[fenderplayer1100]

what exactly is a gliss anyway?

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

A glissando is sliding smoothly between 2 notes.

[Peg Dizzler]

Hmm, I just did a google on different kinds of screaming, and I found this site.

http://www.invisibleworld.com.au/pages/singfaqs4.htm

I'm not sure how much of this is true, but I think alot of his "warnings" about screaming are really untrue. It makes me want to go there and kick his ***. If that's true, then how come a bunch of death metal bands from the 80's are still around? These stupid "screaming will ruin your voice!" myths piss me off.

Of course.. assuming we use proper technique. :)

[siryan]

bump

[tatsu]

So, I've added one more exhale scream since. Feel free to check it out :D
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=388240
Crits and comments welcome!

[Peg Dizzler]

Poo, no one reads this anymore. :(

[Merkaba]

Why are ee's and oo's and their variations harder to do than other vowels?
An interesting question, and original for a change around these parts.
I'll pretty much paraphrase Mark Baxter...
When you make an E, during the wave form that your cords produce, they line up completely. This is why ee's are good for when you have a fatigued voice or problems because you realign them. This would be light e's in true voice, melodies and glisses. This is also why the E sound is the highest in relative frequency and guess which one is the lowest? O's. To make ohs you have to drop open your larynx and mouth because the frequencies are so low thats the only way they can come out. Doing low o's helps build depth in your voice. If you hold an E and put your hand over your mouth you will hear the e turn into an O, because your hand bascially absorbs the higher frequecies of the e. I'm guessing youre talking about higher notes when you say harder to do? If you think about it, this is all why. It just takes more form and stength to keep the cords coming to a complet close in their vibratory cycle, as in e. And if youre trying to do a high o...well...the shape is relatively more suitable for lower volumes. Relatively...because you want to be able to do them all the same.

CD...I went to your site. Which ones are the new ones? I listened to two that seemed to be the same.

So, I've added one more exhale scream since. Feel free to check it out :D
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=388240
Crits and comments welcome!

I dont have time to check out all of those. The one with "You and Tony" sounded ok....be sure not to overpush. The first one wasnt a scream or anything other than a slow note. Then i listened to the third one I think..and it was pretty much the same. But your true voice rasping sounds ok.

[SugarCoatedSour]

Hey Merkaba (love the Tool, Maynard is my fave vocalist)
I've been a habitual marijuana user for nearly 4 years, does this mean my singing/screamoyelling voice is shot? and what kind of damage does a gurgled phlegmy voice like say Chad Grey's (mudvayne) do to the thoat?

[Peg Dizzler]

The one at the top is the only new one. It's called "6 styles of screams" or something. The low, exhaling one (the first one, I believe) doesn't feel right even when done softly, even though it's basically done like the falsetto scream.. except over my true, chest voice. So I really don't do that one.. I dunno if I'd consider it a scream I guess. So make that 5!

[Merkaba]

Hey Merkaba (love the Tool, Maynard is my fave vocalist)
I've been a habitual marijuana user for nearly 4 years, does this mean my singing/screamoyelling voice is shot? and what kind of damage does a gurgled phlegmy voice like say Chad Grey's (mudvayne) do to the thoat?
If youre smoking mary then youre inhaling way more resin and heat than a cigarette, which just fries your cords more. Does it mean your voice is shot. No. But it does mean that youre more injury prone, your more prone to have weak stamina and not be able to get to your potential which could astronomical as far as you know. But you could be one of those people that's just not affected by it that much. You just dont know if youre one of those. So its a dice roll.

As far as Chad...He's been a big influence on me and helped me understand the position of a scream when I first heard him live off of the LD tour, which was back when I was first trying to get into screaming. I could just hear and tell what he was doing. I think its always good to hear your faves live a few times to see if they really sing as good as the studio makes them sound, and to pic up on what they do vocally. I think he has good technique and he uses the mic like he should, usually. He just really blocks off alot of his throat which takes good strength. One runs the risk of losing a bit of resonance and range over the years but who knows. Its all about technique. Once you reach a certain level of strength and flexibility it just doesnt take as much sheear push and you can key in more on the overall sound instead of just trying to get a raspy note. Once you know your own limits and realize how to trick the sound out clearer and better at a lower push then you can get away with alot more for alot longer....in my book.

[Peg Dizzler]

^ I agree. I'm not into nu-metal at all, but I love Mudvayne. Not only is the bassist just freakin' awesome, but Chad has an incredibly good voice. His technique is spot-on, and he blends his falsetto scream with his raspy singing voice very well. Children of Bodom does the same thing, but he has a totally different tone. Like you said though, he's really good, and just being able to hear and know what he's doing--it helps alot.
When you first taught me how to falsetto scream, after awhile it just all "clicked"... with the help of listening to Mudvayne, and being able to pick out what exactly he's doing. :)

[Sephyr]

I searched all the threads and posts here for over and hour and a half and couldn't find anything to truly answer a question I have, so forgive me if it's been asked before.

Alright so I've been learning to sing for the past year or so (not through training, but from listening, recording, studying the art of singing, etc.) and I've always been interested in the metal "sing-scream".

What I mean by sing-scream is sort of like the type of screaming Corey Taylor of Slipknot does. It's not necessarily growling, and it's not the high-pitced emo/hardcore scream.

I think I actually have strong vocal chords and I'm able to stay on key easily by now, but whenever I try to scream it ends up coming out almost TOO harsh and I know I'm doing it too hard.

I can get the raspy/scraping sound easily, but it sounds too harsh and feels like it too. (For example, soreness. :upset: )

I was wondering if I could get some help with this? Like, more thorough help than I've been able to find so far. Anything's appreciated ^_^

Thanks!

[Rats]

it's the same god **** ****ing **** as all the other screams and your question has been answered a thousand times. it's just a note with rasp.

[Merkaba]

...ouch!

:amaze:

[Rats]

he did say "anything's appreciated" :lol:

[Merkaba]

hehe..yep....

