Merkabas Voice-Help Hotline

[Safety Chaser]

try staying as relaxed as possible with like 50% push than what you're doing now and gradually work you way back up.

I do that, well, but I turn my mic up and my band is all like "Dude, tune your mic down...." I argue and they say, "just do it louder..."... so they don't really understand, but I tell them. Maybe at some point they're right.

But, yeah, the lower screams really do the worst. Higher one are easier because I feel I don't have to apply too much pressure and it suddenly squeezes out and I could hold it for about 7-8 seconds.

I'll post audio clips if that'll help.

Yeah, I could imagine it will.

[Merkaba]

Hey Safety Chaser, your screams don't sound too bad. I can kinda hear you tensing up for the low screams, maybe closing your throat off? Maybe at band practices, try staying as relaxed as possible with like 50% push than what you're doing now and gradually work you way back up.

To be honest, I can't scream very well myself, I have trouble with the basic rasp, and getting my head around the "buzzer" or "dog growl" sound. I'm not sure exactly what I'm supposed to do. I can do the sounds but I'm not sure if I'm doing them right. Someone also said to me screaming is like sighing, can anyone please clear this up? I'll post audio clips if that'll help.

Sighing doesnt pressurize the diaphragm it relaxes it, so forget that, But yes, the position in the larynx would be as relaxes as it is during a sigh. I think whoever said this was thinking about that aspect. Its kinda like melissa says, pressurize like youre taking a dump, pushing one out, hold that a split second and you get a feel for what you kinda force you have at your disposal. Then try to get a normal note, non rasped, from this type of pressure, and work on releasing very little. YOu should almost be able to need another breath from lack of oxygen before your note runs out. And remember to imagine NOT blowing out a small candle in front of your mouth. It doesnt take much air release with a normal note, which should be your foundation for all of your other stuff.

another question is how to improve on the 'ee' and 'oo' vowels, i find them the hardest, since i can't open up as much as lets say 'ah'.


Practice. plus you've got to make sure youre amplified properly if in a studio or rehearsal setup, or just not singing too hard if in the car or somewhere else. E is the hardest, as its the only vowel that requires your vocal cords to come completely closed during its wave cycles. So it will create a tad more resitance and you'll need everything to be working together to get a good balance. Again, just practicing singing a song with only vowels is a great way to get a hold on trouble vowels at certain pitches. If anything, i would say to try to back off a little when going for e. O is kinda the opposite and is a great way to practice low notes because the mouth itself helps shape the vowel. It can be tough to get an O up high, but you can trick it sometimes if youre holding a note, then start it off by using Ahhh, then switching and rolling it into an OH for the last bit of the note. Kinda disguise it. Ah can be used manytimes as an easier begining for other vowels. Of course this is better suited for aggressive or rock type of approaches.

Practice the notes at minimal push and volume and slowly start rolling on more. Robot face aka expressionless, as I go over in the isolation threads, can help you in practice. If you havent been there, go to the first page of this thread.

[Merkaba]

I see. Ill try reading some of the thread, but the 50 pages was off putting. Later.

Go to page one it helps "guide" you with a "fable" of contents.

[Merkaba]

another question is how to improve on the 'ee' and 'oo' vowels, i find them the hardest, since i can't open up as much as lets say 'ah'.


Practice. plus you've got to make sure youre amplified properly if in a studio or rehearsal setup, or just not singing too hard if in the car or somewhere else. E is the hardest, as its the only vowel that requires your vocal cords to come completely closed during its wave cycles. So it will create a tad more resitance and you'll need everything to be working together to get a good balance. Again, just practicing singing a song with only vowels is a great way to get a hold on trouble vowels at certain pitches. If anything, i would say to try to back off a little when going for e. O is kinda the opposite and is a great way to practice low notes because the mouth itself helps shape the vowel. It can be tough to get an O up high, but you can trick it sometimes if youre holding a note, then start it off by using Ahhh, then switching and rolling it into an OH for the last bit of the note. Kinda disguise it. Ah can be used manytimes as an easier begining for other vowels. Of course this is better suited for aggressive or rock type of approaches.

Practe the notes at minimal push and volume and slowly start rolling on more. Robot face aka expressionless, as I go over in the isolation threads, can help you in practice. If you havent been there, go to the first page of this thread.

[Merkaba]

Merk, so I'm screaming for like a comple of songs during my band practice or whatever, and after that my vocals start feeling like crap. Not hurting, but just that feeling that I got to stop. I was sitting there think and wondering what the hell I'm going to do but I didn't know Melissa Cross's DVD seems a little unfocused on the actual teaching.

So, how do you think I could help my voice feel less restrained from my rasping... I've uploaded a file to stream to show you what I'm currently doing.

http://media.putfile.com/My-RaspScream

Doesnt sound that bad, but when youre in a stage or practice setting you might tense up the throat. Again, the best way to make sure you dont do this is to practice normal singing, so you can get in touch with good diaphragm support behind a well placed note. That way you have a good foundation to build on. So many want to scream because its popular. Some can just do it naturally without killing themselves. Others are trying to build a house from the roof down. Get a good foundation. It will lead you to better tone, and more range access.

The next step would be holding that relaxed type of setup and increasing diaphragm pressure, NOT throat squeeze or tension which is what many people do. You really dont need to think much about your throat. When I have trouble it is always from me using my throat to manipulate something that shouldve been done by my diaphragm. And your sample notes sounding like you were in falsetto and I dont think you need to be for those notes. So make sure you can get into and out of HEAD Voice. Many people can access head voice well and skip over into falsetto when they dont need to. This can lead to improper tension and fatigue before your due time. I have a head voice thread on page one. Cant remember how in depth it is but head, from my schooling, is the area of true voice bellow falsetto but higher than chest. Your upper true voice range. If youre a standard baritone you should be able to ring the E, F and G above middle C without going into falsetto. Start on maybe the A below middle C and do vowels up to the next E and F or so to see if youre still keeping the cords closed and in "normal" voice.

[kdash]

Practice. plus you've got to make sure youre amplified properly if in a studio or rehearsal setup, or just not singing too hard if in the car or somewhere else. E is the hardest, as its the only vowel that requires your vocal cords to come completely closed during its wave cycles. So it will create a tad more resitance and you'll need everything to be working together to get a good balance. Again, just practicing singing a song with only vowels is a great way to get a hold on trouble vowels at certain pitches. If anything, i would say to try to back off a little when going for e. O is kinda the opposite and is a great way to practice low notes because the mouth itself helps shape the vowel. It can be tough to get an O up high, but you can trick it sometimes if youre holding a note, then start it off by using Ahhh, then switching and rolling it into an OH for the last bit of the note. Kinda disguise it. Ah can be used manytimes as an easier begining for other vowels. Of course this is better suited for aggressive or rock type of approaches.

Practe the notes at minimal push and volume and slowly start rolling on more. Robot face aka expressionless, as I go over in the isolation threads, can help you in practice. If you havent been there, go to the first page of this thread.

My problem then becomes being able to the vowel on key but sounding like an opera singer.........

[kdash]

Maybe a bad mix? but i also find it easier with a lower larynx.

[Anubis]

Go to page one it helps "guide" you with a "fable" of contents.

oh yeah my bad.

[CKYhellview]

Merkabas, I'm a begginer singer and I'm starting a little more on the smooth side because I've been a guitar player of 5 years now, so I'm not too bad at hitting the notes I want, but my problem is that I can't hit them LOUD enough! I guess I'm talking about higher notes specifically. Well.. not HIGH notes.. like say, these:

e|--------|
b|-3-2-0-|
g|--------|
d|--------|
a|--------|
e|--------|

So, not really HIGH notes, but for a begginer.. I guess I think of them as high notes lol. So, any exercises, tips, or anything to help me strenghten my singing so I can sing them louder instead of just humming to myself?

[WantVox]

First time posting, I have read some really helpful things here though. I'm trying to get feedback for some vocal demos I made over backing tracks, on a home digital recorder, they are in .mp3 format. I have an FTP site link where they can be downloaded from. If anyone can give me some constructive feedback please email tom.sterle@earthlink.net, or reply to this post with your email and I will send the link. THANKS

[Merkaba]

Merkabas, I'm a begginer singer and I'm starting a little more on the smooth side because I've been a guitar player of 5 years now, so I'm not too bad at hitting the notes I want, but my problem is that I can't hit them LOUD enough! I guess I'm talking about higher notes specifically. Well.. not HIGH notes.. like say, these:

e|--------|
b|-3-2-0-|
g|--------|
d|--------|
a|--------|
e|--------|

So, not really HIGH notes, but for a begginer.. I guess I think of them as high notes lol. So, any exercises, tips, or anything to help me strenghten my singing so I can sing them louder instead of just humming to myself?
Just practice making the notes you want and add a little more over time WITH THE DIAPHRAGM and not by constricting the throat.Go to page one I have a thread there for strength and flexibility.

