[QUOTE=PrimaryOrange]Hey Merkaba,
New to this forum, was browsing the net while at work for some singing tips and came accross this site.
After reading what you wrote you pointed out alot of things not many did when trying to give me tips in the past.
Im a songwriter/singer, and ive noticed my singing has changed drastically in the last year or so. I think im picking up bad habbits while singing.
I listen to some old demo recordings and compare them to recent recordings, and although the playing of the music is better, and sound like i have much more confidence in my voice than the beginning, im not able to hit the notes I used to, or without great strain.

If you'd like to have a listen to a few bedroom demo's of just me and the acoustic, ranging from 3 years ago to present, and give some suggestions or insight on the situation.

Email me if you are interested.

Thanks again for a great thread,

Brandon
Primary Orange
[email]primaryorange@rogers.com[/email][/QUOTE]

Well I'd rather you post them here. That way others can chime in, and plus I'm usually so busy that it kinda clutters me up, or i would think so. I don't think I've ever emailed anyone off of this site. Not that I wouldnt but try to post them here or to a download site.

bump...

hey merkaba, do you think you could help me w/ learning to scream without me having to come on these forums? im not very much a computer person to come and check this stuff so often

my AIM is Feelthefunkk and my email is guitarist4life75@gmail.


i left a post here a long time ago and they told me to come here, but i'd rather you just listen to a really horrible track and tell me what sounds wrong.

Hey merk, I've read all your stuff faithfully and have been practicing it for over a year now. About 2 months ago I finally got a band together doing some metal. Now my falsetto screams are effortless and sound awesome, but all the guys hate it when I do some Slipknot-ish screams. They like them when I "balls to the wall" scream, but it kills my voice and often leaves me mute for a day or two if i do it for a whole set. When i do proper technique they tell me it sounds strained and gay, even though I'm much more relaxed and not straining.

Basically, does a scream as good as Corey Taylor have to be born with you or can you somehow develop it? My singing teacher has been no help, she just says "uh, heres a scale, lets strengthen your falsetto" which makes no sense to me...

this is kinda turnin into a different thread i know. great job merk. those links helped a lot with my singing. anyone agree there should be a vocal sub-forum?

[QUOTE=panthersfan16]Hey merk, I've read all your stuff faithfully and have been practicing it for over a year now. About 2 months ago I finally got a band together doing some metal. Now my falsetto screams are effortless and sound awesome, but all the guys hate it when I do some Slipknot-ish screams. They like them when I "balls to the wall" scream, but it kills my voice and often leaves me mute for a day or two if i do it for a whole set. When i do proper technique they tell me it sounds strained and gay, even though I'm much more relaxed and not straining.

Basically, does a scream as good as Corey Taylor have to be born with you or can you somehow develop it? My singing teacher has been no help, she just says "uh, heres a scale, lets strengthen your falsetto" which makes no sense to me...[/QUOTE]
Thought I had replied earlier. I dont think you have to be born with it. But you will have to have or develop a strong system. Some people just have fallen into doing it luckily or just because. I always say the best way to learn and know the feel of a strong scream like that is sing in high head, normally. And adding more and more difficulty/push while trying to keep the tone. If youre mute for a day or half a day youre really hurting yourself. Remember that these "balls to the wall" screams often times sound way way more harsh then they really are because of the technique. You can get a good scream without 100% push. Most vocal teachers arent going down a rock path because its not the best thing for the cords. You should look for a teacher that specializes in aggressive or rock styles.