Yea sephyr...I would just be repeating what I've written at the begining of this thread to answer that. Sometimes if I'm in the mood I will, and sometimes if I have an idea of a different angle on it I will....

Just practice singing correctly first. From what you've written you shouldnt have any problems getting their. Be sure to relax and start off trying to get the sound you want by not pushing that hard. This will help you realize that its not your cords or so much push that is making the raspiness but the throat above the cords.

[Sephyr]

Alright, so I apologize for leaving my main question out.

Basically, I seem to have two types of sections to scream with. I have this passage that leads to the growling stuff, and then there's another thing I can do that is sorta like...electronically staticky or something. The first one I mentioned I didn't discover till recently and I can make it go up and down easily, but the other one (the one that has an electronic-ish sound to it) can't get really loud at all.

I'm just wondering what's the difference?

[Peg Dizzler]

It's hard to say with a description like that, to be blunt. You should post a recording if you can.

[Sephyr]

I know...it's hard for me to describe it sorry :(. Hmm..I'll try to get my microphone working soon. I might have some recordings by tomorrow, hopefully.

Thanks for your time so far >_<

[Merkaba]

Well like I say....theres really not much going on. Theres only one "passage". Go ahead and get that thought and it will help to simplify it. I'm willing to bet that your first technique is more correct. You should be able to do it low and ride it up through to your falsetto if need be, and you should be able to do it at close to any volume. Your second one, I'm betting is a higher tense larynx one that you might be over squeezing, kinda like thinking too much about the rasp and not about singing first. I think one of the most important things I usually stress is that you should practice singing first. A good scream has the same support and feel as a hard singing note, because it is. I'm not saying do only regular singing for six months first. I'm saying if there's trouble getting something, try to sing the note first. Pay attention to whether or not you have to strain to sing it normally, or if you have to scrunch up your face to reach for it. You should be able to hold a good operatic sounding tone,I say, if you want a good foundation for more push.

[Sephyr]

Yes you're right, the second one isn't natural and when I usually have to force it while singing it.

I've been working with the one that's natural for me alot lately, and yeah...anyway, thanks for making this thread ^_^ It helped alot.

I'll try to get some recordings as soon as I can.

[Merkaba]

Yep. Remember that, as far as I'm concerned, even the harshest SOUNDING vocals should still be comfortable and shouldnt feel irritating. Just keep practicing and when you run into trouble use your relaxed "opera" voice to try to reconcile your technique.

[panthersfan16]

Hey Merk, I've become a decent screamer since reading ur lessons, but now my band wants to do rock instead of metal. I can sing with all the correct techniques, but what do I do to improve my tone? I really hate my singing voice...It sounds "teenagery", especially when I rasp. Is there a way to get rid of this or do I have to wait for my vocal cords to mature more?

[Merkaba]

How old are you?

If you know you've got decent technique, all you can do is be sure youre relaxed and opening up the throat. If youre say, less than 18, then it could just be your cords for now. Just make sure youre not squeezing and tensing any of your throat. Practice doing low O's and Ah'sand doing slow singing like you were in an opera.

[panthersfan16]

I'm 17

I'm trying to get a slightly rasped tone, like avenged sevenfold or dave grohl, because my clean singing lacks punch... and one more question, would you suggest finding a band willing to do music my vocals are more geared for? I'm seeing very little improvement over the last month and a half over my rock singing voice, and basically wanna know if it's possible to even develop this or if you have to be born with it.

[Merkaba]

You dont have to be born with it....but youre only 17. Thats why you sound "teenagery". It could take a while for you to develop. Dont rush it. If you can post a sample it would help. Just keep practicing. If you cant get your normal singing voice to get some umph behind it, well....you need that for more agressive vocals naturally. Be sure you've got all the basics down. like breath support and isolation.

[Mambuto_O'Mally]

Hey, Merk

This is really cool. I've been thinking alot that I would like to scream, and now I found what I'm looking for. I would read it but its getting late and everybody in my house is trying to sleep.

Why isn't this stickied anymore?

[Merkaba]

Mods kinda switched some stuff around....I guess to have it a little cleaner looking. Its inside the Jams session threads sticky though.

[On The Edge]

Hey Merk,

I'm an aspiring singer (already play guitar) primarily in the rock/hair metal (Bon Jovi, Skid Row) department. Ihave a few questions- do you have any popular books you reccomend I buy for this style of singing? Also, how long would estimate it would take me to be accurate with pitch and to have a warm singing voice- (doesn't have to be perfect).

I practice singing scales on piano and breathing exercises from sliver at the moment. How long do you think I should practice a day and what things are the most important to practice and how much time for them?

[Jandy]

I've looked through plenty of your posts Merk, and I appreciate all the help you've given everybody.

I didn't see anything regarding staying on key though. How does one improve this? When I sing along with something, I can stay on fairly well, but by myself with no reference notes, I'm f'd.

[Phototropic]

I've looked through plenty of your posts Merk, and I appreciate all the help you've given everybody.

I didn't see anything regarding staying on key though. How does one improve this? When I sing along with something, I can stay on fairly well, but by myself with no reference notes, I'm f'd.

This happens to me as well

I usually find myself singing too high or too low

I have to find a word I know and associate a note on the fretboard with it so I know where to start

[Jandy]

This happens to me as well

I usually find myself singing too high or too low

I have to find a word I know and associate a note on the fretboard with it so I know where to start

Yeah if I'm all alone I can't even sing mary had a little lamb. But my g/f hums a note in the car for me sometimes and I can match it right away, so I can't be tone-deaf, can I?

[Phototropic]

Yeah if I'm all alone I can't even sing mary had a little lamb. But my g/f hums a note in the car for me sometimes and I can match it right away, so I can't be tone-deaf, can I?

No

No way

Tone deaf people probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a high note and a low not

Just keep practising

I will :wave:

[Merkaba]

Hey Merk,

I'm an aspiring singer (already play guitar) primarily in the rock/hair metal (Bon Jovi, Skid Row) department. Ihave a few questions- do you have any popular books you reccomend I buy for this style of singing? Also, how long would estimate it would take me to be accurate with pitch and to have a warm singing voice- (doesn't have to be perfect).

