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.

thanks anyway!! i think it would work, but when I scream I **** up my voice man!! ....I cant talk normal anymore..you know...your voice sounds like a frog or something

nevermind I play lead guitar:) But I like to scream hehe

just follow the technique and you won't hurt your voice at all, if you are hurting your voice you aren't doin it right :P

yup, i know:p i'm going to try your technique;)

screaming is so hot, i can do it sometimes, i'm gonna work on it tho

I wanna yell like Tom Araya.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Griffin_Page [/i]
[B]I wanna yell like Tom Araya. [/B][/QUOTE]

me 2

Posion the well has some good screams, especially Nerdy and Botchla

its funny, i have like 50 different cool screa,s and i dont do them like you said and i dont **** up my voice, i think in my whole life, ive never been so pround (tear) ****

its funny, i have like 50 different cool screa,s and i dont do them like you said and i dont **** up my voice, i think in my whole life, ive never been so proud (tear) ****

thats cool, i was just tryin to teach one method of high pitched screaming that I know actualy works and doesn't **** up your vocal chords at all. With this technique I've found you can do an hour or more set without hurting yourself... If you know another or better way hey cheers :) post up and share what ya know.

this thread has helped heaps, i'll muck around with it infront of the mirror later on haha but the cheek bone thing will look so bad coz im asian and fat so my eyes will be like nuthin but tiny slits haha, the falsetto thing is interesting, im more comfortable using my diaphram but I'll muck around with it

I'm gonna listen to this tom arya scream and see if i can't figure what you guys were talkin about.

Awesome
 

This is a much more descriptive thread than that "SCREAMING 101" crap. I'm gonna post a link from there to here.

Peace out,

Soundless.Vow

check us out at [url]http://www.soundclick.com/soundlessvow/[/url]
or [url]http://www.soundlessvow.tk[/url]

while its common knowledge that smoking is bad for your throat, i have found that by smoking cigarettes, i can scream a lot better.

(as a side note, chino is the reason i began singing and eventually became singer for a band. i would highky recommend deftones to anyone who hasn't heard their sh*t yet.)

joe.

[I]hahahahahahaha[/I]

Alright so I'm back with a few more pointers and a few things which I forgot to mention in my first post:

Everybody has a different vocal range. Not everybody has a high voice not everybody has a low voice--but everybody for the most part can be taught to scream. I reccomended earlier that if you are doing reletively psychotic high pitched screams that you use your falsetto voice. However everybodys falsetto starts at different areas, so... at certain notes your falsetto will be stronger. For the most part you are stuck with the range you have, you can strengthen what notes you can hit, by doing excercises... if you have a piano and you know a little bit of theory you can practise singing different notes in the C major scale (do re mi fa so la ti do). A good place to start your falsetto singing for most males is around C5 or the high C or the B4(middle C being C3). So basically my point is, if you think that practising and practising and screaming your guts out till you are blue in the face will eventually help you reach higher notes STOP... you cannot change the depth of your voice... unless you take hormone pills or remove your testicals... lol. Work with what you got, even if you got a really deep bass range you can probably get a decent high falsetto scream goin if you practise at getting it strong with proper exersises. I think after about 2 years of practising when I started I increased my range by 1 and a half steps or 3 semitones... which is a lot for a guy, but I am a still a baritone, I could never change into a tenor or anything.

I realise that many people want to just jump into screaming or singing but treat it like any instrument. If you want to play guitar, you can't just jump into it, you gotta practise the basics... and then move on to the harder stuff. Every idiot and there uncle thinks they can be a singer-- ie. american idol. ITS AN INSTRUMENT, treat it like one, practise everyday and you will see results. If you practise half an hour before a show, once a month its going to show.

OK, so lets assume you've gone ahead and you've mastered the technique I've posted up--and you're screamin like a champ.

Here are some things to keep in mind before doing a show:

1) avoid drinking orange juice or any other kinda acidic fruit or sugary or carbonated drinks: Its has citric acid in it, it irritates your throat... its not a BIG deal, but every little thing helps.