[QUOTE=Psycho182]hey merkaba, do you think you could help me w/ learning to scream without me having to come on these forums? im not very much a computer person to come and check this stuff so often

my AIM is Feelthefunkk and my email is guitarist4life75@gmail.


i left a post here a long time ago and they told me to come here, but i'd rather you just listen to a really horrible track and tell me what sounds wrong.[/QUOTE]
Wouldnt be fair because I've turned down so many others for "personal" help over email. I just don't have the time. Plus I'd just be repeating what I usually repeat in here for everyone else.

bump...tired of looking for the dam thing. Just added it to my menu bar though. :cool:

Hey Merkaba. Been letting go abit on the screams, and found a fuller sound. There are some clean recordings here: [url]http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=388240[/url]
And, some older ones to add contrast. There's also a few songs I wouldn't mind comments on, but I know where I stand in terms of singing. Not so well. The title "Almost here" was from awhile back, it's in a weak head tone, and the new ones are in a weak chest tone, but I'm out of practice, it's been a month since my last lesson, and I haven't been practicing. It's more like an excuse for my poor voice. Sorry. Anyways, I'd love some feedback. Merci en avance.

this is an awesome thread

[QUOTE=tatsu]Hey Merkaba. Been letting go abit on the screams, and found a fuller sound. There are some clean recordings here: [url]http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=388240[/url]
And, some older ones to add contrast. There's also a few songs I wouldn't mind comments on, but I know where I stand in terms of singing. Not so well. The title "Almost here" was from awhile back, it's in a weak head tone, and the new ones are in a weak chest tone, but I'm out of practice, it's been a month since my last lesson, and I haven't been practicing. It's more like an excuse for my poor voice. Sorry. Anyways, I'd love some feedback. Merci en avance.[/QUOTE]
Sorry so late....
The screams sound good. I would practice on getting the same tone with less push...sounds like youre straining a bit but only you know that. As far as the singing, Practice motor boats. Youre not pressurizing the lungs,diaphragm enough it sounds like to me, causing the sound to be thinner in some spots. Sounds like you've got a good set up. I bet a few lessons would set you right. You need a bit of pitch correction but that comes with time and practice.

sorry if this has been asked before, but when i scream properly (dont even know if i am or not), where in the throat should i be able to feel it? again, sorry if im beating a dead horse.

Dont think about your throat. You probably wont feel much from a well placed note. You'll feel more in your chest or your head as previously stated by a few of us. Sometimes I'll hit a head note that is almost uncomfortable due to the resonance in my head. If I didnt have upstairs and downstairs neighbors now I'd post some. Theres one note thats in one of my favorite esthero songs thats not all that high but is wonderful to sing. I may post that. Anyways...think more about a loose lower jaw as your sound manipulator. And think about your diaphragm. If youre unfamiliar go to the first page and look at coming from the gut, and do those lip trills/motorboats.

Try to think about the feeling of saying Ahh for the doctor when you sing.

Speaking of head notes (I don't know terminology very well), would that be the higher notes? Like the ones that make my eyes feel a bit of pressure, but nothing else?

That happens when I scream really high.

[QUOTE=Eleventeen]Speaking of head notes (I don't know terminology very well), would that be the higher notes? Like the ones that make my eyes feel a bit of pressure, but nothing else?

That happens when I scream really high.[/QUOTE]
Youre just not gonna feel the resonance in a scream due to all the pressure and jumbled vibrations of the rasp. And no it wont feel like pressure. More of a vibration, around the temple area. Youre probably just feeling the results of the internal pressure of pushing hard. Like you would when taking a dump....a dry, non raison bran dump. :cool:

i've been giving the screaming/growling thing a go, and about the only thing i can pull off is very low black metal barks, (and also chris cornell style singing, i sang Cochise at a gig recently, pretty much hit all the notes), so im going to concentrate on melodic singing.

just as a pointer, bearing in mind i can sing note-perfect (according to those who've heard me) "easy" by commodores (altho i sing to the faith no more cover), what other songs can you recommend for strengthening my vocals and range?

Why isnt this thread stickied ??? It really should be , it seams to be quite helpfull.

yea it used to be, along with a few other popular threads. The mod gods changed some stuff around. I might ask if it can get stickied again. But we do have the official singing thread uptop now soo...

Ummm... Merk, I've posted an example of my scream on the offical voice thread thing. I was kinda confused on which on to post it on. Just to let you.