I practice singing scales on piano and breathing exercises from sliver at the moment. How long do you think I should practice a day and what things are the most important to practice and how much time for them?
Theres another thread with more recommended books in it...look around. I know Mark baxter's book is good...I cant even remember the name of it. I dont know of much literature though.

Estimates of how long? It wouldnt be fair to make any idea. Some people take forever some take overnight. All you can do is practice, and sing alot of acapella and record yourself so you can hear your progress and your true voice without the aid of your body cheating the sound into your brain.

How long should you practice a day? Ideally...I would say at least an hour. ten minutes is better than nothing though. The most important thing is breath control and cord isolation. You have to be able to support your air to keep a good tight flow through the cords, but you have to be able to sing without your larynx interfering.

I've looked through plenty of your posts Merk, and I appreciate all the help you've given everybody.

I didn't see anything regarding staying on key though. How does one improve this? When I sing along with something, I can stay on fairly well, but by myself with no reference notes, I'm f'd.
Keep singing by yourself. Accapella with no music. Its the best way because lots of times the music is a crutch to your development. It can throw off your technique and cause tension when one trys to listen then match. It should be a relative thing of feeling what you want next and not hearing it. The best way is through repetition, if you're not one of the "naturals" that just can do it almost automatically. But with practice you can develop a feel for the intervals you want to sing which makes it easier to stay on key in any key. You can do intervals on the piano or guitar. play one note at a time. Stop your voice before the next note so you dont slide up to it. Then do it faster and faster and do scales. But to me acappella singing in a relaxed environment is the best way to get the true feel of your voice, not sound. Its more about feeling. And be sure to relax.

and yea...true tone deafness is extremely rare. Now being able to sing on key is something different and it takes alot of coordination that some people just cant do readily. Kinda like juggling or something. Most people can do it but it takes work and time and repetition.

[Jandy]

Keep singing by yourself. Accapella with no music. Its the best way because lots of times the music is a crutch to your development. It can throw off your technique and cause tension when one trys to listen then match. It should be a relative thing of feeling what you want next and not hearing it. The best way is through repetition, if you're not one of the "naturals" that just can do it almost automatically. But with practice you can develop a feel for the intervals you want to sing which makes it easier to stay on key in any key. You can do intervals on the piano or guitar. play one note at a time. Stop your voice before the next note so you dont slide up to it. Then do it faster and faster and do scales. But to me acappella singing in a relaxed environment is the best way to get the true feel of your voice, not sound. Its more about feeling. And be sure to relax.

and yea...true tone deafness is extremely rare. Now being able to sing on key is something different and it takes alot of coordination that some people just cant do readily. Kinda like juggling or something. Most people can do it but it takes work and time and repetition.


Thanks a lot merc, I guess I'll keep the cd player in my car turned off a while. As for playing with the guitar. Do you suggest I start with something like the major scale? Like hum the Doh. Stop, then play the note. Continue up and down the scale this way?

[Merkaba]

yea ...but sing vowels...not hum. Use all vowels..ay,ee,I,o,u, and ah. Do a scale with all ah's...then all ee's etc.

[panthersfan16]

Hey merk is marathon singing good for you? Theres no pain, but the vox on third eye blinds first album are fairly challenging and I have been singing the album all the way through... I was just wondering if this is too much for my vocal cords, since the album is almost an hour long...thats about an hour of challenging singing after warmups...so uh yeah will this hurt or help me?

[Merkaba]

NOt if you warm up good and over time you will find it easier. The thing is to make sure youre not tensing the larynx and squeezing it up with your notes. If youre good at keeping things isolated an hour can go by pretty fast. For me in my ideal situations I sing alot of lower intensity stuff to warm up. Sometimes for an hour. Or I'll just sing any song that I like at a lower intensity, even if the song is high intensity. I like to have thirty minutes to an hour at least of warmup stuff before I start trying to get any growth based work going.

[Acey13]

ok ive been reading this "how to scream" thread since the very first one posted by MIKE.....and i want to learn to do the emocore type scream, I JUST CANT GET IT its just impossible.... and i tryed last night and i got a major migraine/headache...i got the headache at about 8 30 last night and i still have it now .... 2:45 p.m the next day! i dont know wut to do....

[Merkaba]

ok ive been reading this "how to scream" thread since the very first one posted by MIKE.....and i want to learn to do the emocore type scream, I JUST CANT GET IT its just impossible.... and i tryed last night and i got a major migraine/headache...i got the headache at about 8 30 last night and i still have it now .... 2:45 p.m the next day! i dont know wut to do....
Well this thread is way different than the "how to scream thread" that you looked in. THat thread is laughable at best, and as you can see, a waste of your time and dangerous. This line is one of my favorites: "This is NOT the healthiest way to scream/shout, but if Ian (Minor Threat) can do it, so can you. Just make sure to coat the vocal cords with a substance such as milk and saliva to at least not completly damage your voice on your first attempt."
You cant "coat the cords". When you swallow your larynx closes off so that you dont get anything at all on your cords because if you do thats called choking. Duh! THis type of ignorance actually makes me angry.

Since you seem to have cut and past this post I'll give you time to read this thread before replying much. Just relax and go for more of a normal singing approach. To get a note your cords vibrate at a certain length(pitch). If you want to scream you have to be able to hold this while pushing more. Its the same for singing or screaming. But with screaming you need more strength of course and you need to use your false cords to get the rasp. This is the same area you use to bark like a dog or get the ANNKK wrong answer type of sound. It is important that you be able to relax the throat and keep the adams apple(layrnx, voicebox) from clamping up shut like when you swallow. And you need to be supporting the pressure with a good proper breath and diaphragm. It sounds like alot but dont overthink it. Its all in this thread. Lately my usual advice is to practice singing through your range, and work your way up to more and more push. You cant run before you can walk.