2) don't drink any alcahol: Alcahol will dehydrate you like a mother****er, if you drink heavily right before you sing you can seriously hurt your vocal chords and risk permanent damage. Don't believe me? Bono from U2, used to be an amazing live singer, he used to be able to hit a C5 head on full voice live, now he sings it falsetto. Why? Alcahol. Don't get me wrong, it still sounds ok, but you know... not as good as he used to be.

3) avoid drinking milk: I know the guy in the other forum said to drink milk before you do a scream... I can see why this would be important if you are doing an improper technique that hurts your vocal chords... however assuming you are following my instructions milk will just build up a HUGE amount of mucus in your mouth. After about 30 minutes of your set you might start coughing it up between songs like an idiot or worse during a song.

4) DO drink warm water or tea: hey, it can't do you any harm can it? Talking and singing makes the throat dry, you need to liquidate it a bit there. If you are into that herbal ****, then put some echanacea in your water or tea, IT WORKS GREAT!

5) DO try to eat about 2-3 hours before you go up. You will always sing better on an empty stomach, plus you feel lighter.

6) DO take a piss: i think this one explains itself... 90% of the time you will be so nervous you'll forget to do this... nothing is ****tier than when you're rockin it out on stage and you gotta piss...

7) Get confident: Do whatever you have to do to be relaxed, you are the frontman here, if you just stand there and don't jump around and aren't confident in yourself people aren't gonna get into it. Don't get too excited and forget the stuff you practised, get into it but keep a clear head and remember your theory. Obviously your not gonna be able to stand up straight with your shoulders back ALL the time, but... try your best to keep form as much as possible until you are really confident with your voice. Unless your maynard or something, then i guess you can just crawl up in a fetal ball and nobody will give a **** cause your f*ckin maynard!

8) Avoid smoking ciggarettes: I always hear stupid **** from singers who say that smoking helps them sing cooler or scream cooler. I can recognize that smoking will give you a sort of raspy sounding voice... however you can learn to emulate this style of singing/screaming with practise. Its not necessary to smoke to sound raspy--its taking the short road out. If you are sombody who smokes to sing better in a few years 2 things will happen. You will develop large amounts of flem in your vocal chords causing you to cough like a fiend on stage all the time during sets, and two you MAY loose some of your vocal range--I've seen it happen, to friends, so yah... ITS NOT A GOOD IDEA. But whatever, if you're sensible about it and don't smoke like a fiend... its not that bad, but if you want to be a serious performer and want your music to sound its BEST then i would consider loosing it, or for gods sake don't do right before a show.

Next post will be about some warm up vocal exercises you can use before a show, and before practising.

I also wouldn't mind if anyone is interested... I could put what I have learned from my classical, jazz, and rock training in singing up here as well in a different thread.

ps. I listened to the Tom Araya scream, you can emulate it to a reasonable degree with this style. However he does seem to scream on key (with a tone), which is a little bit harder to do... especially if you are more of a screamer than singer, thats why I would recomend learning to do both if you want to be a live performer.

[QUOTE]#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.[/QUOTE]
so to do the deathmetal type screams i'd would have to use my full voice? could you explain that type of scream abit more?

give me an example of a deathmetal band, and give me a song by them that would you like to start with. I will listen to it and let you know.

how does finch scream? sometimes hes like bending over when he does it. awesome tho.

exactly how the dude instructed, the finch scream aint hard

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by thee unsound [/i]
[B]give me an example of a deathmetal band, and give me a song by them that would you like to start with. I will listen to it and let you know. [/B][/QUOTE]

Well seeming as that other fella has not replied to you yet, i will ask about Children of Bodom. They aren't exactly deathmetal, blackmetal most ppl classify them as, but songs such as Silent Scream (Slayer cover, but get it anyway!!) the singer has this scream/yell at the beginning which is something he does quite often in any of their songs. Also at the end around the 3:05 mark, that stumps me also.

