just need a bit of direction....
 

Alright, first off i will start by stating i have indeed read just about everything on screaming contained in this website... and believe that i understand a majority of it. The knowledge isn't the problem, but i have a little question on the application......

I am screaming, but hoping on range. Most of all, i want to do it right. Listening to all styles of 'screaming' vocals i noticed they ALL sound relatively the same, like they are coming from the same area (As Merkaba has said...) but here is my problem. First off, i can't gliss a scream very far at all, is this me or just how it works? Next, when i do a deep, lower ended scream it has a quite resonating, airy, kind of rumble to it... no problem with the sound (which, if i had to relate would be like Tim Lambesis, As I Lay Dying lows) it is just how long i can hold it... maybe 15 seconds... top. My friends say it is SUPER open, and that i believe is the problem, but closing it, even slightly, alters the sound for the worse. Next, my higher ended screams. I either get a whiny-rasp that i feel in the back, upper part of my throat (i really don't like it), or, recently, i have been able to obtain an airy, more open scream which i feel coming rumbling in my larynx slightly. Niether cause pain, but both require a decent amount of push... the worse part is the airy, larynx based high pinches every once and a while into a quite unpleasant screachy noise (like slamming on your brakes...) Anyone have any assistance????

Finally, one more note.... mid-ranged styled screams (Norma Jean, Stars Are Falling, The Chariot, Fear Before the March of Flames, Dead to Fall.....) when i attempt them it seems i can always get a quit scratchy, nasty sound.... that doesn't sound open at all


i need help, please........ just advice

Dont have much time right now to get too long. BUt If you can, post a sample of your screams...and then of you trying to sing the same note. High, mid and low. If you can't sing it, you cant scream it well.

i want to get a good vibrato going, a la 'opera'. Think you can help me out?
thanks

I would love to record some samples, as i understand this would make critiquing much easier, and more accurate but.... i only have a mic and no knowledge of how to get my sound onto the internet. I am familiar with computers, so if someone could quickly decribe to me what i need and how to get it up on the internet, that would be great... I have a mic (PG 58 is the model, if it matters), and the only method of transfering voice onto the computer, that i have, is one of those cheap microphones that allow you to talk to someone else on the internet.... how do i record? like what program would i need, and what is the best way to record onto the computer?

...anyone? just need a bit of advice, it would be greatly appreciated.

Dont know much about it all.

Do you have anything to power the mic up? Like a stereo or mixer? If so plug it into that and run out from their into the comp. You might need a converter depending on what type of connection you have in the back of your comp. I'm pretty sure its not a 1/4" jack! If you dont have anything to power up your pg 58 mic then I'm not sure if you can just run it directly into the comp...maybe someone else will know if you need it powered up or not.

In any event, go here [url]http://audacity.sourceforge.net/[/url] and get audacity. Its decent. Then see if you can at least get some input even if its with the crappy computer mic. Just dont get too close.

Alright, i will get those samples hopefully put up in the next couple of weeks... but in the mean-time i have a quick question for Merkaba, or anyone else who would like to take a stab at it:
Alright i noticed that i get the rasp/change in tone from the same portion of my throat in both highs and mid-ranged styled screams but, no matter how hard i tried i notcied a gliss was impossible. Then i found that i am pushing in 2 completely different ways... with the high is has pressure, and dare i say i am tense while i do it, a bad thing. My larynx is raised slightly, and sometimes i get that squeely brakes "chirp" squeak which i believe is the cords closing off due to the pressure, which i understand is bad. No pain has ever evolved from it, but on to the mid-ranged style. They have little volume, about say a raised speaking tone. They also, seem to derived from a very feeble singing not. If i add more air, the blast causes problems. Could it be that i just need to work on the mid-ranged more to allow for more volume and cleaness of tone?

Merk,

I've been following your thread for a couple months now trying to improve my vocals. I'm making progress, but I was wondering if you had advise on a daily practice routine.

Right now, I spend about 30 minutes singing major scales. I am doing a pretty good job of hitting the notes acending and decending the scale with my guitar. I can also sing the the scales doing 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, etc. intervals. I'm getting pretty good at this, but need a good deal of practice still. I sing these as "do-re-mi" "moh, may moo", etc. sounds with these exercises. That's really all I'm doing, though.