First time posting, I have read some really helpful things here though. I'm trying to get feedback for some vocal demos I made over backing tracks, on a home digital recorder, they are in .mp3 format. I have an FTP site link where they can be downloaded from. If anyone can give me some constructive feedback please email tom.sterle@earthlink.net, or reply to this post with your email and I will send the link. THANKS

go to yousendit or something.

[WantVox]

Sorry, maybe I was misunderstood. I already have a way to send the mp3 files, it's just a matter of me getting the link (an FTP site with a password embedded in it) to anyone who is interested in downloading, listening and providing constructive comments. I didn't want to just post the link here because I did that once before on a message board and got a lot of unhelpful comments from casual listeners. So I just need a "secure" way to get this link to anyone who can listen and evaluate, who is qualified to provide helpful feedback. Email is the only way I could think of, which is why I included my email address. Thanks again, I really appreciate anyone taking the time to help.

[meteor_47]

Okay i have a question. I'm the singer and guitarist in a band. I can do both pretty well. The thing is, i am considering of buying a mic. To practice at home. So my questions are:

1. Is practicing with a mic at home really that useful? Will there be a big progress in my voice? Note that i only practice with my band for about 1 hour per week. The other time i'm singing without a mic.

2. I will be connecting the mic to my laptop. Will i be needing an amp or something?? I will be going for cheaper models. Cheaper than SM58..

Any other suggestions welcomed. Thanks.

My vocal style is a bit like Randy Rampage on Alison Hell i.e dirty-clean most of the time with occasional screams.

I'm also getting into screaming a lot lately. Still learning it though.

[Merkaba]

Sorry, maybe I was misunderstood. I already have a way to send the mp3 files, it's just a matter of me getting the link (an FTP site with a password embedded in it) to anyone who is interested in downloading, listening and providing constructive comments. I didn't want to just post the link here because I did that once before on a message board and got a lot of unhelpful comments from casual listeners. So I just need a "secure" way to get this link to anyone who can listen and evaluate, who is qualified to provide helpful feedback. Email is the only way I could think of, which is why I included my email address. Thanks again, I really appreciate anyone taking the time to help.

oh man, its a chance youre gonna have to take. THis forum is pretty good about giving constructive advice. Youre always gonna have someone that doesnt dig your voice. Personally, I have a full time third shift job, starting real estate sales agency, personal training, and tax pro at H&R block during tax season, plus voice consultation. I do good just to come here, and all I'd be doing is repeating myself. Go to page one of this thread if you havent.

[Reckoning of Fire]

Well here is my sample, hopefully you guys can tell me what i'm doing wrong.

http://media.putfile.com/Rasp-help-please

thanks in advance for listening

[Alexcrex]

Hi there guys!

Recently i asked for your opinions on one my band's songs. We've just uploaded two more songs to our site, and there's one that i'd be glad you listened:

Band: samsara-maya
Song: Eclipse Lunar
Site: http://trig.com/samsara-maya

It's in a lower key than "paradoxos do jovem artista". I think that helped me get more rasp. It was a first take recording, in a cold environment, so i wasn't totally relaxed, i can hear some clenching here and there.

Merk and everyone, pleaz say what you think.

Thanx a lot. You all rule.

[punknmetal4lyf]

what about death growls? Anyone got a clue on how to do those?

[Anubis]

when i scream my adams apple moves higher in my throat. I have to lower my chin in order to scream otherwise my adams apple gets strained. Am I doing something wrong?

[i am the robots]

what about death growls? Anyone got a clue on how to do those?

Toungue to the roof of your mouth, push from the gut and kind of shape the words with your lips nearly closed, exxagerating the vowels. Focus mostly on the ahh and ohh vowels, and for an effect of versatality, throw in some ee sounds... try to keep gutteral, so all low end.

[Nick]

Okay so I've been trying to sing some leonard cohen properly today, and I'm having some difficulties.

I can hit the notes, but when I go that low, I run out of air really fast, and I don't like the way it sounds (I want to get it smoother, like cohen's voice).

Singing it up an octave is more like my normal singing range, but it's just not the same.


Any advice at all? specifically on the air thing; I can't seem to control my airflow that low.

[Xero09]

Hey, I was wondering. Do you guys know of any System of a down/Saosin songs that use head voice? Also, I'm sort-of curious but what vocal range would you qualify Tom DeLonge of Blink and Chris Conley of Saves The Day in? Thanks.

Oh, and what would would you say the lowest note a tenor can hit?

[Merkaba]

Hey, I was wondering. Do you guys know of any System of a down/Saosin songs that use head voice? Also, I'm sort-of curious but what vocal range would you qualify Tom DeLonge of Blink and Chris Conley of Saves The Day in? Thanks.

Oh, and what would would you say the lowest note a tenor can hit?

Um...just about every song? Saosin and system seem to ing in head voice all the time. Head voice, from my teaching, is true voice before you reach falsetto. some people would call this chest voice mechanism, in the upper range. Either way, these two bands and both cove and ant use it all the time. Any of the high runs that arent falsetto. I cant recall ever hearing ant use it, if he does he gets so much resonance on it that it doesnt matter. Maybe in some of his super high double/backing tracks. I dont listen to the other bands enough to know, let me do a little you tubing.....

Ok, the dude from blink is probably a low tenor or "bari tenor" if not a full I didnt listen enough to say for sure. He has a rather light voice I think.
The guy from saves the day is probably in the same boat....
Why does it matter? If you cant access head your singing will suffer greatly. If you can then its a matter of sounding good within your range and not like someone else. A more important questin is can you access head voice?

[Merkaba]

Okay so I've been trying to sing some leonard cohen properly today, and I'm having some difficulties.

I can hit the notes, but when I go that low, I run out of air really fast, and I don't like the way it sounds (I want to get it smoother, like cohen's voice).

Singing it up an octave is more like my normal singing range, but it's just not the same.


Any advice at all? specifically on the air thing; I can't seem to control my airflow that low.

Lip trills/motor boats....

[Merkaba]

Okay so I've been trying to sing some leonard cohen properly today, and I'm having some difficulties.

I can hit the notes, but when I go that low, I run out of air really fast, and I don't like the way it sounds (I want to get it smoother, like cohen's voice).

Singing it up an octave is more like my normal singing range, but it's just not the same.


Any advice at all? specifically on the air thing; I can't seem to control my airflow that low.

Go to page one of this thread....look at the "from the gut" section among others.

[Grumma]

Just a quick Q.

Is there any reason my falsetto will just cut out mid-note?
Tis rather annoying. That and I can't hit it consistently without horrifically slaughtering my tone.
Does that just mean I should give up on falsetto? Or just don't know how to use it?

[Merkaba]

Just a quick Q.

Is there any reason my falsetto will just cut out mid-note?
Tis rather annoying. That and I can't hit it consistently without horrifically slaughtering my tone.
Does that just mean I should give up on falsetto? Or just don't know how to use it?

post a sample. Be sure youre not over pushing. You dont alot of air for a decent falsetto. Just keep practicing. Make sure youre not tensing the back of the tongue and try to keep the tip slightly on your bottom front teeth.

[thursdaythrice]

hey merkaba im a 16 year old male , i have tthis little clip of me singing, it was made a while ago, it has some effects on it and its not super great, at one part i am using my head voice, is it done well or if right? and i know i go off key some parts but i did it in one take with a 10 dollar mic(excuses i know hah) This sounds bland and lack of emotion then what i want it tobe, but here it is

http://www.purevolume.com/martinez

[kdash]

I am wondering how to sing high notes more lightly. my high notes are powerful and have plenty of resonance, but sometimes when i want to go lightly i find it hard. I think this is one of the reason my high notes doesn't sound as emotional? I put too much effort into giving the note so much resonance that it sounds bland?

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

I am wondering how to sing high notes more lightly. my high notes are powerful and have plenty of resonance, but sometimes when i want to go lightly i find it hard. I think this is one of the reason my high notes doesn't sound as emotional? I put too much effort into giving the note so much resonance that it sounds bland?