I'm also keen on asking what stuff you sing? What bands do you normally sing along with? And what voices have you mastered? That will help some of us a hell of a lot.. me anyway.

Cheers

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by thee unsound [/i]
[B]I also wouldn't mind if anyone is interested... I could put what I have learned from my classical, jazz, and rock training in singing up here as well in a different thread. [/B][/QUOTE]

That'd be awesome. I'm in training at the moment to be a rock vocalist, I'd like to end up somewhere in between Axl Rose and Chris Cornell one day. I sing in a quoir (Axl used to sing in one) and take two different singing lessons (One is free, the other I pay for), and I'm always trawling the net for more advice. Some from an actual vocalist would be much appreciated.:)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by thee unsound [/i]
[B]give me an example of a deathmetal band, and give me a song by them that would you like to start with. I will listen to it and let you know. [/B][/QUOTE]

fear factory - desecrate or morbid angel - where the slime live, depending on wich is easier to start off. eventually i'd like to be able to pull of cannibal corpse and the end of all sorta screams.

what about the will haven scream???!!!!

ahh too many questions, sorry been busy with school lately.

Chewbacka: like axeslinga said, the finch scream you can do using the technique i posted... the fact that he bends over when he does it doesn't make him scream it better... if you want to bend over thats fine... but its a lot harder to learn bending over.

Oblin: I listened to the Fear Factory stuff, this isn't my forte` by any means... but i did notice a few things. things... #1 he uses a lot of effects on his voice, so just through a microphone you'll never be able to replicate it just right. #2 he has a really low voice... =) if you have a low bass or low baratino voice this is probably right up your alley. I however am more of a high baritone / low tenor. So its sort of difficult for me to replicate it, but I tried my best and was somewhat successfull.

The technique is the same as the one i posted earlier, however I found that I couldn't really hit those low notes with my falsetto. I had to do it low with my diaphram. So take a deep breath, not with your chest but with your stomach--what i mean is, as your breathing in make your stomach expand every time you breath, and when you breath out let it contract. Its not a natural way of breathing, but as instructed earlier in my first post there are methods of building it up so it becomes second nature. Anyway the stronger your lungs get, the least amount of air you will need to scream. basically you have to breathe in with your diaphram, and push heavily on the back of your throat and tense your face up so it almost feels like your screaming out of your forehead. Again, i suck at this type of scream, i don't have a low enough voice to do it really well... I posted from what I can hear is the technique, but what I can't teach is style, that is something everybody has to learn on your own.

electron: I listen to children of bodom - silent scream NICE !!! The technique is exactly the same as the one I have been posting actualy. The singer from what i can hear is using his falsetto pushed really hard, its not "in theory" any different than the screams we here so much in screamo like the guy from the used uses. Whats different here is style: and this is really something you can't teach a person, my advice is to follow the instructions i posted and really LISTEN to the way he screams (if that is the way you want to scream). Its my opinion that a really good singer, can sing any style.

I myself am a toolhead. But i like old metal as well, but deffinately I am more prog metal influenced than anything. and yah for a while tried to copy the whole maynard style, but after a while got sick of it and i invented my own style... my own voice--thats when you will sound the best. Trying to sound like someone else will get you nowhere... well unless its pearl jam lol that seems to be getting a lot of crappy bands places *cough cough* creed *cough cough* nickelback *cough cough*

Rooster: I'll get around to it eventually, I have to get back to studying now :( ****in mathematical statistics is killin me ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I was never in a choir, what kinda range do you have? Chris cornells awesome :) i wish i could sing some of those high notes, the highest note I can hit is A#4 full voice... anyways back to studying hope i answered the questions... if ya feel i wasn't clear enough feel free to keep buggin me ill get to ya eventualy.

Cheers dude :)

[QUOTE]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.[/QUOTE]
so this would be using the diaphram, right?
also when i growl for a while my throat feels raped, do you have any suggestions as to how to deal with that?