Are there other things I should be doing to round out my practices?

I have a few songs posted here: [url]http://onetrickpony.dmusic.com[/url]

Please take a listen (and anyone else reading this) and offer your advise if you can. I am happy with the improvements I'm making, but have a long way to go.

Thanks.

hey merkaba/anyone else who can help:

i haven't read this whole thread, so forgive me if my question has already been addressed.

i currently play guitar, been playing for about a year, and i'm working on singing and playing at the same time. i have no real singing experience at all. i'm not interested in advanced singing techniques like screaming or falsetto really, i just want to be able to hit notes in my own range and be able to sing a song in key. i don't really have any idea where to start; what kind of stuff should i work on as a complete beginner? thanks :thumb:

I forgive you

If you cant stay in key you need to work on singing along with single notes as you do scales. Then play three two five note scales where you play the scale first, then repeat it by singing it without playing. Staying in key with an instrument on your lap is the easiest way to stay in key. If you cant do this then you might be tensing up around your vocal bridges which makes it hell trying to stay in key if you dont know which voice to use(this should be automatic after enough practice to realize where your chest voice really ends and your head voice begins, and the same for head to falsetto. The first three sections at the first page's "menu" can help you alot. And just relax and sing.

Funny thing, i love singing but i think i am doing it entirely wrong. It seems no matter what my throat tenses slightly when i try and hit odd notes. i can sing completely comfortable, loose, relaxed etc. but i don't always think it sounds right. Before i am warmed up a few have told me it actually sounds more like an aired talking note.... anything to remedy this?

If it matters my falsetto is decent, i just think i am not doing something right in head/chest... of which i can't discern the difference when i am singing.

Not much info here. But you might be having trouble releasing into head voice. A sample would be better.

merka i get a 404 error trying to download your samples

[url]http://www.soundclick.com/bands/1/merkabastarmusic.htm[/url]

please, can you re-upload them into something like rapidshare.de or something??

thanx

I'll look into it. I dont know if I have those files still...but I can make somemore sometime. I don't know what happened to my account. I'll try to contact soundclick to see.

It's here [url]http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=228211[/url]

I think soundclick changed their linking system or something.

Hey Merkaba

Please visit [url]www.purevolume.com/thevaliantaus[/url] and listen to the clips "The Scare - Cry Junkie" and "At The Drive-In - Cosmonaut". Now how would you go about switching from singing to screaming demonstrated in both of these clips? Because I have trouble going from singing clean to singing with a rasp or screaming. How can I make it so that the transition from singing to screaming present and make it smooth?

Regards,
Jan

I'll have to check it later. Got to get to bed now..but I must say that Cedric sounds very tenor...so if youre baritone it will be way harder for you to relate to how easy it is for him.

Be sure you can isolate and stay in head voice, if its head voice. The best thing is to practice the screaming passage by singing it normally...gradually increasing push and rasp. Otherwise it might make you tense up the throat in an attempt to get it all in one blow, if youre not used to it.

Hey, Im a newbie to this ****in site!!! rock the **** on...
My question is, how to get a louder bellow? i got ur tips and its working and all, but I want to get louder, like Cannibal Corpse, Disturbed, ummm Drowning Pool, like loud ****! lol...
I love hardcore and have my own band, Human Slaughter House, I need to get louder and a little bit better for my band and my fans...
thanks in head of hand for your tips..

Whats isolate? sorry...

Go to the first page in this thread.

How can i get the black metal sounds of screaming?

I can get my voice all raspy and such but i cant get that dark sound to it.

[QUOTE=jan_thevaliant]Hey Merkaba

Please visit [url]www.purevolume.com/thevaliantaus[/url] and listen to the clips "The Scare - Cry Junkie" and "At The Drive-In - Cosmonaut". Now how would you go about switching from singing to screaming demonstrated in both of these clips? Because I have trouble going from singing clean to singing with a rasp or screaming. How can I make it so that the transition from singing to screaming present and make it smooth?

Regards,
Jan[/QUOTE]

holy sh*t, is that you singing at the drive in? lol or is it actually at the drive in... cuz if its you, it sounds really really awesome. i can match his voice but not that well. if its you that is:p

umm......im back.........i dunno whats wrong with me. i like.......lack tone in my voice? completely?