You could be pushing too much to get the powerful highs, which would explain why you can't do the same notes softly. Split your time up so your working on singing the notes above your break (probably an F or F#) in a powerful head voice half the time, and a soft falsetto or mix other times. I would definitely check out Jaime Vendera's Raise Your Voice book if you don't have it already, because theres a series of exercises that will help you very much with this. Look up the classical exercise Messa Di Voce if you cant afford Jaimes book (which is only 20 in ebook form so get it). Its pretty much the same thing.

[i am the robots]

Merk, so I'm screaming for like a comple of songs during my band practice or whatever, and after that my vocals start feeling like crap. Not hurting, but just that feeling that I got to stop. I was sitting there think and wondering what the hell I'm going to do but I didn't know Melissa Cross's DVD seems a little unfocused on the actual teaching.

So, how do you think I could help my voice feel less restrained from my rasping... I've uploaded a file to stream to show you what I'm currently doing.

http://media.putfile.com/My-RaspScream

You're using your throat way too much dude. Just take that feeling and aim it from lower.

[Merkaba]

I am wondering how to sing high notes more lightly. my high notes are powerful and have plenty of resonance, but sometimes when i want to go lightly i find it hard. I think this is one of the reason my high notes doesn't sound as emotional? I put too much effort into giving the note so much resonance that it sounds bland?Post a sample, or what note are you talking about? Some people think a note is "high" when, given there range, its not high. If you can only hit it in falsetto then its probably high, if youre a tenor then your high is more than likey gonna have more resonance as you go higher, and some things, physiologically, are gonna be harder to do.

[Merkaba]

hey merkaba im a 16 year old male , i have tthis little clip of me singing, it was made a while ago, it has some effects on it and its not super great, at one part i am using my head voice, is it done well or if right? and i know i go off key some parts but i did it in one take with a 10 dollar mic(excuses i know hah) This sounds bland and lack of emotion then what i want it tobe, but here it is

http://www.purevolume.com/martinez

Not bad. But where's the singing? lol...I think you had a few notes in head and it sounds like youre able to at least flip up into it so youre familiar with the feel. But you have a whole other level of support you could be getting into that would liven that up if you so wished. If youre interested then go to page one and look into coming from the gut.

[kdash]

Post a sample, or what note are you talking about? Some people think a note is "high" when, given there range, its not high. If you can only hit it in falsetto then its probably high, if youre a tenor then your high is more than likey gonna have more resonance as you go higher, and some things, physiologically, are gonna be harder to do.

Notes around high C. When i try to use less air to do it more lightly it just cracks and doesn't stay on note too well.

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

You aren't supporting it correctly then if it doesn't stay on pitch and cracks. Cracking shows your out of balance with too much or too little air, so use it as your gauge to find the perfect amount of air to send up.

[kdash]

http://forum.completevocalinstitute.com/viewtopic.php?t=3281
In this link it says that the larynx needs to rise as the pitch increases. This confuses me. As a rising larynx is suppose to be what damages your voices due to closing off your throat. If a rising larynx isn't damaging, then what can be damaging in singing?

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

http://forum.completevocalinstitute.com/viewtopic.php?t=3281
In this link it says that the larynx needs to rise as the pitch increases. This confuses me. As a rising larynx is suppose to be what damages your voices due to closing off your throat. If a rising larynx isn't damaging, then what can be damaging in singing?

Not a fan of the Complete Vocal Technique method... avoid it. Your larynx can raise a tiny bit or lower a bit, but NEVER very much at all. If it goes too high, your going to pull a lifter muscle, which is one of the muscles that causes it to raise when you swallow;thats obviously pretty painful.

[kdash]

I downloaded voiceprint and tested my pitch. I reliable do C6's and manage a Db6/D6 sometimes. Is that high enough to be considered whistle? When I tried to tested using what I for sure know is falsetto I did a reliable G5 sometimes hitting Ab5.

[punknmetal4lyf]

Toungue to the roof of your mouth, push from the gut and kind of shape the words with your lips nearly closed, exxagerating the vowels. Focus mostly on the ahh and ohh vowels, and for an effect of versatality, throw in some ee sounds... try to keep gutteral, so all low end.

Dig it dude. I'm gonna start practicing as soon as I get alone in the car. Thx.

[i am the robots]

Glad I could be a help.

[hardspot]

Could you guys tell me if I'm singing wrong in any way?
I drink a lot of water while recording, warm up by singing along to "A Night At the Opera" (not perfectly, of course) andmy throat doesn't hurt as much as it... I can't really describe it, but I don't loose my voice afterwards anyway. here's a demo, I start singing about 1:40 into the song
http://www.myspace.com/danarbed

[Xero09]

Hey Merk, I've got a big favor to ask.

I need some comments on my voice, possible range?, and tips on what I should practice on to make my voice sound more professional. I was going to record the Saosin chorus for Mookies Last Christmas and the ending to Voices to see if they were falsetto or not, but I didn't warm up until half way through my practice. So I sang for some while until I got these next two covers down, even though I forgot some lyrics in them. However, I was kind-of tired in those. Hahah.

They can be found here: http://www.soundclick.com/thesellout Under "She" and "There Is".

There Is=Boxcar Racer, She= Saves The Day.

Thanks alot!

[punknmetal4lyf]

Ok, I basically got a **** range but it's improving slowly but surely as I improve my control over my voice and such. What would be some good songs to practice singing in order to improve my range and what would be some exercises to help develop my strength of voice/control/range ect?

[Merkaba]

Ok, I basically got a **** range but it's improving slowly but surely as I improve my control over my voice and such. What would be some good songs to practice singing in order to improve my range and what would be some exercises to help develop my strength of voice/control/range ect?

Man, we internet users are getting lazier by the day. Read around first. Go to page....1 !!!!

[Merkaba]

Hey Merk, I've got a big favor to ask.

I need some comments on my voice, possible range?, and tips on what I should practice on to make my voice sound more professional. I was going to record the Saosin chorus for Mookies Last Christmas and the ending to Voices to see if they were falsetto or not, but I didn't warm up until half way through my practice. So I sang for some while until I got these next two covers down, even though I forgot some lyrics in them. However, I was kind-of tired in those. Hahah.

They can be found here: http://www.soundclick.com/thesellout Under "She" and "There Is".

There Is=Boxcar Racer, She= Saves The Day.

Thanks alot!

You've got work to do. Practice singing "She" with just the vowel AH, so you can work on keeping the throat open. Plus youre not singing much in that sample. Gotta get some breath support. Everything you need to know is on page one of this thread.

[Dinosawesome]

You merkaba, my post in the other thread did crap all (I think it's cause I changed site urls =/) so I'd greatly appreciated some feedback on:

http://www.purevolume.com/erami

Especially on Dance With Me.

I know this isn't the audio arena, but I'll gladly rep you for it =)

p.s: i give lots of repz

[Merkaba]

You merkaba, my post in the other thread did crap all (I think it's cause I changed site urls =/) so I'd greatly appreciated some feedback on:

http://www.purevolume.com/erami

Especially on Dance With Me.

I know this isn't the audio arena, but I'll gladly rep you for it =)

p.s: i give lots of repz

You need breath support. Theres a section on page one of this thread. That and you need to work on resonance. Youre not singing as much as you are melodic speaking. Got to get the feel for keep the cords buzzing with proper support. Once you get this you can probably increase your vocal musicality 100% Realize you may have to do some dead boring stuff like what I talk about on page one. Look through there. Maybe it will click and you just "get i" soon, but you've got to get it. Relax and form your words by moving your bottom jaw. Do some single vowels. You should be able to hold a good note for at least ten seconds if you have proper support. Be sure to practice "motor boats" (lip trills, etc), which I explain in the aforementioned threads. Go to page one. Post again soon.

[Dinosawesome]

You need breath support. Theres a section on page one of this thread. That and you need to work on resonance. Youre not singing as much as you are melodic speaking. Got to get the feel for keep the cords buzzing with proper support. Once you get this you can probably increase your vocal musicality 100% Realize you may have to do some dead boring stuff like what I talk about on page one. Look through there. Maybe it will click and you just "get i" soon, but you've got to get it. Relax and form your words by moving your bottom jaw. Do some single vowels. You should be able to hold a good note for at least ten seconds if you have proper support. Be sure to practice "motor boats" (lip trills, etc), which I explain in the aforementioned threads. Go to page one. Post again soon.
Alrighty, thanks heaps bro- I'm gonna run through your strength/flexibility/something else which I cannot remember excersises and I'll get back to you in... I dunno, how long should it take me to hear some improvement?