[Acey13]

well i did drink a glass of milk and a glass of water of equal size after reading the thread :lol: it seems only the water is logical. I can tell u know wut ur talking bout, which is great, and i'd like to thank u in advance for that:thumb: now...my problem seems to be understanding this stuff about my vocal chords n all that.... Basically i just sing and try to get the pitch, and when i try to "use my diapragm/gut" it sounds the exact same, feels the exact same except then my ab muscles just hurt... i dont know, ill try tomorrow again when my head settles but thanks for takin to the time to read/reply to this:wave:

[Bleeding-Through]

Hey Merkaba,
I'm not going to barrage you with questions like
"How do you scream"
I have that all down, I have a very deep scream and I get no pain
when screaming It's just I lose my highest falsetto after practice
wich is very odd.
I was wondering If I am not warming up enough?
I warm up for about 10 minutes, my band's practices usually last for about
an hour - 2.Thanks dude.

[Merkaba]

well i did drink a glass of milk and a glass of water of equal size after reading the thread :lol: it seems only the water is logical. I can tell u know wut ur talking bout, which is great, and i'd like to thank u in advance for that:thumb: now...my problem seems to be understanding this stuff about my vocal chords n all that.... Basically i just sing and try to get the pitch, and when i try to "use my diapragm/gut" it sounds the exact same, feels the exact same except then my ab muscles just hurt... i dont know, ill try tomorrow again when my head settles but thanks for takin to the time to read/reply to this:wave:
If youre not having problems dont worry about the diaphgragm. You cant sing without it but many people need the "sing from the gut" term in order to get them to not "sing from the throat" which is when one closes the throat down to increase pressure behind the cords, to get a feel of pressure, but this shouldnt be the case.

Hey Merkaba,
I'm not going to barrage you with questions like
"How do you scream"
I have that all down, I have a very deep scream and I get no pain
when screaming It's just I lose my highest falsetto after practice
wich is very odd.
I was wondering If I am not warming up enough?
I warm up for about 10 minutes, my band's practices usually last for about
an hour - 2.Thanks dude.
Thats not odd at all.
Falsetto occurs when the cords cant close together and they open up which gives them an edge only vibration. The more you do anything strenuous the more your cords will swell and tighten naturally from the heat and friction. Its nothing to be concerned about usually. But singing even normally is way more taxing than talking. While screaming is way more taxing than singing. When they get a little swollen they wont vibrate as well at higher pitches(stretched thin) because they are thicker from the swelling.
warmup longer for shorter "work", warmup shorter for longer work. I would take about twenty minutes to warm up for a lot of screaming. Ideally you should be warming up as you get out of the shower, get your clothes, go get the mail, do this and that, whatever. get the cords loosened throughout the day. And dont forget that you could be overpushing a bit.

Warm up with normal singing first. In between songs or during any breaks I always do my lowest o's and e's, glissing up and down from low to high on a light push. Be sure to warm down after your practice by doing your highest falsetto and glissing down to your lowest chest. I do this on all vowels a few times. And usually end doing some low e's and normal speaking voice e's. Warming down doesnt need to last more than five minutes.

[Acey13]

[QUOTE=Merkaba-1]If youre not having problems dont worry about the diaphgragm. You cant sing without it but many people need the "sing from the gut" term in order to get them to not "sing from the throat" which is when one closes the throat down to increase pressure behind the cords, to get a feel of pressure, but this shouldnt be the case.

Thats not wut i ment lol ... as far as sonding the same, thats bad because i wus sayin it wus too hard before....ok so lemme rephrase that : Ok when i sing its hurts my throat and i get a headache after/during. When i try to use my gut or diapragm it doesnt feel likes its making a difference...it ADDDS the ab pain but keeps the head aches and soar throat....also the fact that i cant get that scream, i figure u probably cant really help but im ****in stumped....:confused:

[Merkaba]

If youre getting headaches and sore throats from singing its one thing. Mis managment of air supply. Youre pushing too hard and/or blocking off your throat too much. The false cords and vocal cords close up when you grunt or strain to lift something because it increasing your internal pressure which makes your spine and everything more rigid to support what youre doing. If you did a set of heavy squats and didnt breath properly you'd probably feel the same way. I say, as usual, practice normal singing and add more and more push to your normal singing while keeping lose and relaxed. Your abs shouldnt hurt. You dont squeeze in much with the abs. If you pull your belly buttom in and up, thats about the only ab movement you'd be wanting to do. And that would be a slower thing. If your tensing the abs stiff youre doing it wrong, and this is just adding to your internal pressure giving you headaches and throwing your air off and giving you a more throaty approach because if you clench your abs its harder to get intouch with your diaphragm.

No vocal technique should be uncomfortable or give you pain ever.

[Acey13]

ok ill try that........ill check in soon thanks again man :thumb:

[moaner]

Will my 2 pints a day milk habit stop me from becoming a semi-competent singer?

[El_Goodo]

I have a question...

Is there any tricks or anything to being able to sing a sneery sorta voice. I dont know how to describe it except by saying like Liam Gallagher from Oasis. Is that style possible to re-create or is that type of singing best left to Liam.

[Jandy]

I have a question...

Is there any tricks or anything to being able to sing a sneery sorta voice. I dont know how to describe it except by saying like Liam Gallagher from Oasis. Is that style possible to re-create or is that type of singing best left to Liam.

Plug your nose :lol:

I'll leave it to Merk but that guy from Oasis sounds like he sings from his head, nostril area.

[Merkaba]

I think its possible to learn any style , if you learn how to sing first. There's just not alot of stuff that can go on. Now trying to be identical to someone else's tonal quality and "timbre" will drive you insane because you cant do it exactly. But sounding whiney, sneery or whatever else you like is a matter of learning how to sing hard without letting the larynx affect you. Not sure about liam but From what I remember he's just a little nasal and whiney. Not hard to mimic.

[El_Goodo]

I think its possible to learn any style , if you learn how to sing first. There's just not alot of stuff that can go on. Now trying to be identical to someone else's tonal quality and "timbre" will drive you insane because you cant do it exactly. But sounding whiney, sneery or whatever else you like is a matter of learning how to sing hard without letting the larynx affect you. Not sure about liam but From what I remember he's just a little nasal and whiney. Not hard to mimic.

