dear merkaba,
really glad your posting this stuff, it's truly awesome. I'm new to singing and have no idea on how to properly sing except for the fact that you should sing 'use your diaphragm' and not breathe with your 'chest' or something like that. I will be checking out the stuff you posted tommorow but i have a few questions first, how should i breathe when i sing--have had trouble breathing with diaphragm because it takes longer than naturally using my chest--and what is falsetto?

Falsetto is when a man can access an very high register,which is sometimes said to be like a fake register.

[QUOTE=Xianne]dear merkaba,
really glad your posting this stuff, it's truly awesome. I'm new to singing and have no idea on how to properly sing except for the fact that you should sing 'use your diaphragm' and not breathe with your 'chest' or something like that. I will be checking out the stuff you posted tommorow but i have a few questions first, how should i breathe when i sing--have had trouble breathing with diaphragm because it takes longer than naturally using my chest--and what is falsetto?[/QUOTE]
Doing motor boats will get you in touch with your diaphragm. Practice taking a deep breath like you were startled. This is the begining way of getting a good breath. Falsetto is the lighter airy high pitched voice. Think BeeGees' Stayin alive, or Prince. The cords dont vibrate in closed waves like they normally do, like a string instrument would. But almost cuts the air more like a wind instrument. You lose some of the body,i.e. Resonance of the sound when using falsetto, due to this lesser vibratory pattern, but you can generally go a bit higher using falsetto than your "true" "higher head" voice.

oh, quick question, what are motor boats?

[QUOTE=Xianne]oh, quick question, what are motor boats?[/QUOTE] aka lip trills.... in the coming from the gut section:
[url]http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911[/url]

[QUOTE=BlackFire_]Does anyone know how to do pig-squeal like grindcore vocals? I heard that you have to inhale scream when doing this but when I do, it sounds like a whisper compared to my death metal growls. Any help on how to properly do them/get them louder?[/QUOTE]

Inhaling is a bad idea, use it sparingly.

[QUOTE=Eleventeen]Inhaling is a bad idea, use it sparingly.[/QUOTE]
There is most likely a "safe" way to do it, or Job For A Cowboy wouldn't be on tour.

Yeah, im afraid im very lazy and this is probably covered somewhere within this forum but i have a problem when i sing.
it first developed a while ago when i was practicing hard before a gig in my metal band. i scream near enough all of the vocals and am comfortable with this.. no pain or anything.. until after we ran through the set alot of times in one practice..
my throat completely closed up and i 'gagged' everytime i went to scream a line..
i wanted to carry on to see what would happen if i pushed it further (because i do stupid things like that) but the pain was near enough unbareable..
since that day i've had the same 'gagging' problems when singing for a lengthly time..
if anyone could prompt me on what is causing this, or if i have caused myself any long term damage then that would be a great help.
thanks for your time guys

[QUOTE=somfing_else]Yeah, im afraid im very lazy and this is probably covered somewhere within this forum but i have a problem when i sing.
it first developed a while ago when i was practicing hard before a gig in my metal band. i scream near enough all of the vocals and am comfortable with this.. no pain or anything.. until after we ran through the set alot of times in one practice..
my throat completely closed up and i 'gagged' everytime i went to scream a line..
i wanted to carry on to see what would happen if i pushed it further (because i do stupid things like that) but the pain was near enough unbareable..
since that day i've had the same 'gagging' problems when singing for a lengthly time..
if anyone could prompt me on what is causing this, or if i have caused myself any long term damage then that would be a great help.
thanks for your time guys[/QUOTE]
Try some basic singing to gain controll of your muscles again. It sounds almost like you are pinching in the wrong place. Go read the how to scream thing.

???
 

Hey guys, I'm new to this and have a quick question:


I don't know where to put this...I hope you guys don't get mad.

I didn't seem to find help searching through files on here, so ppl must not have posted it...I hate when its right there but ppl don't look.

neways, me and my amigo were practicing earlier today for my state's All-State contest. I decided that it would be fun to see how "developed" my range is (im only 16, how developed can it be?) As I kept going higher and higher, I was amazed. I passed the highest note All-State sopranos have EVER sang (C6) and finally quit trying at A#6. That still sounded like a note, because my friend could distinguish some vibrato in it. I would like to know:

How many tenors can sing in the so-called "whistle register". Is that something to be proud of, with no professional lessons?...