I just need advice. Lol

Hey Merkaba, do you have any examples of you singing normally, as opposed to screaming?

hey i got a question man :)

i sing with some rasp, against me! style. but to be able to do get the raspy sound, i have to be singing for a while first. usualy after singing a few songs at the very top of my range the raspy stuff just naturaly sets in. but ive found that even if i warm up for an hour i cant get the rasp, i have to sing high and really loud for 10-15 minutes before i can get any kind of rasp.

this is lame because the only way i can warm up for a show or something is to go into the bathroom or something and yell randomly for like 10 mins. which can be embarrising and im guessing not to great for my voice.

so is there any way i get this sound without just screaming my *** off?

thanks :)

[QUOTE=Chrisman69]hey i got a question man :)

i sing with some rasp, against me! style. but to be able to do get the raspy sound, i have to be singing for a while first. usualy after singing a few songs at the very top of my range the raspy stuff just naturaly sets in. but ive found that even if i warm up for an hour i cant get the rasp, i have to sing high and really loud for 10-15 minutes before i can get any kind of rasp.

this is lame because the only way i can warm up for a show or something is to go into the bathroom or something and yell randomly for like 10 mins. which can be embarrising and im guessing not to great for my voice.

so is there any way i get this sound without just screaming my *** off?

thanks :)[/QUOTE]
I can't offer you more than what I've said in this thread. Namely, to quickly review:

Screaming or yelling is NOT a warmup and probably kills your longevity. read the warm up sections.

Any screaming sound can be done with 80% or less of push. You just have to be able to balance out the note while blocking the airflow a bit with the false cords and larynx. And of course proper breath support is vital. You shouldnt even really have to think much about your throat. There are no quick tricks but it will take practice. Again, try to get a decent sounding scream by barely pushing. This will help you isolate the things that produce the sound. Its not about force and push its about technique.

I'm sure this has been asked before but the thread is too large to search through using dial up :( if you have a link to an answer you could just post that, but here goes...

What technique does Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) use, how do you do it (like what is going on inside), and what exercises can be done to learn how to do this. I thought a long time ago I heard that he somehow bridges his chest voice and falsetto but i have no idea how this could be possibly done...

[QUOTE=panthersfan16]I'm sure this has been asked before but the thread is too large to search through using dial up :( if you have a link to an answer you could just post that, but here goes...

What technique does Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) use, how do you do it (like what is going on inside), and what exercises can be done to learn how to do this. I thought a long time ago I heard that he somehow bridges his chest voice and falsetto but i have no idea how this could be possibly done...[/QUOTE]
lol...thats a good one...bridging chest voice with falsetto? Bruce used a good bit of "supported falsetto" which basically means a strong falsetto. You've got to have good breath control of course. chest voice is your lowest voice you do know that? You've got to be able to get into head voice(which is not falsetto) in order to get a feel for adding pressure to big high notes. You should post a sample of you doing an upward gliss, or basically one long connected note from your lowest to your highest. And maybe a downward gliss. Do you know what head voice is, and can you acess your head voice? Chest, head, falsetto. The three main registers. Some seem to get this confused.

Whats going on inside? The same then that your cords are doing when you try to hit that note except his are either less blocked, with a more open larynx, supported and relaxed, or all of the above. Trust me, the cords are relaxed even if the sound is tense. That comes from overpushing air through and scraping it off a slightly closed throat.

If youre talking about his normal singing then thats just pushed vocals.

So then he is in falsetto? Because he hits some really high notes that, being right inbetween a tenor and baritone, seem to be unthinkable for me in head voice.

So to get this reinforced falsetto you basically have to just practice it a lot and push a ton of air when you are singing, thats what im getting from this, correct me if im wrong

BTW all of your singing tips and stuff are the only reason im not mute and my famliy isnt deaf, just want to say thank you.

Bruce pulls up chest voice quite a bit, especially lately. He also is pretty good at mixing chest and head voice for higher full voiced notes. On Where Eagles Dare, the DARES before the instrumental breaks are all a strong mix of chest and head voice which is called mix.

yo merk,

haven't posted in a while, but still been reading what others have to say. your posts are still as insightful as ever - good stuff!