I would say he's alot nasally...especially live. Now do you have any links or anything to something that would help me learn to "sing hard without letting the larynx affect me."

Also can the stance that your singing in really hurt your voice? Cause I was reading that Liam's voice was getting hurt from him singing in his trademark stance.

Which can be seen here (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/56/Liam_Gallagher_singing.gif/250px-Liam_Gallagher_singing.gif) and here (http://www.musthear.com/new%20gallery/Rock/Artists/Oasis/images/0502_oasis_4.jpg). Appareantley he had to stop singing during one of the songs at Glastonbury 2004 because of the pain, and after that he got a vocal teacher to help him out.

[Rats!]

I would say he's alot nasally...especially live. Now do you have any links or anything to something that would help me learn to "sing hard without letting the larynx affect me."

Also can the stance that your singing in really hurt your voice? Cause I was reading that Liam's voice was getting hurt from him singing in his trademark stance.

Which can be seen here (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/56/Liam_Gallagher_singing.gif/250px-Liam_Gallagher_singing.gif) and here (http://www.musthear.com/new%20gallery/Rock/Artists/Oasis/images/0502_oasis_4.jpg). Appareantley he had to stop singing during one of the songs at Glastonbury 2004 because of the pain, and after that he got a vocal teacher to help him out.



yea, if you need to position your throat like that to get the sound you want, then you aren't singing correctly.

[Merkaba]

Now do you have any links or anything to something that would help me learn to "sing hard without letting the larynx affect me."
page one, under "isolation..."



Also can the stance that your singing in really hurt your voice? Cause I was reading that Liam's voice was getting hurt from him singing in his trademark stance. Stance can really affect your air support, thus making you more prone to sing "throaty", which isnt good over the long run. But if he has to stop because of pain...the way that he sings(and not scream), then he needs a good coach. No way should his singing style result in pain and stopping, unless of course you drink like a fish, eat crap, lose sleep and dont warm up..which I'm SO SURE liam would never do!

Now I just looked at those pictures. Never ever sing like that. You never want to lift your chin like that...if anything, maybe drop it a tad. I would expect him to run into problems with a crooked neck like that...plus if its cocked to the side more like pic two, youre putting more pressure on one side than the other.

[onetrickpony]

Hi Merk,

Not sure which of your threads to post my question in. Hopefully this one is okay. I've been reading through all of the threads here and slowly starting to work on my singing voice which is terrible.

I spent some time this afternoon trying to match my voice to the open notes on my guitar. I was surprised to find that I could match every string except the low e. Just couldn't get that low. As for the other notes, I compared them to a tuner and they blended in just fine with the guitar. My notes were shakey and sharp most of the time, but I was surprised that I was able to finally feel some connection between my voice and my guitar.

Will spending 30 minutes a night training my voice in this fashion help me improve my singing ability (which I have none of)? I only did this making an AH sound. Should I try this with all the vowel sounds? Ay, E, I, O, Uh?

EDIT - I just had a thought. The B note seems to be the only one that I can pretty music sing at will. The others require me to adjust my voice to match that of the guitar until we're in tune.

Would be it more useful for me to focus on on note a week? Say, spend the next week singing the G (or any) string for 30 or 45 minutes a night - doing all the vowel shapes and any other helpful excersizes and then move onto the next note? Or just learn them all at once?

Thanks for any help.

[Merkaba]

Yes do all vowels.
But don't try to throw darts with your voice. It will make you tense up, probably why you cant find the other notes as easily if youre trying to match the tone and timbre of a guitar string. Just relax as much as possible and play around until you find the notes. It might feel like youre singing deeper than you thought. The typical male voice, once you get around middle C, to the next g youre in head voice territory. Anything below that, it might feel like youre singing deeper than you thought you might. The voice doesnt cover alot of range in a relaxed state. And yes, the low E on a guitar is, well, low. pretty low.

[Nergal666]

hey guys, i have been doing vocals for about three months..
i'm trying to improve my growl. i have been keeping up with these posts, so what I am asking of is to just try and help me identify my weak points..
I recorded this growl straight from computer mic..i'll record some stuff tomorrow through a P.A..i don't know if im using my throat too much or what, i just want a really clean, deep low. an idea would be Kataklysm , or Vital Remains/Deicide.

link:
http://s61.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=172AFDF8BTCSF2HMYSE72T0A07

[Dreww]

Will my 2 pints a day milk habit stop me from becoming a semi-competent singer?
All I can say is when I stopped drinking milk nonstop like I used to, my singing became much easier.

[Rushki Smushki]

Milk is awesome.

Singing and Milk...not so awesome. Drinking it develops mucus (in the short term, that is) whichs stops the cords vibrating properly.

It's been said before, but:

Because your voice and cord vibration is somewhat restricted by the milk, your tone and range become a little 'tardy. You feel as though you need to push harder to get the sound you want, when really, you just need to drink water to clear your throat out.

There is nothing wrong with milk, but don't use it too hydrate yourself if you're practicing your singing. Drink alot of water, warm up, and keep your throat clear as best as you can.

Especially with screaming, I could never scream properly after eating food or drinking something like milk. I pushed harder thinking I was doing the right thing - Wrong.

Overdoing your cords usually happens when they can't vibrate properly, and this can damage your voice. Bottom Line.

Still drink milk, because you need it - But, balance your singing practice with Water.

'arr :thumb:

[siryan]

kewl so i shouldn't be afraid of milk jus dont drink heaps

also i have a question k is it ok for small amounts of air to be coming out of the nostrils when singing. i can sometimes make the air only come out of the mouth but this is rare

[onetrickpony]

Merk,

I've been working on these excercizes again tonight -- running through vowels with my open guitar notes... and after about 30 minutes of warming up, I was amazed to discover that I can play pretty much any note (excluding those on the low E string) between the first and 5 fret on my guitar and match the pitch within 2 or 3 seconds. I haven't tried any above the 5th fret yet.