Merkaba, I've been having some vocal trouble lately. :(

Well for one, I don't read the singer's survival guide book as much as I should, or practice as much as I should. My motivation is kinda shot I guess. Not sure what to do. :(

But other than that (and maybe related to that), I seem to be having a problem keeping my voice loosened up. As you probably know, I've worked my range to a little over 3 octaves. I'm quite proud of it actually. It may be a little less now because I haven't practiced it though.
After I learned how to "bridge" my voice between chest, head, and falsetto, things were going great. It seemed as they there were no breaks between my voice.

But then after that, I decided I would rather increase my upper head voice range, instead of going into falsetto so early. Bands like Helloween, Iced Earth, and Sonata Arctica use insanely high head voices, and that's what drove me to improve my voice to that level, or as close as possible of course.
When I sing that high in my head voice though, my larynx is very high and my neck simply feels tight. I don't know how to relax it. I tried the robot face and stuff, I just don't know how to NOT make the larynx move. Is a little movement okay? Or should it always be still? I think I need help in this area. And I believe that's why my motivation has been nil because I feel that if I can't relax while singing my preferred style of music, meh.
As for my tone I think it sounds good, has a good amount of volume to it, but just from hearing myself I can "hear" my throat kind of straining, even though the note is coming out loud and clear. On the contrary, when I recorded it, it sounded much quieter than vocals in my other range, not sure if it really is quieter or if it's my $5 mic though.

If you can help me in any way, I'd greatly appreciate it. =) I'll do whatever it takes to improve upon this, even if it means starting over and working my range back up.

Otherwise.. the rest of my head voice and my chest voice are doing great. :thumb: I've just been discouraged to sing much. =/
Though I have been working on my growls now and then, I think I've [i]really[/i] excelled at that. It's kind of the same feel as falsetto (which I also do sometimes) but more like a whisper voice. Isolating, of course. :)

I have a few specific questions regarding the technique I'm using to get my harsh vocals (growling). I have been using the technique I do for about three months, and I don't practice too frequently. It's really not painful at all until I do it for longer than an hour, when it starts to get pretty uncomfortable. I basically use the technique I hear is most recommended: pushing from the diaphragm.

First, I can't get any length on them. I feel like I'm pushing quite a bit to get only about 7 or so seconds of pure growling. I uploaded a clip of me growling for as long as I can, starting with my lungs almost full.

[url]http://s62.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=28CNNBBCR5GFA2OS9XU57T7QFN[/url]

Second, I hate the tone I get when I scream. I rarely ever get any "note" in my growling, and I know how to stop it when I do, but I can't seem to stop a "note" from coming out when I scream. It feels like the "rasp" of the scream is getting more choppy as I open my mouth more and more, and the rasp is almost gone when I open my mouth as wide as I can. I uploaded a clip of me going from a growl into a scream, using the exact same technique but opening my mouth a lot more.

[url]http://s62.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=146LWO2EVNSLI1KM0CTTPDYF3G[/url]

This clip is one of me attempting a scream. You can clearly hear my regular singing voice coming through the scream.

[url]http://s62.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2FB59KKX056IT0DHZRO57UGT44[/url]

This last clip is a bit redundant, but it demonstrates how the rasp gets more and more choppy as I open my mouth more.

[url]http://s62.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=211V4L8RGW0X40Z6I2UOZC9ET7[/url]

If you could tell me what I'm doing wrong or give me some advice, I'd really appreciate it. I'm not worried about my normal growling, just the length I can go for and the tone of my screaming. Thanks very much.

Sorry, this didn't get noticed in the stickied vocal thread, so I thought I'd give this thread a shot.

[QUOTE=Peg Dizzler]Merkaba, I've been having some vocal trouble lately. :(

Well for one, I don't read the singer's survival guide book as much as I should, or practice as much as I should. My motivation is kinda shot I guess. Not sure what to do. :(

But other than that (and maybe related to that), I seem to be having a problem keeping my voice loosened up. As you probably know, I've worked my range to a little over 3 octaves. I'm quite proud of it actually. It may be a little less now because I haven't practiced it though.
After I learned how to "bridge" my voice between chest, head, and falsetto, things were going great. It seemed as they there were no breaks between my voice.

