Sputnik Music Forums - View Single Post

09-18-2003, 06:42 AM

I read the post on screaming and I noticed although it describes the scream and the kinda bands that do the screams it doesn't really describe technique ... besides saying "sing from here and push" ... easier said than done.

I've been doin vocals for about 4 or 5 years now and have taken singing lessons and have developed a pretty good "chino" or maynard scream (like he does on ticks and leeches). You could also use this same technique to do screams of the emo kind. I've never been interested in doing the low pitch grunt screams you here in slipknot so I won't be really getting into that... although once you master this scream those one are ridiculous easy to do.

Before you start: Just be carefull that reading this in no way can really prepare you in the way a proffessional instructor can. I highly reccomend singing lessons before you start screaming your head off so you can learn some proper form. But if you're impatient and think you can read instructions carefully err go ahead

Alright here goes:

#0 shut your door, or make sure nobodys home, this is pretty important because you can't be shy about this at all, if you do it half assed its gonna sound like ****... also your parents or whoever your living with is gonna think your a fackin psycho. No worries at my house though, they already think im crazy.

#1 take a deep breathe

and open your mouth, wide motherfacker... nobodys gonna here you if your shy and have your mouth half closed. Practise your breathing every night put a book on your chest and lift it up with your stomach as you breathe in. Eventually try to see if you can breathe in and breathe out only once a minute.

#2 stand up straight and put your shoulders back so your vocal cords are open--i cannot stress this enough, i realise that many singers on stage do not do this but that is because they are so well trained they think they dun have to

well they're wrong, in the studio when they do it, I'm almost 100% sure they aren't crouching or jumping around. Since you are just starting make sure you do this so you don't **** up your voice.

#3 raise your cheekbones up so it looks like your kinda makin a stupid grinning face. I'm not really sure what this does, but it works, every vocal teacher I've had has told me to do this. If you want to do as little damage to your vocal cords as possible do this.

#4 Practise with a microphone, nobody can sound like they do without a microphone... its the distortion you get through the PA that makes the scream sound good. Plus when you practise with a microphone you get a feel for how loud you actualy have to scream. When you have a mic you'll find you really don't have to scream so loud... thus the reason why a singer can go do shows 7 days a week and not **** up his voice.

#5 (this is where some of you maybe leaving us) Ok, do know the difference between full voice and falsetto? You know how you can sing 2 ways, one with your full voice (gut) and one a little girly voice thats comming just through your throat... it doesn't have any power really but it can go really high. When you scream, you want to use this voice if you don't want to wreck yourself. For years i tried to scream with my diaphram and i kept hurting my throat and for some stupid reason i thought eventually it would get used to it... it doesn't. Please do not try to do this unless you are doing low pitched screams.

Anyways, into the mic, with your falsetto voice (i cannot stress enough that you use your falsetto voice and not your full) , and I know this sounds stupid but try to imagine that your singing out of the temple of your head... and push as hard as you can a scream. It doesn't have to be loud even, you are using a microphone, it just has to be pushed really hard from your throat.

#6 don't get discouraged if you don't get it right away... it takes time. I would sugguest if you haven't already take some vocal lessons... it helps a lot strengthening your falsetto. If you don't have a strong falsetto you'll never be able to scream.

And lastly, pick songs that have easier screams at first. Listen to the breathing of the screams, and try to breathe when they do. Do not try to do something insane like Deftones - Elite LOL I've been screamin like 2 years now and i still can barely get through the whole song without goin red in the face from lack of air. Go for quality over loudness, your scream doesn't have to be loud, you can turn the mic up, as long as it sounds hardcore. The loudness of your scream will come with time. I strongly recommend easy 1 sylable screams first

I like my own summer.
When he's doin "cooooooomeeee" "shooooveeee" "the suuuuuuunnnn" "asssiidee"

Note: Kurt Cobain "screaming" isn't screaming, its aggresive pitched singing and isn't something you can reallyteach, If you can't hit those notes you can't hit them. Its like asking someone to teach you to have a higher voice. Its true with a lot of practise you can increase your vocal range, but in most cases you are pretty much stuck with what you got. If you have a crummy deep voice like scott stapp of creed lol don't expect to be doing and cobain screams any time soon.