However long that is, I'll get to you then, haha.

[adz_18]

Hey Merk,

I've got two separate questions here.

1. About vocal lessons. What would you suggest doing first? Going to an actual teacher, or spending money on one of the Jamie Vendera books (also, is there any online support here or do you just buy the book and learn it yourself with no visual or aural aids?). I'm going for a rock oriented voice btw.

2. Are you very familiar with DragonForce? I've been getting into them a fair bit and their vocalist seems awesome. I was wondering, in this clip, at the 6 mins 17 second mark (the high note he holds for a second or so), is that falsetto or head voice? I think it's falsetto, but it seems very full etc. I suppose he could be using lots of support etc if it is? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLf1E8IgkQQ&mode=related&search=

Thanks

[Merkaba]

Hey Merk,

I've got two separate questions here.

1. About vocal lessons. What would you suggest doing first? Going to an actual teacher, or spending money on one of the Jamie Vendera books (also, is there any online support here or do you just buy the book and learn it yourself with no visual or aural aids?). I'm going for a rock oriented voice btw.

2. Are you very familiar with DragonForce? I've been getting into them a fair bit and their vocalist seems awesome. I was wondering, in this clip, at the 6 mins 17 second mark (the high note he holds for a second or so), is that falsetto or head voice? I think it's falsetto, but it seems very full etc. I suppose he could be using lots of support etc if it is? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLf1E8IgkQQ&mode=related&search=

Thanks

1. The same as guitar or any other instrument. It will at least help you get some fundamentals down. Most teachers don't go into falsetto much and especially dont deal with rock styles. So be sure to ask ahead of time. If you can't find a rock friendly teacher then just go with the best general teacher.

2. Sounds like a supported falsetto. At that pitch its gonna be hard to tell if he doesnt hold it. But you do whatever you have to do to make the best note, falsetto or true voice. His voice is kinda light but still baritonish. He definitely doesnt sound like a typical tenor...more like a baritenor, if not just a baritone.

[Chrisman69]

heyy man

ive got a problem with my voice getting right hoarse after like 5 minutes of singing in my higher register, its pretty brutal

after a while it just sounds like a really bad scream, 100% rasp.

also, it only effects by higher register, the rest of my voice is, more or less, the same. and what might be the weirdest thing of all... is its a very short term "hoarseness" if i stop singing for 10-15 mintues, i can go back and hit those high notes without any problems..... for another 5 minutes

its rediculously frusterating

how can i gain consitancy with hitting those high notes without sounding like a cow before long?

[Merkaba]

heyy man

ive got a problem with my voice getting right hoarse after like 5 minutes of singing in my higher register, its pretty brutal

after a while it just sounds like a really bad scream, 100% rasp.

also, it only effects by higher register, the rest of my voice is, more or less, the same. and what might be the weirdest thing of all... is its a very short term "hoarseness" if i stop singing for 10-15 mintues, i can go back and hit those high notes without any problems..... for another 5 minutes

its rediculously frusterating

how can i gain consitancy with hitting those high notes without sounding like a cow before long?

You could just be singing out of your range, combined with lifting your larynx. This is usually the case with this type of thing as you describe. It would be better if you posted a sample.

[punknmetal4lyf]

Hey merk, man I got an issue. I been trying to follow your instructions on how to develop a raspy sort of scream, but no matter how hard I try I can't seem to do it. My scream up to this point is that sort of icky gurgle type thing that death metal vocalists use, not at all the raspy sort of emo/metalcore/punk type thing I want to develop. I have a pretty nice death growl, but since I don't even really like death metal... Anyway, I simply cannot seem to develop a rasp/scream unless I push and force it in which case I cause pain which is bad right? Do you have any insights at all on a possible way to learn how to do this. Because I'm sure I could develop it better if I could just learn how to activate it, but I just can't even seem to learn how to activate it. Any advice is appreciated.

And don't call me lazy. This time I read all your previous instructions on how to develop it. Seriously, I can't seem to push the air out any faster than it naturally comes out. Any chance you could explain how the diaphragm/false vocal chords might figure in to this?

[i am the robots]

Well... those bands sort of don't have proper screaming... the reason you can't get that tone so well is because their singers are belting it from the throat and just squeezing it out... my advice, if you don't care about your voice other than screaming, just drink a lot of water before you scream, and just force things from your throat... or work on your current scream and work on something superior without ruining your voice.

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

Ok, I basically got a **** range but it's improving slowly but surely as I improve my control over my voice and such. What would be some good songs to practice singing in order to improve my range and what would be some exercises to help develop my strength of voice/control/range ect?

Any song at the top of your rage maybe even a note or two above would be good to improve your range if you worked to get the notes. Make sure you keep good tone at high range though. 5 note scales going up in half steps, do staccato ha's on this pattern of notes, C,E,D,F,E,G,F,D,C. Get that pattern and bring it up half steps. Try this, (Ha)C,(Heh)C,(Hee)C,(Ho)C,(Hoo)CDEDC. The Ha heh hee ho, are staccato's and the Hoo part with the cdedc is not staccato and is all in that vowel. Exercises are hard to show in words but basically scales, Scales in thirds, other intervals, doing them in staccato, not staccato, different volumes, all the vowels. Going up your range will help your voice.

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

heyy man

ive got a problem with my voice getting right hoarse after like 5 minutes of singing in my higher register, its pretty brutal

after a while it just sounds like a really bad scream, 100% rasp.

also, it only effects by higher register, the rest of my voice is, more or less, the same. and what might be the weirdest thing of all... is its a very short term "hoarseness" if i stop singing for 10-15 mintues, i can go back and hit those high notes without any problems..... for another 5 minutes

its rediculously frusterating

how can i gain consitancy with hitting those high notes without sounding like a cow before long?


Singing at the VERY top of your range and possibly even out of your range for 5 minutes can exhaust your voice pretty fast. If you increase your range so those notes that are now your highest will look like pansy ****, then they'll be much easier to hit and will tire your voice out less. Chances are your voice is getting tired and your straining so your voice is just cracking a ton and just sounds like ****. Make sure you warm up before going for your highest notes too. I cant even describe how much of a HUGE difference warming up does to my voice. It sounds better, feels better, and I have a bigger range.

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

Hey Merk,

I've got two separate questions here.

1. About vocal lessons. What would you suggest doing first? Going to an actual teacher, or spending money on one of the Jamie Vendera books (also, is there any online support here or do you just buy the book and learn it yourself with no visual or aural aids?). I'm going for a rock oriented voice btw.


Thanks

A teacher is better than a book no matter what, they will generally teach you the "correct" way to sing. Which is normally classical/jazz style of singing. But it will help your overall voice. And i'm sure if you tell your teacher what you do, he will help you work on it. I told my teacher i was gonna be playing free bird, he helped me nail it better. Same with plush.

[LordJasio]

Hey guys, just found this place, and have read over a few articles Merkaba has written. I have touched a lot of that stuff while teaching myself to sing, and am still trying to truck through it. Id get a teacher, but all the teachers in my city are brutal and dont teach you anything.

Anyways, i just wanted some input on some vocal stuff on a more personal level. I play guitar and sing in a power metal band, thus i need my voice to be constant within all its range.

So my main problem like most people is staying in head voice while singing, without flipping to falsetto. I can sometimes do it, and sometimes it fails. I just have a hard time singing in my head register casually and without strain, which i know is the way it's suppose to be. Using my head voice tenses my throat whether my larynx moves up or not... Perhaps I dont have proper Diaphragm control, or some other reason...

I'd like some input anyways on some things I could try if anyone has any suggestions. I have a couple clips of stuff i have done/can do.

Clip 1: Vocal Siren from low to high. (i was practicing layering vocals and stuff like that, hence the more than one voice in the clip)
http://www.myspace.com/kulakowskij

Clip 2: I recorded the vocals on this song for my friends English project on Macbeth. Listen to News from the King.
http://www.purevolume.com/powerofmacbeth

Clip 3: Some old demos of my band back from last october. Needless to say we have all improved on everything, and have since booted and gotten a new amazing drummer.
http://www.myspace.com/shadowblademusic

Any tips, comments, or advice welcome.