If you guys can help in any way, please post or reply to [email]reallycool181@hotmail.com[/email]

[QUOTE=somfing_else]Yeah, im afraid im very lazy and this is probably covered somewhere within this forum but i have a problem when i sing.
it first developed a while ago when i was practicing hard before a gig in my metal band. i scream near enough all of the vocals and am comfortable with this.. no pain or anything.. until after we ran through the set alot of times in one practice..
my throat completely closed up and i 'gagged' everytime i went to scream a line..
i wanted to carry on to see what would happen if i pushed it further (because i do stupid things like that) but the pain was near enough unbareable..
since that day i've had the same 'gagging' problems when singing for a lengthly time..
if anyone could prompt me on what is causing this, or if i have caused myself any long term damage then that would be a great help.
thanks for your time guys[/QUOTE]
For one youre probably over pushing your screams. Turn up the mic/gain a bit. You have an acoustic instrument that needs to be amplified properly/accordingly. Forget the male ego and the idea that your screaming voice has to be a 100% force. It should be 80% most of the time...maybe even less depending on how much you scream. That is if you want to do it for any length of time.

[QUOTE=fuzzyhair]Try some basic singing to gain controll of your muscles again. It sounds almost like you are pinching in the wrong place. Go read the how to scream thing.[/QUOTE]
I disagree. I suggest you shut it up and talk as little as possible for at least two days. No whispering, its worse for you. Get plenty of water and nutrition as youre really in a state of repair(and when are we not). Then do some mid voice E's in speaking pitchs sliding lower and back up to mid voice, up and down on one note and breath. You probably have cords that are/were very swollen. If you keep working them you'll get nodes or worse. Also you could have done another popular thing which is partially paralyze a nerve. You will do yourself a service by reading this whole thing over the next while or two.
[url]http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911[/url]

hey Merkaba,
I listened to your Rasp tutorial on Soundclick, it's pretty good. I've been trying to get a bit of a Hetfield gravel in my voice using that tutorial, but I always end up sounding like Louis Armstrong, and I can't seem to find any other type of gravel or a midpoint between my normal voice and the Louis Armstrong voice. do you have any tips on how to get less of an armstrong sound and more of a Hetfield sound?
thanks.

[QUOTE=BlackFire_]Does anyone know how to do pig-squeal like grindcore vocals? I heard that you have to inhale scream when doing this but when I do, it sounds like a whisper compared to my death metal growls. Any help on how to properly do them/get them louder?[/QUOTE]

It's tough to get those loud. I can't variate in terms of volume when I use that technique, but it's loud enough to be audible if I cup the mic. For recording you can just adjust the volume, but live you'll have to cup it if you want people to hear you.

I assume you mean they are very quiet [I]in comparison[/I] to your growls, because if they are really "whisper quiet", then you are doing them incorrectly. But yes, normal growling or screaming would be much louder.

I personally don't think inhaled screams are any more damaging to your vocal cords than normal screams. They are certainly more uncomfortable due to the vacuum you have to create in your throat, but in general it feels like they vibrate the cords less.

[QUOTE=sickstring]hey Merkaba,
I listened to your Rasp tutorial on Soundclick, it's pretty good. I've been trying to get a bit of a Hetfield gravel in my voice using that tutorial, but I always end up sounding like Louis Armstrong, and I can't seem to find any other type of gravel or a midpoint between my normal voice and the Louis Armstrong voice. do you have any tips on how to get less of an armstrong sound and more of a Hetfield sound?
thanks.[/QUOTE]
Sing first. Try to sing it in normal voice only for a while. Whenever you try dont succeed go back to normal voice for a while. A while in these two sentences can mean five minutes or so.

[QUOTE=Toaster]It's tough to get those loud. I can't variate in terms of volume when I use that technique, but it's loud enough to be audible if I cup the mic. For recording you can just adjust the volume, but live you'll have to cup it if you want people to hear you.