But then after that, I decided I would rather increase my upper head voice range, instead of going into falsetto so early. Bands like Helloween, Iced Earth, and Sonata Arctica use insanely high head voices, and that's what drove me to improve my voice to that level, or as close as possible of course.
When I sing that high in my head voice though, my larynx is very high and my neck simply feels tight. I don't know how to relax it. I tried the robot face and stuff, I just don't know how to NOT make the larynx move. Is a little movement okay? Or should it always be still? I think I need help in this area. And I believe that's why my motivation has been nil because I feel that if I can't relax while singing my preferred style of music, meh.
As for my tone I think it sounds good, has a good amount of volume to it, but just from hearing myself I can "hear" my throat kind of straining, even though the note is coming out loud and clear. On the contrary, when I recorded it, it sounded much quieter than vocals in my other range, not sure if it really is quieter or if it's my $5 mic though.

If you can help me in any way, I'd greatly appreciate it. =) I'll do whatever it takes to improve upon this, even if it means starting over and working my range back up.

Otherwise.. the rest of my head voice and my chest voice are doing great. :thumb: I've just been discouraged to sing much. =/
Though I have been working on my growls now and then, I think I've [i]really[/i] excelled at that. It's kind of the same feel as falsetto (which I also do sometimes) but more like a whisper voice. Isolating, of course. :)[/QUOTE]
The more you think the more possibility of tension. To keep the larynx Relatively low, you have to think about pulling the cords back. Extreme reaches in head voice arent natural, and takes a bit of unnatural feel. I would say at this point, dont worry about the larynx. You'll know if its a problem if you start to lose stamina or get pain or more breaking notes. Be sure to warm up as you start to get back into it. Remember though that some of these guys can be tenors or high tenors. Yea, life isn't fair. But there are things they can do and can't. And the same with a baritone(most of us).

It can really take a while to see any improvement in head voice, and then to gain consistency is even longer. I say if you arent getting any pain or hoarsness then lay your ears back and let em have it.... and warm down. Post a sample if ya wanna.

[QUOTE=Merkaba]The more you think the more possibility of tension. To keep the larynx Relatively low, you have to think about pulling the cords back. Extreme reaches in head voice arent natural, and takes a bit of unnatural feel. I would say at this point, dont worry about the larynx. You'll know if its a problem if you start to lose stamina or get pain or more breaking notes. Be sure to warm up as you start to get back into it. Remember though that some of these guys can be tenors or high tenors. Yea, life isn't fair. But there are things they can do and can't. And the same with a baritone(most of us).

It can really take a while to see any improvement in head voice, and then to gain consistency is even longer. I say if you arent getting any pain or hoarsness then lay your ears back and let em have it.... and warm down. Post a sample if ya wanna.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, it seems to be tense when I just try to go really high with my head voice. Like when I sing in my car it sounds good to me but I guess it sounds quiet/gay when I hear it recorded. Haha.
And about pulling the cords back... is it kind of like "pulling down" feeling when singing in chest voice? Is that related to belting?

Also, how do I know I'm a tenor/high tenor? I could figure out the notes in my range if that helps..

[QUOTE=Peg Dizzler]Yeah, it seems to be tense when I just try to go really high with my head voice. Like when I sing in my car it sounds good to me but I guess it sounds quiet/gay when I hear it recorded. Haha.
And about pulling the cords back... is it kind of like "pulling down" feeling when singing in chest voice? Is that related to belting?

Also, how do I know I'm a tenor/high tenor? I could figure out the notes in my range if that helps..[/QUOTE]
Its hard to sing high in head voice(as opposed to falsetto) and not be tense. I can't off much but to say practice. I have a problem with locking the back of my neck....so i just try to be mindful of it when I'm practicing and try to sing the song I'm singing while going loose in my neck. Isolation.

The whole pulling back thing, I would say dont worry about it. Just be sure youre not thinking about your cords being vertical or in the back of your throat, as I used to!

Fach....just sing. Start on the G or A below middle C and rise up and see when you start to go into falsetto. Not how long you can stretch to stay in head, but when you naturally feel your cords wanted release. Basically a tenor should be able to comfortably hit the next C in normal head voice. I.e. tenor high C.

Well I think he should be able to sing tenor if he has a 3 octave range? Unless you can sing in the first octave which is insanely low lol..