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.

[QUOTE=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.[/QUOTE]
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.

[QUOTE=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[/QUOTE]
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.

[QUOTE=Merkaba-1]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.
[/QUOTE]

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.

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.

[QUOTE=Merkaba-1]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.[/QUOTE]

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.

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:

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

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

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.
[url]http://www.soundclick.com/pendingdemise[/url]

[QUOTE=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:

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

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

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 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.

[QUOTE=CDoasis]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:[/QUOTE]

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...

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

[QUOTE=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:

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

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

lol
funny sh[b][i][/b][/i]it man keep it up

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

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

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

[url]http://www.soundclick.com/pendingdemise[/url]

what exactly is a gliss anyway?

A glissando is sliding smoothly between 2 notes.

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

[url]http://www.invisibleworld.com.au/pages/singfaqs4.htm[/url]

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 a[b][i][/b][/i]ss. 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. :)

bump

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

Poo, no one reads this anymore. :(

[QUOTE=Rats!]Why are ee's and oo's and their variations harder to do than other vowels?[/QUOTE]
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.
[U]
CD[/U]...I went to your site. Which ones are the new ones? I listened to two that seemed to be the same.

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

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.

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?

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!

[QUOTE=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?[/QUOTE]
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.

^ 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. :)

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!

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.

...ouch!

:amaze:

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

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.