I forgot something VERY IMPORTANT: STAND IN FRONT OF A MIRROR. This is imperitif if you want to progress. Why? Especially since you do not have an instructor standing in front of a mirror will remind us about things such as proper form. Seeing yourself slack off and not doing the right technique will remind you to do it!

Oblin: I would sugguest that when you practise, practise just to the point of pain... meaning, practise until it feels like if you screamed or sang another note you would experiance strain. Once you start getting pain STOP immidiately take a break, either wait till the next day or wait a few hours before starting again. I sugguest drinking some tea afterwards:) yep thats ONE of the exercises you can do, there are others you can also do and here are 2:

Once you learn to breathe properly through your diaphram practise counting... remember to practise technique (cheek bones up, imagine singing through the temple of your face, shoulders back and standing up straight) and count from 1 to 25, then 1 to 30, then 1 to 40, then 1 to 60, and then so on. Try not to rush the count, try to announciate each number properly. Im not saying you have to go slow, but make sure you are saying the numbers and not just slurring them.

another exericise is practising sentances here is one, one of my teachers used to force on me:

"The Lemon tree is very pretty and the lemon flower sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat."

See how many times you can say it properly without taking a breath :) remember technique :) This is good for people who find that on stage they start to run out of breath and sound stupid breaking apart words with there breaths :P

ah time for class :) later

Ok, i need the chloraseptic spray.....
 

Ok, i tired your method and my voice is sooooo f*cking sore right now. Is not that torn apart vocal chord pain though, more of a really well worked out muscle sore so im hoping that means itll get stronger after this. I didnt sound good doing it at all. Did anyone else sound stupid in the beginning trying it out? Ive been singing for years and wanted to learn how to scream safely wihtout f*cking up my voice, i hope i start to sound decent. How do i get that rough Finch scream out of a high little girl sounding falsetta? It just doesnt sound right when i do it. I was a tenor in choir so i have kind of a high voice as it is, any more pointers you could give em would be VERY helpful. Thnx.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by thee unsound [/i]
[B]Rooster: I'll get around to it eventually, I have to get back to studying now :( ****in mathematical statistics is killin me ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I was never in a choir, what kinda range do you have? Chris cornells awesome :) i wish i could sing some of those high notes, the highest note I can hit is A#4 full voice[/B][/QUOTE]

I really don't know, at first my teacher said it was very high for a bloke but then she said it was very low. I can hit most of Cornell's notes pretty well (Without his kinda witchey personal sound mind) but I can't hit the second note in about girl by Nirvana. It's weird as hell.:confused:

How would I go about producing a Marilyn Manson type scream? And another thing, I don't really have a problem with losing my breath but when I sing I tend to salivate a lot. It really screws me up. Any pointers on how to get around this?

Screaming symphony: Here is what i think you're problem is-- are you practising with a microphone? Screaming without killing your throat is about quality over loudness, push, but go for SOUND not loudness, you can get loudness with a PA!!! Turn up the PA to a really high volume and let the scream roll on the back of your throat, and see how loud you can get it, it sounds hardcore. I'm tellin ya it works. It does take a while to get good at it though--practise to the point of pain, like working a muscle. I wish i was a tenor :( I also just realised a few days ago, its not so much your falsetto as it is making a blend between pushing your whispering voice and your falsetto... using the falsetto more if you want higher range... its freakin hard to explain sorry! Just mess around if you can't figure it out bug me again ill try my best to put it all in theory.... remember im still learning as well :)

Rooster: About a girl eh? Depending on which version you are singing that high note in it is a A or a G# (or is it Ab i was never sure). A if your singing along to the one of bleach, and G# if you're singing off unplugged. I can hit those notes and I am a baritone tenor, so i am guessing you are a baritone. So im not really sure how you can sing chris cornell songs unless you are singing the lower ones, like maybe "like a stone".