[Boida]

I've been learning some serious airflow control and diaphragm control and the difference made is absolutely ****ing incredible, I find now that screaming is much like singing, only I just add the vocal fry to it, and the scream is born. Before I was just forcing air out, but not exhaling, and it was causing me intense headaches, to the point where I felt I was gonna pass out. (felt a lot like headrush) and it also gave me a **** sound to my scream. Since learning breath support and diaphragm control I find that I can sing properly, and in ranges that I never thought possible. It really does make all the difference, and it makes it so much easier. So my advice to anyone is to do simple breath excersices, that teach you over time the proper control you need. Nothing else will improve your singing or screaming as much as this! Have a look at http://www.vocalist.org.uk/breathing101.html there is simple yet good stuff here. It doesn't take long for you to start noticing the effects, I myself am very impatient and know what it's like to want results right away, but stick it out!

[sweet_nothings]

Hey Markaba (though I'm leaning more towards calling you "well-of-singing-knowledge")

I've a couple questions if you don't mind answering. I've been singing for a while and previously took lessons with someone who did not teach me to isolate my vocal cords. I take quite a lot of care of my voice - drinking a lot of water, eating a lot of fruit and veg, no dairy, no smoking/drinking and not a lot of meats. Recently I've gotten a hold of Brett Manning's Singing Success audio lessons (they're so cheesy... haha) But I must be doing something wrong because the exercises that're supposed to be relaxing hurt - I can't quite tell what he's saying and he can't show me. He talks a lot about a mix voice, do you know anything about this?

I can do glisses from extremelly high (almost a whistle voice, or it is a whistle voice and I just can't tell) to quite low, but I can't sing as freely and easily as I can do the glisses. Help?

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna come up with some more questions right after I post this, but your help with those would be greatly appreciated.

[Mixtape14]

Hey, I was wondering about the condition of my voice and any possible solutions to it. I have a really breathy background to every note I sing. Too much air seems to escape when I sing causing this constant breathy effect. I've tried many breathing exercises over and over again and many different warm ups and such. But nothing seems to work any note I sing always seems to have a breathy "hhhh" in the background causing my voice never to be warm and full even if i just want to sing simple strait notes, its really discouraging. I'm starting to think that somewhere along the road I've permanently damaged my vocal chords to the point that there so weak they can't hold in air. Help?

[Xero09]

Hey guys, I have a problem.

Last sunday was the warped tour, so I was able to sing along with my favorite bands (Coheed and Circa Survive). However, when cheering them on, I'd do the high pitch scream "Hell Yeah!"

Now, I'm sure I learned my lesson but my voice can no longer sustain notes between my chest and head voice. Also, my vocal chords hurt for like 3 days after and now I'm noticing my voice is feeling a bit more strained. I can hit the higher notes but as I've mentioned, sustaining them is much harder now and my feels as if it got deeper but not much. It's just that the mixed register seems to be harder to access and my voice my squeek/crack in the first attempt. I'm 18 1/2 years old and my family's genes make sure we're done by the age of 17.

[KurtCobain2902]

Ive been reading this tread for the last 3 years, and I would just like to point out how much of a bad *** merkaba is. Out of all the people in this thread, I think AT LEAST one of them will be an accomplished singer. We owe some serious props to this guy. Ive been using his techniques to learn since 8th grade(my voice was TERRIBLE) and here I am, 3 years later, and I can ****ing belt it out now. Thanks alot man. You seriously helped me. I never had any training AT ALL from anyone besides Merkaba, and now Im getting compliments left and right from people saying "I didnt know YOU could sing!" Seriously, Merkaba, you will never know how much I appreciate this thread. I hope he still comes around here...

[csyn]

Hey merkaba I've been listening to you and trying to follow the guidlines, but it seems after three or so minutes my esophagus starts to hurt. Like I'm stressing it. I feel relaxed, shoulders back everything. Any help would be appreciated.

Also when I get that problem out of the way I have a question. I've seen your how to scream posts, but is yelling the same way. For example anti-flag.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZlrZjPOst4o

It's the first song they do after ****ing around with dust in the wind. The bassist is what I'm looking for.

[Merkaba]

Hey guys, I have a problem.

Last sunday was the warped tour, so I was able to sing along with my favorite bands (Coheed and Circa Survive). However, when cheering them on, I'd do the high pitch scream "Hell Yeah!"

Now, I'm sure I learned my lesson but my voice can no longer sustain notes between my chest and head voice. Also, my vocal chords hurt for like 3 days after and now I'm noticing my voice is feeling a bit more strained. I can hit the higher notes but as I've mentioned, sustaining them is much harder now and my feels as if it got deeper but not much. It's just that the mixed register seems to be harder to access and my voice my squeek/crack in the first attempt. I'm 18 1/2 years old and my family's genes make sure we're done by the age of 17.
Right on. What you did was the equivalent of bench pressing 320lbs with a spotter, 3 sets of ten, finishing up with three negative reps, after only having trained with 120 pounds. Its a no brainer.

Permanent damage is unlikely, but pain for three days is not a good thing. You need to do absolutely no singing for a few days, at least since you did this, which was a few days ago I guess. Now youre gonna have to start doing basic rudimentary skills to get your muscles back into better muscle memory. You were probably doing the typical high larynx, high pressured cut off that we do when we get excited or tense. A concert would be a perfect time to get excited, and plus Cc an CS are probably tenor and definitely high tenor with Ant. I love ant but i figured out that singing his stuff for a year teaches uncorrect larynx positioning(for a baritone) and I'm currently singing more normal stuff to keep me from habitually raising my larynx to get resonance and tone like I would have to do for Ant, but not for more baritonish stuff. You just cant sing out of your range without it taking some toll on your voice. Sing more normal low register clean voice non screaming stuff, and practice vowels in the same manner, in your problem area, with minimal push. You just dont have many options here. Gotta pay that excitement toll with boredom!

[Merkaba]

Hey merkaba I've been listening to you and trying to follow the guidlines, but it seems after three or so minutes my esophagus starts to hurt. Like I'm stressing it. I feel relaxed, shoulders back everything. Any help would be appreciated.

Also when I get that problem out of the way I have a question. I've seen your how to scream posts, but is yelling the same way. For example anti-flag.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZlrZjPOst4o

It's the first song they do after ****ing around with dust in the wind. The bassist is what I'm looking for.
Your esophagus shouldnt come into play. Maybe you just think its your esophagus...Nothing should hurt that quick though. You should sing vowels for five minutes and see if it happens then. Screaming, yelling, whatever, theres only so many ways to get a decetly save distorted sound. But you should start with being able to hold that note first. So you gotta get to where youc an sing normally for a while first.

[Merkaba]

Ive been reading this tread for the last 3 years, and I would just like to point out how much of a bad *** merkaba is. Out of all the people in this thread, I think AT LEAST one of them will be an accomplished singer. We owe some serious props to this guy. Ive been using his techniques to learn since 8th grade(my voice was TERRIBLE) and here I am, 3 years later, and I can ****ing belt it out now. Thanks alot man. You seriously helped me. I never had any training AT ALL from anyone besides Merkaba, and now Im getting compliments left and right from people saying "I didnt know YOU could sing!" Seriously, Merkaba, you will never know how much I appreciate this thread. I hope he still comes around here...

Thanks alot man!
Been really busy lately. Starting in the Real Estate biz. I just dont know if I want to live my life on the road. Thinking of starting a family in the near future and I just dont know about the struggling band idea. But I do think I am going myspace trolling locally to see if anyone is interested in doing some stuff. It will be, probably, my last major attempt to try any serious music endeavors. Right now I'm just looking for "projects". Just to write and get back into performing.

[adz_18]

I too would like to second what KurtCobain2902 has said. Merkaba you put in a lot of effort for people, expecting nothing in return. We appreciate it!

I was wondering, from your expert point of view, what you think of James LaBries (vocalist of Dream Theater) voice? I personally think he has one of the most unbelievable voices in rock, but many people can't stand it. For almost 10 years his voice wasn't right due to rupturing vocal chords due to vommiting in 1994, and for many years his live performances suffered. Here's a clip from before this all happened, I'd love to know Merkaba what you think of his voice (pros and cons) from an analytical point of view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwyuAljLGAQ

Also, if you've got time (it's a 10 minutes track) here's another one some 15 years later, once he'd recovered from the vocal chord injuries. Also shows his softer vocal side, but gets heavier at the end:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXWHOSo0zR0

Thanks!