I am completely fascinated by this, considering three days ago I had never matched a single note. Does it seem unusual that I am able to do that after a couple of practices or is it normal progress? Either way, it's more than I was expecting.

With enough practice, should I be able to recall these pitches from memory? Right now I can only hit them when I'm singing to the guitar. At the beginning of the session I struggled to "find" a lot of notes, but at the end, it was much more quick and natural. I was able to find notes in a couple of seconds that I've never properly sang before. It's awesome to feel the notes lock together like that.

Also, here's a weird question since I am completely new to singing. You may not be a guitar player, so I don't know if you can answer this:

When I play a G note, I can match it with my voice, but if I am playing a G chord, it doesn't fit as well. It seems like it would fit... I don't fully grasp this I guess.

Thanks again for your help.

[Merkaba]

Milk is awesome.

Singing and Milk...not so awesome. Drinking it develops mucus (in the short term, that is) whichs stops the cords vibrating properly.

It's been said before, but:

Because your voice and cord vibration is somewhat restricted by the milk, your tone and range become a little 'tardy. You feel as though you need to push harder to get the sound you want, when really, you just need to drink water to clear your throat out.

There is nothing wrong with milk, but don't use it too hydrate yourself if you're practicing your singing. Drink alot of water, warm up, and keep your throat clear as best as you can.

Especially with screaming, I could never scream properly after eating food or drinking something like milk. I pushed harder thinking I was doing the right thing - Wrong.

Overdoing your cords usually happens when they can't vibrate properly, and this can damage your voice. Bottom Line.

Still drink milk, because you need it - But, balance your singing practice with Water.

'arr :thumb:

And why do you need milk? Why does a human need the fat, hormone laden, partially undigestable modified sweat from the glands of a bovine animal? Calcium? Nope. Vitamin D? nope. Name how many other mature animals feel the need to suckle....? Cant do it. And if its not organic, you should also be prepared to take in a heap of pesticides, herbicides, steroids, and antibiotics that also get passed through into the milk. Have fun. And we wonder why we get tumors and cancers.
Dont drink milk. Its bad for you. Balance out your singing with a good diet.
----------------
And its ok to have some air venting through the nostrils. Worry more about how your notes feel coming out of your mouth.

[DougJI]

And why do you need milk? Why does a human need the fat, hormone laden, partially undigestable modified sweat from the glands of a bovine animal? Calcium? Nope. Vitamin D? nope. Name how many other mature animals feel the need to suckle....? Cant do it. And if its not organic, you should also be prepared to take in a heap of pesticides, herbicides, steroids, and antibiotics that also get passed through into the milk. Have fun. And we wonder why we get tumors and cancers.
Dont drink milk. Its bad for you. Balance out your singing with a good diet.
----------------
And its ok to have some air venting through the nostrils. Worry more about how your notes feel coming out of your mouth.

It's not like Dairy is one of the 4 essential food groups.

Oh shi...

Ever hear of osteoporosis?

[Merkaba]

4 essential food groups? right, from the FDA, with their RDA's of things like sugar and SatFat? As if its recommended? The four essential food groups, in the same proportions that are used to fatten up pigs before they are slaughtered. Its not like the government is going to say dont eat dairy or beef. It would be "un American". But we all know that governments institutions have ulterior motives, just like with the whole tobacco industry.

Osteoporosis? :lol: Ever hear of green leafy vegetables? Or fortifiied juices, grains, soy products? Where do you think the cow's get calcium from? The bottom line is that cows make cow milk for THEIR young, with THEIR specific needs of growth hormones and steroids, and ONLY when they're pregnant, unless induced further afterwards by drugs. If milk is so great then why dont you drink horse milk or dog milk or human milk since we're humans? Its an industry, with catchy commercials and marketing and you can fall in line if you want. Its like saying Pizza is good for you because you can get lots of calcium. Eat up.

What happens to bodybuilders that take steroids for a while? They get tumors, heart problems, digestive problems, etc. Now when the average joe gets the same we think it's something else. Many times it is. But think about how many people have a glass or two a few times a week of a beverage that first of all is full of the cows natural growth hormones, one of which is ten times more potent than HGH, plus the steroids that are pumped into the cow to keep it healthy and strong while its being kept pregnant all the time in order to make milk, plus the pesticides and herbicides from the food intake, plus the antibiotics that are given the animal becuase its immune system is compromised due to all the impregnation and udder irritation from the constant milking. Combine that with a steak or hamburger plate. And we wonder why we get colon cancer and tumors??? I'm not a member of peta. And like I said, Every blue moon I'll have dairy or beef, but you WILL be ingesting these by products. End of discussion.

Hey, drink/eat up all you want. All I do is supply info. Most people dont warm up, work out, and warm down either. So it wouldnt be the first time something I wrote didnt get heeded. Thats not why I'm here. But if you want to argue about nutrition I guarantee you It wont work in here.

[nickname009]

Merkaba,
I've been doing falsetto screams for the past couple of weeks and they're no problem but now I'm having trouble with full-voiced mid/low screams. There are two types that I'm looking to emulate/learn the technique:

the first is brian fair from shadows fall, he uses his chest voice (i believe) and basically just yells out his notes and pushes, adding the rasp and whatnot. But for some reason, whenever he does it, it's SO THICK and LOW sounding compared to mine. sample:

http://www.myspace.com/shadowsfall


The second is matt heafy from trivium, at first I thought his screams were like burps cause they honestly sound like that at times. I've seen them live and his voice is exactly like the recordings, his screaming is actually quieter than his singing (live).

http://www.myspace.com/trivium

I can attempt the shadows fall type but I don't get it as low or thick or raspy as brian's and also at the end my throat feels slight pain and my normal talking voice changes (usually doesn't when i do falsetto). I attempted matt's screams but was nowhere close. Could you tell me what I should be doing/feeling or anything else to help get these types of screams more comfortable and accurate? Is it just that my cords are weak and I need to make'em stronger to get past the slight pain/voice change? Or am I doing it wrong and 'scraping' my throat too much?
Thanks in advance!