Doll: From what I hear of him the "Marilyn Manson scream" isn't really a scream, its just singing aggressively. I'm basing this off of the songs i know by him (which is limited lol), the fight song and the beautiful people. If you think otherwise post a song and ill listen to it and ill tell you whats what. So right its done with the diaphram, and its just hitting those high notes raspy, theres no real way to sound like "just like him", everybodys voice is different. I guess you could practise impersonating him if you wanted. This type of scream requires you to be a singer... ie. you can't be tone deaf lol or it will just sound retarded... you could probably fake your way through it by screaming... but its not the same. WHat you want is singing lessons not screaming lessons :P maybe ill get around to that someday. This is the same kind of scream as the linkin park, or nirvana scream... none of them sound the same because they all have different voices, but its essientially the same shat.

I invite any tips anyone has on screaming or singing, or aggressive singing as well cause as i said im learning as well and don't have all the answers. Hope this all makes sense.

thee unsound you are a bloody legend
im not a very good singer but i started lessons and my teacher is really bad, so this helped out a lot
yeah more singing lessons would be mad
ta dude

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by thee unsound [/i]
[B]Rooster: About a girl eh? Depending on which version you are singing that high note in it is a A or a G# (or is it Ab i was never sure). A if your singing along to the one of bleach, and G# if you're singing off unplugged. I can hit those notes and I am a baritone tenor, so i am guessing you are a baritone. So im not really sure how you can sing chris cornell songs unless you are singing the lower ones, like maybe "like a stone". [/B][/QUOTE]

I was singing with a guitarist (On electric), drummer and bassist, so I guess you could say it was the version from Bleach. The Chris Cornell songs I sing are mainly the Audioslave numbers, a few Temple of the Dog and Soundgarden tunes and 'Right Turn' with Alice in Chains. I've never really seen him as that high a singer to be honest, is his solo stuff very high pitched?

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by thee unsound [/i]
[B]give me an example of a deathmetal band, and give me a song by them that would you like to start with. I will listen to it and let you know. [/B][/QUOTE]

How is it done on In Flames - The Jesters Race?

Well the highest scream I have ever heard is made by :) Death - Painkiller.I have gone from the nut of the guitar to the bridge and there is no note like this,Chuck Schuldiner is one helluva singer.I havent heard anybody to scream like him.

Rooster: errr i guess you don't know much about nirvana there buddy :) bleach was released before any cd, so yah... unplugged was done much later.. anyways he sings high in a lot of songs, ie. pretty noose, superunknown, and in audioslave he sings pretty high in cochise. His solo stuff kinda sucked (from what I've heard) i never listened to it much.

Mortzor: I would sugguest trying out a few people, I think I went through 3 or 4 teachers before I found out one I liked. An important thing to do is ASK THEM TO SING, if they won't do it, then f*ck it you want to know the person you are learning from IS GOOD, you wouldn't learn to drive from someone who can't drive would you lol ? A lot of people who teach suck balls. Also if you are a guy, get a male teacher and get a teacher who is into the kind of music you are into, not someone pretending to be. You don't want to learn to sing rock music from some guy singing opera. Its important to get a guy, because they will understand your voice more than a girl will, and vice versa for girls. I say this mainly because singing lessons are pretty FACKIN expensive. I remember i dished out about 50 bucks for em at a point from this dude who was really good. The best deal i got was when i took a university course in vocal it was 450 for a year of singing lessons lol awesome! Ya and this guy could scream, like a mother****, any band, I'd tell him to listen to then next week he'd come to the lesson go into the mic and hed do it, thats the kinda person you wanna get!

If you wait a week or two, I will eventually make a singing pointers thread. (hopefully)

thank you for specifying the blend between whispering and falsetto, i know exactly what you mean (what i do when i try to make funny noises like gollum) but i still don't understand how that can sound anything like the screams that i have heard. they sound more like just manually distorting your voice. so far that has what has worked best for me, however it has hurt my throat a bit, so i've stopped for now as it will probably wreck my voice.

i think drinking pop or milk helps the scream, because the way i do it is to scream through the fluid in my throat.