[Knifeboy]

Hey Merkaba, have you ever heard the singer from Opus Dai? Not only is he an amazing singer, but his growling/screaming is very unique, unlike anything I've heard before.. It's basicly this really powerfull yell/growl, and he manages to hit notes doing it, basicly sounding like a very angry opera singer

I can upload some tracks if you'd like to check it out

[Merkaba]

I'll be in touch soon...

[punknmetal4lyf]

Merkaba man. After about 6 months or so of harsh vocals with no pain, I stopped practicing for about a month. Now whenever I go to scream or growl my throat wants to tighten up in order to produce the sounds, instead of coming from my diaphragm like it was doing earlier. No I can't for the life of me get it to stop and I can't seem to remember how to activate my diaphragm anymore.

[adz_18]

Hey again. Merc, in addition to my posts just above was wondering if you could please check out the singer from the band Azumuth. www.mypsace.com/azumuthmusic

I just joined the band as the keyboardist, and I dig the vocals but was interested to hear your thoughts on his voice. Thanks!

[adz_18]

*Merk... haha

[Ceresz]

I'm not sure if this is the place to ask but I'm having trouble with my higher notes. They are just so much weaker compared to my chest notes, or lower head notes. Around C5 and higher they get really weak.

So Merkeba, if you have any excersises for strengthen the high notes, please tell me. Or maybe I should just keep going at it?

Also, are there any good excersises for erasing the break between head voice and chest voice?

If these things have been covered in previous posts posted on the first page then I appoligize. Anyways, thanks in advance.

[Akira]

Does anyone know of any good resources for learning to sing? And I don't mean getting better at singing, I mean square one.
I want to sing, but I just don't know how. A lot of the time when I am just listening to music and singing I sing in a pretty quiet voice that doesn't really translate to real singing. A couple times now I have tried to really sing at a decent volume, and I get a lump in the bottom of my throat. I'm obviously doing something wrong, but I have no idea what. I am completely inexperienced when it comes to actually working with my voice.

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

Does anyone know of any good resources for learning to sing? And I don't mean getting better at singing, I mean square one.
I want to sing, but I just don't know how. A lot of the time when I am just listening to music and singing I sing in a pretty quiet voice that doesn't really translate to real singing. A couple times now I have tried to really sing at a decent volume, and I get a lump in the bottom of my throat. I'm obviously doing something wrong, but I have no idea what. I am completely inexperienced when it comes to actually working with my voice.


Singing Success by Brett Manning is the most comprehensive system you'll find for sale, but its almost $200 bucks. Roger Kain's A Guide To Tough Vocals is pretty good. I would get Singing Success if I had enough money, or wait a while and check Jaime Vendera's site (www.thevoiceconnection.com). Hes about to release the 2nd edition of Raise Your Voice...its over 400 pages long and is endorsed by the singers of Symphony X, Dream Theater, Alter Bridge, TNT, Shinedown, and tons of other bands. You'll learn a lot from it and I think its going to be $35 bucks.

[Merkaba]

*Merk... haha

um, yea...:thumb:


I'm not sure if this is the place to ask but I'm having trouble with my higher notes. They are just so much weaker compared to my chest notes, or lower head notes. Around C5 and higher they get really weak.

So Merkeba, if you have any excersises for strengthen the high notes, please tell me. Or maybe I should just keep going at it?

Also, are there any good excersises for erasing the break between head voice and chest voice?

If these things have been covered in previous posts posted on the first page then I appoligize. Anyways, thanks in advance.
c5, the c above middle C, is tenor C. If youre not a tenor then youre probably hitting this in falsetto which would explain it. First figure out which one you are.

If you havent been to page one of this thread go there and read up on head voice and flexibility

[adz_18]

Hey Merk I know you haven't been around for a while so you may have missed them, but i'd really appreciate if you had a look at my posts (#1068, #1072) and gave me your thoughts. Thanks heaps.

Also, if you get a chance, check out this singer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYeK5lZo7Og
If you can be bothered waiting for the 7:30-7:40 mark, he sings incredibly there. He holds an E5 for a while, and for a little bit hits G5, all in a clean, resonant, in what I believe to be head voice. Is it infact head voice? I think so but maybe he slips into some sort of supported falsetto?

How's your band hunting going?

[clyro]

hellooooooo

ill start to say that i am a very complicated person, and i think to much :P
and i have read a lot of posts, and threads here,and it has opened up some new doors...

but,when i start to learn, i make everything so complicated, the problem is i don't know whats right or wrong in singing.
its gets very confusing for me.
i have a few questions,

like, i understand the theory of singing from the gut or even the throat.
and i know gut's the right way to go, but i don't feel,or understand whats the feeling singing from the gut,or even the throat(which i know is WRONG)
what do i feel when i sing from the throat?

so because i never know whats the right thing to do or feel,
i sing, and evaluate myself like "okay, today i hit C5 with ease and open throat,so what I'm doing must be right"(which i don't even know what I'm doing different actually,it just happens)

well then,the next day, i do the same,or try simulate the same feeling at least,and it doesn't work.
something cuts down,then a new feeling comes in(in the throat,mouth,etc..)
and i cant hit what i could yesterday
its like a type of memory loss :mad:

so i get really confused, why do i lose it? some days i can do it,some days i cant... i don't have much of a problem with my chest or low notes,those i can always hit,
the problems all in the head voice.

even when I'm warming up,or vocalizing, some days i can hit the very high notes with ease,and others i cant.
another thing I've noticed, when i cant hit the highs,
i feel at the back of my mouth like the airs not passing through that its cutting/blocking the airflow i need to hit the beautiful highs.(i especially feel this in falsetto,is it supposed to feel like that?)
and then again,some days i feel this,some days i don't.

i checked today that i can go from C2 to C4(i think!), but like i said I've reached C5 and today,not even in a decent falsetto.
but even though,my voice lately has been very weak from what it normally is
but i think thats from no motivation, and mentally tired.

i just need help,to know whats right,i don't care if it will take years,as long as i know whats right,ill go at it till the end!!!
this is something i need to accomplish.

....i do think to much...don't i? hahaha

thanks in advance

[fr1k0]

Hey Merkba!

Bullet for my valentine is some awsome screamers!!

How do they scream like this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3hYJaqL1JUs

The bassist; What kind of screams is that, and how do I learn how to scream like that?

The lead singer; Same things here.


Thanks in advance :)

fr1k0

[KurtCobain2902]

Hey Merkaba, can you link me to your myspace, bro?

www.myspace.com/gangsteroflove1111


Add me

[KurtCobain2902]

Oh yeah dont use that link it doesnt work. Copy and paste that into the address bar.

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

Hey Merkba!

Bullet for my valentine is some awsome screamers!!

How do they scream like this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3hYJaqL1JUs

The bassist; What kind of screams is that, and how do I learn how to scream like that?

The lead singer; Same things here.


Thanks in advance :)

fr1k0

Screams like that are in the Zen of Screaming 2
The way Its described to do, is basically mimick like a teradactile or a creeking door. Or Marge Simpson. I started doing that, then just fooled around till I got what I liked. Another way is go into vocal fry, and to me it feels like I raise the note up while keeping the sound.

Its really hard to describe, hearing/seeing Melissa Cross do it along with other singers helped ALOT.

[TheSceneNinja]

how do i sing like this guy? I quite like him

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rk7XF1b4rXk&feature=related
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IChe7vLoU5M


I mean
I can do all the screaming and growls (i dont think theirs any growls in this song tho) that they do

but i'd like to be able to sing the way he does

[Bumbalo]

I would love it if you could give me some tips on singing/screaming while playing the guitar at the same time.

Plus I can't scream at all right now. I'd like to be able to scream sort of like Alex Varkatzas, although I don't want to mimic his screaming. I plan on adding/modifying it to get it to where I like it.

Any tips?

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

I would love it if you could give me some tips on singing/screaming while playing the guitar at the same time.

Plus I can't scream at all right now. I'd like to be able to scream sort of like Alex Varkatzas, although I don't want to mimic his screaming. I plan on adding/modifying it to get it to where I like it.

Any tips?

Tips alone from reading words wont help you. I highly recommend the Zen of Screaming 1/2. 2 is more how to scream. 1 is how to prepare before screaming.

And for playing them at the same time as guitar, just pick a song with easy guitar rhythm, master the vocals/guitar and do it. Thats a good start. For harder things try slowing it down.