[zoom11219]

Hello,
I am really new to this..
I have a question..i really want to learn how to scream... They searching for screamers in my school band.. can some1 help..
i tried to read those other topics..but i dont understand them...im really a beginner and dont really know a lot about singing...
Can some1 help me?
thank you..

[DougJI]

4 essential food groups? right, from the FDA, with their RDA's of things like sugar and SatFat? As if its recommended? The four essential food groups, in the same proportions that are used to fatten up pigs before they are slaughtered. Its not like the government is going to say dont eat dairy or beef. It would be "un American". But we all know that governments institutions have ulterior motives, just like with the whole tobacco industry.

Osteoporosis? :lol: Ever hear of green leafy vegetables? Or fortifiied juices, grains, soy products? Where do you think the cow's get calcium from? The bottom line is that cows make cow milk for THEIR young, with THEIR specific needs of growth hormones and steroids, and ONLY when they're pregnant, unless induced further afterwards by drugs. If milk is so great then why dont you drink horse milk or dog milk or human milk since we're humans? Its an industry, with catchy commercials and marketing and you can fall in line if you want. Its like saying Pizza is good for you because you can get lots of calcium. Eat up.

What happens to bodybuilders that take steroids for a while? They get tumors, heart problems, digestive problems, etc. Now when the average joe gets the same we think it's something else. Many times it is. But think about how many people have a glass or two a few times a week of a beverage that first of all is full of the cows natural growth hormones, one of which is ten times more potent than HGH, plus the steroids that are pumped into the cow to keep it healthy and strong while its being kept pregnant all the time in order to make milk, plus the pesticides and herbicides from the food intake, plus the antibiotics that are given the animal becuase its immune system is compromised due to all the impregnation and udder irritation from the constant milking. Combine that with a steak or hamburger plate. And we wonder why we get colon cancer and tumors??? I'm not a member of peta. And like I said, Every blue moon I'll have dairy or beef, but you WILL be ingesting these by products. End of discussion.

Hey, drink/eat up all you want. All I do is supply info. Most people dont warm up, work out, and warm down either. So it wouldnt be the first time something I wrote didnt get heeded. Thats not why I'm here. But if you want to argue about nutrition I guarantee you It wont work in here.

I'm fat, so my opinion about nutrition shouldn't matter anyways.

[Merkaba]

Hello,
I am really new to this..
I have a question..i really want to learn how to scream... They searching for screamers in my school band.. can some1 help..
i tried to read those other topics..but i dont understand them...im really a beginner and dont really know a lot about singing...
Can some1 help me?
thank you..

No need in rushing. If youre a totally newbie, learn to sing or take lessons. If you cant do it "naturally" then be careful. It will take some time to learn and get a good feel of technique and how much you can push yourself. You may not be the guy for the job. But if you really want to be a singer/screamer then consider if you start now, later you will be prime. I dont know what your scope of time is, but if you just want a few paragraphs that will magically have you wailing at the top of your lungs, its not gonna happen. But hey, give it a go, you'll never know if you dont.

[UsefulIdi0t]

So my dad told me that he was listening to NPR a few weeks ago and there was this opera singer who could scream( im assuming a falsetto type scream) very well. She was being interviewed and the guy who interviewed her was able to scream like her by the time it was over. I guess she teaches people how to do it properly, but she taught him on air and I really wanted to hear this but I cant find it anywhere. Did anyone hear this or know about her? Sorry that I dont have anymore info on her.

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

Im not sure who it is, but my guess would be melissa cross.

www.melissacross.com

[zoom11219]

well...
I do sing tho...idk if that helps...
i just need to know how do i scream like underoathish/senses fail..
like i heard that u have to damage ur vocal cords or something...can u give me some tips..thx

[panthersfan16]

Hey Merk, I've noticed after about 2 hours or so at the gym, my voice is not only clearer, but stronger and richer in tone. I was just wondering why this happens, because if I could sing like that all the time, I'd get a lot more respect from my bandmates. It's also a lot easier to scream, they sound more dry and angry, and I can do it like that for a few hours without straining or hurting my voice. In case it helps, I warmup for about ten minutes, lift for an hour or so, and cardio for 20-30 minutes. I don't always do cardio but it doesn't seem to matter. Thanks


and to Zoom: Damaging your vocal cords isn't worth it...you wont be able to talk correctly and it will not improve the sound. These guys didn't make it big trying to replicate another singer to a tee. You are better off developing your own voice and learning how to achieve the sound you want through practice and technique

[eski]

"well...
I do sing tho...idk if that helps...
i just need to know how do i scream like underoathish/senses fail..
like i heard that u have to damage ur vocal cords or something...can u give me some tips..thx"

You certainly do not have to damage your vocal cords!!!! Read the hundreds of posts about screaming on this board, there lies basically everything you need to know

[Merkaba]

Hey Merk, I've noticed after about 2 hours or so at the gym, my voice is not only clearer, but stronger and richer in tone. I was just wondering why this happens, because if I could sing like that all the time, I'd get a lot more respect from my bandmates. It's also a lot easier to scream, they sound more dry and angry, and I can do it like that for a few hours without straining or hurting my voice. In case it helps, I warmup for about ten minutes, lift for an hour or so, and cardio for 20-30 minutes. I don't always do cardio but it doesn't seem to matter. Thanks


and to Zoom: Damaging your vocal cords isn't worth it...you wont be able to talk correctly and it will not improve the sound. These guys didn't make it big trying to replicate another singer to a tee. You are better off developing your own voice and learning how to achieve the sound you want through practice and technique
I spoke about this in my warm up thread or somewhere before a few times. Its simple. Your whole body is more limber and more circulated, this will include your cords. More blood circulated through them and thus more hydration and energy, making them and the false cords way more flexible and "alive". This is also why I recommend a vocal warmup of at least thirty minutes if its possible. And why I say nutrition and fitness will make a big difference. Its pretty simple. After a while your cords stay closer to this feel, just like the rest of your body gets in better shape and stays closer to a point of readiness.