I assume you mean they are very quiet [I]in comparison[/I] to your growls, because if they are really "whisper quiet", then you are doing them incorrectly. But yes, normal growling or screaming would be much louder.

I personally don't think inhaled screams are any more damaging to your vocal cords than normal screams. They are certainly more uncomfortable due to the vacuum you have to create in your throat, but in general it feels like they vibrate the cords less.[/QUOTE]

I'm in the same boat as you, I've been inhaling again, and it hasn't done anything at all to me. I can't get the pig squeels down, but I can get a very Through The Eyes Of The Dead-esque shriek and mid-range inhale down perfectly now... our guitarist can do the squeels though, so we're probably gonna let him throw those in a bit every now and then.

However, I've found that if I tilt my head back and lean a bit, it's a lot easier.

For the squeals, just close up your mouth into an "o" shape and put the tip of your tongue at the top of your mouth. There's nothing different about the technique besides the shape of your mouth. You can't have your guitarist usurping your role, can you? :p

my friend said that her voice teacher said any kinda of screaming is bad becasue its makes your chords slap together and not vibrate
i told her that i learnt the proper way to scream and like it never hurts and stuff
but is it really wrecking my voice by making them slap together?

Well, if someone could help with some hardcore screams, that would be great because my yells/screams are always alot lower.

[url]http://rapidshare.de/files/28573789/BBRG.mp3.html[/url]

Merkaba, I just want your opinion on the vocals I did for this... there's a bit of distortion because I'm going through a bass amp, but this is the best I could get for ya... anything I should improve on?

One thing I noticed as a problem: coherence, I just can't scream coherently.

Can someone give me help on going down on low notes.Im supposed to sing this part where I have to go down really low.And I wanted to know how to increase my power and volume in singing.

Merkaba - I just signed up to say thanx - youve helped me out a TON. Screaming now without hurting my throat and my voice isnt strained. Working on more range! My throat and voice are good to go againa gter an hour or two the day before. Long story short thanx bro.

[QUOTE=musicNEVERdies]Can someone give me help on going down on low notes.Im supposed to sing this part where I have to go down really low.And I wanted to know how to increase my power and volume in singing.[/QUOTE]

You have to get the right amount of breath. I don't do any professional singing, but I do sing in 60 piece choir, and I do know that when I go for low notes (I'm a bass), taking as much breath in as you can isn't necessarily the best thing you can do. I find when trying to put out as much breath with low notes as I can, to increase the volume, it actually raises the pitch of the note a little/fair bit, which is definitely not what you want. Just experiment with the right amount of breath to see where you can hold the note comfortably, then slowly increase in breath while watching that you don't know raise the note.

Oh, and also, the physical position of your head can be important. You probably already know this - but it's much easier to sing a lower note if you have your head tilted forward (if you've got some chub, you'll create multiple chins :P).

That's about all I can say on it. Sorry if it's no help, but I find it helps me.

I want to know how to reduce hoarseness in my voice. I want to do it for my regular speech voice but most importantly my singing voice. Any suggestions or excercises etc. that will help me out?

[QUOTE=gz3r0]Merkaba - I just signed up to say thanx - youve helped me out a TON. Screaming now without hurting my throat and my voice isnt strained. Working on more range! My throat and voice are good to go againa gter an hour or two the day before. Long story short thanx bro.[/QUOTE]
Youre Welcome! Glad I could help. Stick around!

[QUOTE=w00tah]I want to know how to reduce hoarseness in my voice. I want to do it for my regular speech voice but most importantly my singing voice. Any suggestions or excercises etc. that will help me out?[/QUOTE]

So your regular speaking voice is hoarse? If it is you need to check with an "ear, nose, and throat" doctor or otolaryngologist. You could have an ongoing condition or something like that. I can't give you much advice on chronic hoarseness if this is the case. HOld some E's at speaking pitch and a few notes lower.