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

how do i sing like this guy? I quite like him

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rk7XF1b4rXk&feature=related
or
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IChe7vLoU5M


I mean
I can do all the screaming and growls (i dont think theirs any growls in this song tho) that they do

but i'd like to be able to sing the way he does

Its bad to mimick voices....really.
But most punk/screamo type bands sing very nasally. Add some nasal and see how it turns out.

I love escape the fate :)

[TheSceneNinja]

Im not trying to mimic it entirely

just something about the way he's doing it makes it stand out

idk what it is tho

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

Im not trying to mimic it entirely

just something about the way he's doing it makes it stand out

idk what it is tho

Well I'm pretty sure he's just singing nasally. Other than that its pretty much his voice.

[Bumbalo]

Tips alone from reading words wont help you. I highly recommend the Zen of Screaming 1/2. 2 is more how to scream. 1 is how to prepare before screaming.

And for playing them at the same time as guitar, just pick a song with easy guitar rhythm, master the vocals/guitar and do it. Thats a good start. For harder things try slowing it down.
Mind telling me where I can get those? :chug:

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

Mind telling me where I can get those? :chug:


I downloaded 1 off the internet and bought 2 off melissa cross's site for i think $20.
Unless you can find them both online.

2 is more of screaming so if you already know how to warm up i'd recommend just getting 2.

[Bumbalo]

I think I may know the very basic technique. I can do it without it hurting or even minor discomfort. The only problem is it is too quiet, and when I try to add more power to it and make it louder, it just sort of closes my throat off and it just gets even more quiet, or my voice sort of.. cracks, for lack of a better word.

Any idea what's up?

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

I think I may know the very basic technique. I can do it without it hurting or even minor discomfort. The only problem is it is too quiet, and when I try to add more power to it and make it louder, it just sort of closes my throat off and it just gets even more quiet, or my voice sort of.. cracks, for lack of a better word.

Any idea what's up?

Its not really supposed to be loud, but you can get it to louder volumes by just doing the scream. You gain control and learn how to make it louder. It kind of happened by itself for me.

[Xero09]

Hey guys, I was wondering on ways I can improve my vocals based from this example: http://labeledloser.googlepages.com/Mookies.mp3

It's a small part from the song "Mookies Last Christmas" by Saosin (tenor vocals, high tenor original vocals) I was wondering if my vocal range was cut out to sing this song, but I hear that baritones/baritenors can hit some tenor notes so I'm wondering whether I'm a tenor or not. This sample is just me waking up, with the taste of coffee in the back of my throat. No warm-ups or anything.

[BagONickels]

Questions for Merk, or anyone else who might be able to answer.

First of all, great job on all the info, samples, feedback, etc. Merk.
We all apreciate it.

First question is about Lip Trills.
Does it matter where your tongue is durring these?
It seems significantly easier if you place your tongue on the roof of your mouth. I can do it if I conciously keep my tongue down but it requires more pressure from my gut. Does it even matter?

Next Question is about pain.
Can a newbie REALLY attempt "screaming" or "raspyness" without ANY pain? I think I'm following all the advice I've ever read or been given, but there is a limit. I don't go until hurts the next day, but it does start hurting eventually while practicing and I know it's time to back off then. But I've seen so many people saying you should NEVER have pain.

Thanks,

[fr1k0]

Hey!

Can you help to learn to scream like in 1.17-1.24 in this video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=IChe7vLoU5M

I can kinda scream low, as they do at 1.11 in the same video.

Thank you in advance!

[aworldofviolets]

i haven't had the chance to read through this thread yet so idk if this has been discussed, and i posted this in another forum but i didn't get much so response so...

does anyone out there have any idea how the dude from the used screams the way he does, i can scream in a more metal fashion (lamb of god, mudvayne, etc) but i cannot figure out how to get this kind of scream

thanks

[aworldofviolets]

also, does anyone know about inhale screaming, is it good/bad for you?

[mike-o]

I have trouble hitting the right notes. It's not like they're outside of my range, I just have trouble getting my voice there. I'm not tonedeaf - I can hear how I sing off pitch, which really pisses me off. I can get it right on long, sustained notes when i have the chance to correct myself, but when the pitches are moving around, I can't do it.

Any help?

[Rejuv3]

I have been recording my voice a lot lately and have noticed it sounds kind of nasaly in some parts, like I am congested or something. Anyone have tips regarding this?

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

also, does anyone know about inhale screaming, is it good/bad for you?

No screaming is good for you. Inhale is the worst. Your cords are working backwords, their being dried out faster. Thats why sometimes you cough if you do it too hard/too much.
Screaming needs extra air to happen, which means extra pressure on the vocal cords no matter how safe your doing it.

You just have to get it to a point where its like, ok I can play a show and still sing fine and talk after. Or get to a point where you feel no pain and your voice is still perfect.

[WantVox]

First time posting, but have read a lot of really helpful stuff here (thanks Merkaba (and others) for sharing the advice). I'm not a natural, but I'm really motivated to get into this local cover band fronting deal (sort of a mid-life crisis I guess ;-)) Not sure if I have what it takes, or how close I am, etc, -- ie is it worth continuing to work at or is it a pipe dream? I do know I've come a long way from where I used to be tho.

Anyway I've got a couple of home-made demos up at

http://bandmix.com/tom211/#nowSeeking

and was hoping to get some honest and helpful feedback. Both overall (relative to my question above) and also specific areas that are weak and need to be beefed up. My email is

brownsrule@earthlink.net THANKS

Thanks in advance, this will be very very helpful to me. I don't want to send these out until I'm ready, but it's hard to know when I reach that point without qualified sets of ears to listen and comment.

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

First time posting, but have read a lot of really helpful stuff here (thanks Merkaba (and others) for sharing the advice). I'm not a natural, but I'm really motivated to get into this local cover band fronting deal (sort of a mid-life crisis I guess ;-)) Not sure if I have what it takes, or how close I am, etc, -- ie is it worth continuing to work at or is it a pipe dream? I do know I've come a long way from where I used to be tho.

Anyway I've got a couple of home-made demos up at

http://bandmix.com/tom211/#nowSeeking

and was hoping to get some honest and helpful feedback. Both overall (relative to my question above) and also specific areas that are weak and need to be beefed up. My email is

brownsrule@earthlink.net THANKS

Thanks in advance, this will be very very helpful to me. I don't want to send these out until I'm ready, but it's hard to know when I reach that point without qualified sets of ears to listen and comment.
For that specific song, too nasally, and sounded like some notes were hard to reach. Also in the original he doesnt really do the slow vibrato thing, or any vibrato. The Breaking Benjamin singer sings pretty weirdly anyways, his voice is just....different I guess, cant describe it.

I'm only point out that cuz you said you wanna do a cover band, and cover bands generally want to perfect covers.
Learn to sing without any nasal, some nasal, and very nasally. As a cover band singer, you want to be able to produce many tones similar to other singers, none will be perfect but you should use the same techinques.

Normally i'd recommend dont copy singers, but you wanna be in a cover band, so be very versatile.

Just get out the nasal, work on range, and work on hitting notes more "on" pitch.

I'd say if you work on it you could have a huge improvement in something like 2-3 months, depending on how much you practice.



If the cover band is a now thing where you need to try out. Try out when you can before its too late, and if they say no, ask them why they dont want you, if they say yes, keep practicing and woot.

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

The nasality is something i'm always careful about; I use a lot of nasality in my own singing for effect, and most of my favorite singers (Stevie Wonder and Paul Stanley come to mind immediately) are incredibly nasally. But, yours is a result of tension more than a stylistic thing I think. Your not supporting correctly, so your throat is closing, and your soft palate and blocking air from going into your nasal cavities so you have that kind of stopped up sound going on. This is also why your flat as well, your controlling your pitch by squeezing your throat and raising your larynx, so when a note requires to much squeezing and pulling, you fall a little under the note.

To improve, do scales on open vowels like "AH" as in father and "OH" as in ho :D

Also, tongue tension is part of the problem too, so do scales while holding your jaw down and singing "LAH GAH". Make sure your tongue goes all the way up to your top front teeth to get the stretch you need.

[BagONickels]

I have trouble hitting the right notes. It's not like they're outside of my range, I just have trouble getting my voice there. I'm not tonedeaf - I can hear how I sing off pitch, which really pisses me off. I can get it right on long, sustained notes when i have the chance to correct myself, but when the pitches are moving around, I can't do it.