[Nergal666]

Has anyone got a recording of themselves doing the throaty type scream/growl that Zao, Black Dahlia Murder, or Haste The Day, etc do?
**** sounds weird but I like it...I heard they use alot of their throat for it, not really sure what they're doing..they all sound exactly the same though..

ZAO: www.purevolume.com/zao
Haste The Day: www.myspace.com/hastetheday
or Black Dahlia Murder: www.myspace.com/blackdahliamurder

[tatsu]

Has anyone got a recording of themselves doing the throaty type scream/growl that Zao, Black Dahlia Murder, or Haste The Day, etc do?
**** sounds weird but I like it...I heard they use alot of their throat for it, not really sure what they're doing..they all sound exactly the same though..

ZAO: www.purevolume.com/zao
Haste The Day: www.myspace.com/hastetheday
or Black Dahlia Murder: www.myspace.com/blackdahliamurder
Well, I don't have a recording of it, but I'm pretty sure it's just a lot of air rushing through your throat, with next to no scratch. I'm sorry, I'm no good at explaining. I love Zao. Umm... when you were young, did you ever try honking like a goose? Where all you did was push tons of air through your throat? That's kind of the idea, though it may be a little different is some respects. I can somewhat do this, but it sounds awful from me, and I can't get enough air to go verse after verse like Zao, but I can do it... I don't know, experiment, try all you can, it just takes practice, and you can do almost anything!

[Merkaba]

Its all the same. Have you read much of the links at the begining of this thread?

[Peg Dizzler]

Hey Merk, whatsup? I got "The Rock N Roll Singer's Survival Guide" recently. Great book! I'll discuss some of that later though, since I know you have the book. I'll probably be back on like monday or something.

Anyway, I just wanted to say I got that "how to scream" thread closed! :D

[Merkaba]

Hehe...I'm forever at your mercy now, Thanks!

[brainproof]

just a tip to any aspiring singers who cant sing for crap:

your probally still in school, and you dont want to take vocal lessons because they are costly and your very shy about your voice, you dont want to try and sing in front of someone who sings for their life. i know i didn't. My friends got me to join choir because they needed more people. At the beginning of the school year, i could not sing at ALL. i was far below average. I could not match a note, not that i was tone def, i could tune a guitar, but i couldn;t find the note in my throat. If you take choir, you will be in a beginning choir around a lot of people who are just as bad as you, so you can sing so quietly no one will here you. You will be forced to practice at least every week day for almost an hour.

now, just into second quarter, i can sing along with songs, staying fairly on key. by no means am a good singer... yet. but ive only been singing for a couple months. matching notes is no longer a problem. if you can sing a choir style, then you can just manipulate the way you hit the notes into a rock or whatever style.

the best part about it is its free, and you have to practice atleast 5/7 days a week.

i stringly suggest taking a choir class if you want to sing, or become a better singer and dont have money for one on one vocal lessons.

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

http://www.melissacross.com/news_detail.php?articleID=12

That may be what your dad was talking about UsefulIdi0t

[Peg Dizzler]

Hehe...I'm forever at your mercy now, Thanks!

Now that I think of it, I think I got it deleted. So we sacrificed a few posts to get rid of that horrible excuse for a vocal thread. :D
P.S. what kind of scream would [insert stupid MTV band here] fall into?? :p

Anyway, I've been readin that rock n' roll survival guide book a bit, and I read the part about different exercises, and how pushups and things of the sort tighten your vocal cords. I remember you mentioning that as well awhile ago. So are pushups good to do, or not? Also, what is the proper way to lift heavy things? Besides keeping my back straight and using my knees, of course. I life a bit of heavy stuff at work, so should I purposely try holding my breath as I life something? The book wasn't exactly clear on that subject, I think.

[Merkaba]

hehe...yea...thanks again then!

I dont really worry much about working out and stuff. I mean its important to keep it in mind. I mean you've got to breath. The basics like inhale on the negatives and exhale during the exertions are key to getting a good air supply for your workout. I would just try to avoid a lot of audible grunting. Your cords are always gonna tighten a bit and close up when you strain, its part of their purpose. I think if you take care of your voice it wont make enough of a difference. Plus I sing on the way to and from the gym...so it just doesn't concern me at all. But you dont want to bust a vein or pass out in the gym worrying about your cords. So dont hold your breath or alter it.

[Peg Dizzler]

Yeah I get what mean. I mean I don't really grunt or make noises alot when lifting or working out, haha. I was just wondering if there was any right or wrong way to doing it at all, besides simply not trying to tighten the cords and not make noise.

Another question though:
I've finally become un-lazy and I've started working on vocals again, ever since I got this book. For a few months there I was hardly working on anything vocally each day, because I wanted to wait until I got a book or a teacher or something so I could work on proper technique, incase I might have been doing something wrong.

Anyway; I've still been working my upper register alot, and my chest voice too. I have not, however, done much stuff with rasp or any screaming lately. When I do though, it feels scratchy. I remember it feeling like that before, but after awhile I think it went away the more I did it. Now I know scratchiness is a bad sign though. I guess that's why some vocalists think that "rock vocals" and rasp is bad for your voice, haha (I encountered some teachers like that, in my search for a vocal teacher). Anyway, I'm just wondering if there's any warmups I should be doing before using rasp, or if I should just slowly use more and more as I warm up, or any other remedy. Or is it feeling scratchy because my throat isn't "used to it" as much, like it's weaker now that I haven't been using rasp? Any help on this would be great.

[Merkaba]

Well is it your throat or you cords? I would say your throat probably. If its your throat you know its probably coming from the sudden extra air blasting it now. That you'll probably get used to, tissue wise and it should be ok after a while. If its your cords you will feel it when you do medium pushed buzzes, like a good slow E. As far as warming up to rasp....i just usually just try to ease into it a little at a time over the course of about ten minutes. But depends on how raspy a song is youre gonna jump into. Just take it easy and pay attention and you should be alright.

[Peg Dizzler]

Definitely my throat.

And yeah that does make sense. I suppose I should try easing into it more, and doing it everyday too. Then I probably won't notice it. Thanks! :)

[Merkaba]

I'd s