I do have 2 questions though:

1. Lately when I've been singing, I've found that when i'm singing in my higher range (in head i would assume it to be, definitely not falsetto) so around the E-G above middle C range, I'm finding that quite often my voice temporarily "breaks" (into falsetto i assume?). This has been happening lately because for the higher notes i'm trying to be careful not to push too hard (so as to not rasp the note because I want to sing it cleanly) and also not to cause fatigue/hoarseness but as a consequence at times my voices breaks, and this happened a couple of times in our last two shows, which i was told sounded terrible/funny. Do you have any suggestions to overcome this problem of my voice breaking in the higher regions of my range?

2. I was wondering how the hell James Hetfield of Metallica could sing any of the songs off any of the albums up to and including The Black Album without screwing up his voice? Songs like Master of Puppets, Battery, One, For Whom the Bells Tolls etc. seem to place an immense strain on his voice... I can sing along to them (kinda), but only in a clean style. How does he get that general bassy/gruff sound (it makes high notes sound lower than they are) without screwin up his voice? I know you have to keep everything relaxed etc. but when I try to do it it just comes out terrible.

Thanks

[QUOTE=panthersfan16]So then he is in falsetto? Because he hits some really high notes that, being right inbetween a tenor and baritone, seem to be unthinkable for me in head voice.

So to get this reinforced falsetto you basically have to just practice it a lot and push a ton of air when you are singing, thats what im getting from this, correct me if im wrong

BTW all of your singing tips and stuff are the only reason im not mute and my famliy isnt deaf, just want to say thank you.[/QUOTE]
Well you don't want to make the classic mistake of thinking that you have to push a ton of air for higher notes. Its the pressure you want. Its almost like when you try to catch a sneeze before it gets out. ITs the diaphragm, you want it to be kinda in balance with the cords so that they are kinda playing off of each other. Think about them as being book ends or if you were to pick up twenty books off of a shelf. If you dont equalize the pressure on each side then whats in the middle, in this case the air for your cords, goes to shlt. Remember you don't want to blow out a candle if its in front of you. Even with screams.

merk what happened to the soundclips?

Sorry I didn't see this thread so I will post this here too, I will delete the other post if I have to.

Merkaba, I don't know if you know anything about clean vocals, but I have been playing guitar for a while, and I would like to learn to do some vocals as well. The trouble is I am god awful :( . I can't seem to keep in key and am just in generally a bad singer. Do you have any suggestions for practicing to eventually at least be able to sing in key? Thanks.

[QUOTE=hotpants_67]merk what happened to the soundclips?[/QUOTE]
They are still around the last time I checked...but someone else said the link had changed or something. I'll look into it.

[QUOTE=renaissancerebel]I'm a "classically-trained" soprano... and for the most part, I love my voice as it is, but there are times/songs when I would love to be more of a "belter". So how do I go from sweetly stratospheric to a low, rich, "Judy Garland" sound?[/QUOTE]Breath support, which I'm sure you have, is key. But if youre a soprano and youre trying to sing a bit lower and forcefully it will take some practice. If you can sing the notes normally then you shouldnt have any problem singing them forcefully if you don't tense up the throat, which is someowhat of a natural tendency since clamping off the area is wanted when doing so many other high power moves with the diaphragm used to keep internal pressure, like straining or pushing a heavy object. So in these cases you have to isolate everything from everything and learn to use that power while keeping the throat open and relaxed. I'm sure you know most of that... Just remember its more about technique than power and push.


[QUOTE=chorbalan]Sorry I didn't see this thread so I will post this here too, I will delete the other post if I have to.

Merkaba, I don't know if you know anything about clean vocals, but I have been playing guitar for a while, and I would like to learn to do some vocals as well. The trouble is I am god awful :( . I can't seem to keep in key and am just in generally a bad singer. Do you have any suggestions for practicing to eventually at least be able to sing in key? Thanks.[/QUOTE]


yea..you obviously haven't read this thread.