Any help?

I'd realy like to get some feedback on this too. I've just started getting serious about singing again. Picked up the guitar, wiped of a few years worth of dust and started learning (and re-learning) a some covers. So I've been recording myself lately, and honestly, it's painful at times to listen to. Occasionaly I'll get a recording that sounds decent all the way through, but more often than not, there just seems to be bad notes all over the place.

I figure I need work "hearing myself" while singing.
And nailing the notes instead of sliding into or around them.

Any advice on how to achive these?
Is it just a matter of time+training?
Thanks

[aworldofviolets]

there's probably a lot of things you can do, one exercise is to just hit notes on a piano (or any instrument) randomly and try and sing them without any sliding and whatnot, the more you do it the easier it'll get

[BagONickels]

Ok, here's a sample... no screaming or anything, but I'd like to get a little feedback if possible. In this sample I think my voice is pretty damn relaxed, I even got that Drooopy/Mark McGrath thing going on.
Like I said though, pitch is my biggest concern.
Anyway, hope this link works...

http://www.shrednet.com/thc/extra/VORC013.mp3

There's a couple old (very old) demos on the "sounds" page too at http://www.shrednet.com/thc/

Thanks,

[BagONickels]

there's probably a lot of things you can do, one exercise is to just hit notes on a piano (or any instrument) randomly and try and sing them without any sliding and whatnot, the more you do it the easier it'll get

Right.
Like I said, I've only been back at it for a short time, focusing on pitch for just a couple weeks so... Time will tell.

There was a post some time ago that said DON'T work on pitch in the car. Any explanation for that? I have recorded some scales on to CD then I'll play them in the car while recording on my mp3 player for reference/review. Any thing wrong with that?

Thanks again

[aworldofviolets]

I think the car is a great place to practice, but maybe they meant something about all the background noise that cars have, i just recorded this song with my band and this one part sounds completely out of tune until you remove the drums, so its like some resonance from the drums is conflicting with the pitch of the guitars, i could see how that could be applied to your voice and your car (your car being the drums, and your voice being the guitars). But other than that, i've always found the car to be a great place to practice. hope that made sense

[BagONickels]

Ok, here's a sample... no screaming or anything, but I'd like to get a little feedback if possible. In this sample I think my voice is pretty damn relaxed, I even got that Drooopy/Mark McGrath thing going on.
Like I said though, pitch is my biggest concern.
Anyway, hope this link works...

http://www.shrednet.com/thc/extra/VORC013.mp3

There's a couple old (very old) demos on the "sounds" page too at http://www.shrednet.com/thc/

Thanks,

So...No feedback?
C'mon guys, I can take it....

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

Ok, here's a sample... no screaming or anything, but I'd like to get a little feedback if possible. In this sample I think my voice is pretty damn relaxed, I even got that Drooopy/Mark McGrath thing going on.
Like I said though, pitch is my biggest concern.
Anyway, hope this link works...

http://www.shrednet.com/thc/extra/VORC013.mp3

There's a couple old (very old) demos on the "sounds" page too at http://www.shrednet.com/thc/

Thanks,

The Pink Floyd song......Wish you were here, thats it.
Sounded pretty good actually. Besides some random pitch things every so often. The guitar was just straight 8ths instead of its actually rhythm.
Your voice could just sound better in its relaxed way =P.
Mine I think sounds better when its pushed a bit.

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

Right.
Like I said, I've only been back at it for a short time, focusing on pitch for just a couple weeks so... Time will tell.

There was a post some time ago that said DON'T work on pitch in the car. Any explanation for that? I have recorded some scales on to CD then I'll play them in the car while recording on my mp3 player for reference/review. Any thing wrong with that?

Thanks again

Well i'm sure it was assuming you turn up your music and sing along to it in a way where you cant hear your pitch. Scales should be fine.

Just dont get distracted and crash :thumb:

[BagONickels]

The Pink Floyd song......Wish you were here, thats it.
Sounded pretty good actually. Besides some random pitch things every so often. The guitar was just straight 8ths instead of its actually rhythm.
Your voice could just sound better in its relaxed way =P.
Mine I think sounds better when its pushed a bit.

Thanks for the feedback...
Yeah, I wanted to post something very simple and familliar, so there was a point of refference.

I've only been "back" at it for a short time and I never sang on a regular basis in the past, just played guitar. I'm doing the open mic thing at a local club with just a few covers for now. Trying to get used to the mic thing and all.

There are a couple other original songs on that demo page that may actually be a little more suitable to this thread. Screaming and all that.. Here's the direct links...

http://www.shrednet.com/thc/FavoriteTrunks.mp3
http://www.shrednet.com/thc/ReefRoad.mp3
Surf-Pop/Punk/Whatever stylie...

Sometimes I'll listen to these and say "Ok, not bad..."
Other times it's like "Igggkkk!" Depends on my mood I guess.
Overal, I guess it's not TOO bad for a 4-track in my bedroom.

Thanks again.

[fr1k0]

Hey!

Can you help to learn to scream like in 1.17-1.24 in this video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=IChe7vLoU5M

I can kinda scream low, as they do at 1.11 in the same video.

Thank you in advance!

Anyone? Please.. :/

Thanks! :)


Edit: Oh, and about trivium.. http://youtube.com/watch?v=n_L-gCy99wk is that the so called "Death scream?" Thanks!

[kdash]

Hi,

I wanted to ask whether drinking lots of milk is detrimental to your voice. Because I found it makes it even harder to clear my throat because of the thickness.

Thanks

[plagueyears]

Hey Merkaba, I've been reading this thread for some time now. I started screaming in a band in December, recently, while my scream only sounds better, I've been feeling my back really tense and wearing out after screaming for some time. There is no pain, but I get tired right away and sometimes I get a headache. Im not really sure what am i doing wrong, since it wasn't happening before. Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated.

Another thing, how does the frontman of this band:
www.myspace.com/architectsuk

does his screaming?

Thanks ALOT
:wave:

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

Hi,

I wanted to ask whether drinking lots of milk is detrimental to your voice. Because I found it makes it even harder to clear my throat because of the thickness.

Thanks

Milk= bad

Not directly to your voice, but to your throat.

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

Hey Merkaba, I've been reading this thread for some time now. I started screaming in a band in December, recently, while my scream only sounds better, I've been feeling my back really tense and wearing out after screaming for some time. There is no pain, but I get tired right away and sometimes I get a headache. Im not really sure what am i doing wrong, since it wasn't happening before. Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated.

Another thing, how does the frontman of this band:
www.myspace.com/architectsuk

does his screaming?

Thanks ALOT
:wave:

Headaches are a result of your breathing and probally pushing it too much. The back pain is probally from how your standing while screaming or your straining so much your doing something to your back somehow.

Try to relax and make sure your breathing right.

[Dynomiteguy]

Never mind, I learned the exhale scream, thanks to your advice Merkaba! You rock! =]

[dinosaurxbrocore]

No screaming is good for you. Inhale is the worst. Your cords are working backwords, their being dried out faster. Thats why sometimes you cough if you do it too hard/too much.
Screaming needs extra air to happen, which means extra pressure on the vocal cords no matter how safe your doing it.

You just have to get it to a point where its like, ok I can play a show and still sing fine and talk after. Or get to a point where you feel no pain and your voice is still perfect.

number one, drying out faster isn't a noun, one cannot possess a drying out faster, you mean "they're" as in they (your vocal cords) are drying out faster

number two, ive never hurt my voice doing inwards and ive been doing inwards and outwards for four years now

the most important factor out of anything with screaming is mic technique and having a lot of room temperature water at hand

[kidthatplaysguitar91]

number one, drying out faster isn't a noun, one cannot possess a drying out faster, you mean "they're" as in they (your vocal cords) are drying out faster

number two, ive never hurt my voice doing inwards and ive been doing inwards and outwards for four years now

the most important factor out of anything with screaming is mic technique and having a lot of room temperature water at hand

Ok when I made that post I was in a rush and didn't bother with caring about correct grammar and such. I never said it would hurt your voice. I said it puts extra strain on the voice no matter how perfect you do it.

Inhale is the worst scream for your voice, it won't destroy your voice doing it, but it will dry out your cords faster and your cords aren't meant to go that way. You can do it, but you'll need to have more water/mist inhale if you really want.

The most important thing with screaming is being able to hear yourself and having water/mist bottle.