09-18-2003, 06:42 AM	#1
silver Guest Posts: n/a	Screaming... some pointers I read the post on screaming and I noticed although it describes the scream and the kinda bands that do the screams it doesn't really describe technique ... besides saying "sing from here and push" ... easier said than done. I've been doin vocals for about 4 or 5 years now and have taken singing lessons and have developed a pretty good "chino" or maynard scream (like he does on ticks and leeches). You could also use this same technique to do screams of the emo kind. I've never been interested in doing the low pitch grunt screams you here in slipknot so I won't be really getting into that... although once you master this scream those one are ridiculous easy to do. Before you start: Just be carefull that reading this in no way can really prepare you in the way a proffessional instructor can. I highly reccomend singing lessons before you start screaming your head off so you can learn some proper form. But if you're impatient and think you can read instructions carefully err go ahead Alright here goes: #0 shut your door, or make sure nobodys home, this is pretty important because you can't be shy about this at all, if you do it half assed its gonna sound like **... also your parents or whoever your living with is gonna think your a fackin psycho. No worries at my house though, they already think im crazy. #1 take a deep breathe and open your mouth, wide motherfacker... nobodys gonna here you if your shy and have your mouth half closed. Practise your breathing every night put a book on your chest and lift it up with your stomach as you breathe in. Eventually try to see if you can breathe in and breathe out only once a minute. #2 stand up straight and put your shoulders back so your vocal cords are open--i cannot stress this enough, i realise that many singers on stage do not do this but that is because they are so well trained they think they dun have to well they're wrong, in the studio when they do it, I'm almost 100% sure they aren't crouching or jumping around. Since you are just starting make sure you do this so you don't up your voice. #3 raise your cheekbones up so it looks like your kinda makin a stupid grinning face. I'm not really sure what this does, but it works, every vocal teacher I've had has told me to do this. If you want to do as little damage to your vocal cords as possible do this. #4 Practise with a microphone, nobody can sound like they do without a microphone... its the distortion you get through the PA that makes the scream sound good. Plus when you practise with a microphone you get a feel for how loud you actualy have to scream. When you have a mic you'll find you really don't have to scream so loud... thus the reason why a singer can go do shows 7 days a week and not ** up his voice. #5 (this is where some of you maybe leaving us) Ok, do know the difference between full voice and falsetto? You know how you can sing 2 ways, one with your full voice (gut) and one a little girly voice thats comming just through your throat... it doesn't have any power really but it can go really high. When you scream, you want to use this voice if you don't want to wreck yourself. For years i tried to scream with my diaphram and i kept hurting my throat and for some stupid reason i thought eventually it would get used to it... it doesn't. Please do not try to do this unless you are doing low pitched screams. Anyways, into the mic, with your falsetto voice (i cannot stress enough that you use your falsetto voice and not your full) , and I know this sounds stupid but try to imagine that your singing out of the temple of your head... and push as hard as you can a scream. It doesn't have to be loud even, you are using a microphone, it just has to be pushed really hard from your throat. #6 don't get discouraged if you don't get it right away... it takes time. I would sugguest if you haven't already take some vocal lessons... it helps a lot strengthening your falsetto. If you don't have a strong falsetto you'll never be able to scream. And lastly, pick songs that have easier screams at first. Listen to the breathing of the screams, and try to breathe when they do. Do not try to do something insane like Deftones - Elite LOL I've been screamin like 2 years now and i still can barely get through the whole song without goin red in the face from lack of air. Go for quality over loudness, your scream doesn't have to be loud, you can turn the mic up, as long as it sounds hardcore. The loudness of your scream will come with time. I strongly recommend easy 1 sylable screams first I like my own summer. When he's doin "cooooooomeeee" "shooooveeee" "the suuuuuuunnnn" "asssiidee" Note: Kurt Cobain "screaming" isn't screaming, its aggresive pitched singing and isn't something you can reallyteach, If you can't hit those notes you can't hit them. Its like asking someone to teach you to have a higher voice. Its true with a lot of practise you can increase your vocal range, but in most cases you are pretty much stuck with what you got. If you have a crummy deep voice like scott stapp of creed lol don't expect to be doing and cobain screams any time soon.