[QUOTE=musicNEVERdies]Can someone give me help on going down on low notes.Im supposed to sing this part where I have to go down really low.And I wanted to know how to increase my power and volume in singing.[/QUOTE]
Its probably harder to reach down than to reach up. Getting any decent amount of tone when reaching lower than "natural" requires alot of practice and control. There are no tricks. Its just like anything else. Proper form on Squats or Presses will get you more pounds, more reps...but nothing is gonna increase it THAT much. Same as with the cords.

You've got to have breath control like any singing. Drop the lower jaw and keep it loose. Try to keep the open "ahh" feeling, as in ah for the doctor. And go here. [url]http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911[/url]

Merkaba... anything you think I should work on with my screaming?

[url]http://www.myspace.com/ofthedyingbreed[/url]

any suggestions for the deep voiced?
[url]http://www.myspace.com/logsmusic[/url]

[QUOTE=Eleventeen]Merkaba... anything you think I should work on with my screaming?

[url]http://www.myspace.com/ofthedyingbreed[/url][/QUOTE]
Sounds fine to me. Good job!

[QUOTE=Log S.]any suggestions for the deep voiced?
[url]http://www.myspace.com/logsmusic[/url][/QUOTE]
I dont know if your voice is all that deep. I just think youre holding back. Youre not really singing and supporting your breath. Can you get into head voice? I'm sure you have another octave or near that just waiting on you. I really like Tokyo but it didnt go anywhere. I would love to try some vocals over that track if it would break off into another melody or two. Read up on breath support and finding head voice and hell just read the whole thing if you havent---->[url]http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219911[/url]
Merkabas Voice-Help Hotline - Music & Musician Forums

Thanks man :).

I am having a big writers block. Just for singing though. I can write lyrics fine, I can write guitar parts fine, but recently i've been in a singing writers block. Is this because i've been playing guitar for way longer and I can come up with it better than singing?

[QUOTE=kidthatplaysguitar91]I am having a big writers block. Just for singing though. I can write lyrics fine, I can write guitar parts fine, but recently i've been in a singing writers block. Is this because i've been playing guitar for way longer and I can come up with it better than singing?[/QUOTE]
I have no idea what youre talking about....:confused:

Thx for the tip.Also I've been told by my friend who take vocal lesson that to go down I should lower my tounge until it goes down on the base of the mouth.Is it true?can anybody give me an insight on that.

I have one more problem,when I go down low I cant seem to lower my jaw.

Hey, Merkaba... I wondering if you check this out.... it's just an example of how I scream. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.....

[url]http://media.putfile.com/My-Screaming-Example-sorry-for-quality[/url]

hey i posted this in merkabas voice hotline but i thought id post it in here too :)

so, 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=Merkaba]I have no idea what youre talking about....:confused:[/QUOTE]

I think he/she means that they're having trouble coming up with a melody for their vocals.

I say:
a) go along with the music
or
b) do something to contrast the music

i was curious what happened to the avenged sevenfold singer. not sure if anyone knows specifically but wanted to see if it was from inhale screaming or something...

thanks.

[QUOTE=buenokid]i was curious what happened to the avenged sevenfold singer. not sure if anyone knows specifically but wanted to see if it was from inhale screaming or something...

thanks.[/QUOTE]

Oh God... no, it is not from inhale screaming, his screaming was all exhale.

His major issue is that he has a low ranged voice, yet he continued to scream in a high range, which he just didn't have. He kept forcing and forcing high notes from his thraot that he couldn't hit cleanly, and eventually his throat and voice took damages from it.

[QUOTE=Eleventeen]Merkaba... anything you think I should work on with my screaming?

[url]http://www.myspace.com/ofthedyingbreed[/url][/QUOTE]

who else is playing at the brenda and jerry's show?

[QUOTE=Merkaba]I have no idea what youre talking about....:confused:[/QUOTE]


I cant write vocal melodies but i can write stuff on guitar and i can write lyrics. This block has been happening for like a month. I've written like 3 songs since then but their not as good as my other stuff.

Play another melody on top of it with the guitar. Make that your singing melody. Or put some reverb and chorus on the track and play it from another room. This works alot of times for me. Or used to back when I actually wrote a good bit. The lingering of the tones gave me lots of ideas.