Screaming

[cancer]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]I am just now in a band that doesn't really have a great vocalist. It is a hardcore band, and I'd love to be able to scream for it. The only problem is I don't know how to scream properly or sing for that matter. Does anyone know exercises I could do to develop my voice? Also are there any sites that show you how to sing for free? I'd appreciate any advice for screaming/singing I can get. Thanks.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Box Hoy]

I'm in a band and I'm the vocalist as well. At first I was in the same position as you. Basically practice screaming with songs you know really good. Recognize what they're doing in the song.
I also like to drink green tea. It helps elevate me elevate my voice and gets congestion and stuff out which can dampen the quality of your voice.

[2010DigitalBoy]

When you scream, put your heart into it and scream like you mean it. Whether it be deep like Slipknot or lighter like Cradle of Filth, you gotta put power into it. What I hate to see is a lot of screamo bands and the like putting little power into their screams. Some people may like this, but I hate it. If your gunna scream, scream like you mean it. If you dont scream well, please dont scream. Davey Havock from AFI cannot scream worth crap, but he does so in some songs and its terrible...

So remember, when you scream, pour your soul into it.

[Goodbye, Face]

[font=arial][size=1]A good thing to do is to yell a lot before you decide you're going to start screaming. You'll need a bit of a raspy voice. Screaming should basically occur as you sing. For added effect, well... get angry! The more emotion that comes out of your mouth the more powerful it will be, guaranteed.

A lot of people will probably tell you to just start gargling, but without water. At least for me, that really hurts your throat after a while, I usually get sick the day after if I do it like that. Also, there's no way your audience will be able to tell what you're screaming, as less words and more noise.[/font][/size]

[Jakehammaren]

First of all, don't be like the guy from Slipknot and blow out your voice. In fact, don't be anything like anything involving Slipknot in general.

Anyway, what you need to do is realize that screaming for a band should be a lot different than simply screaming at someone/something. That's simply emotion, nothing more. While emotion is of course important for reaching the ideal sound, there is more technique involved than that.

Be sure you're using the correct part of your throat. This would be back toward your tonsils. Don't do the "rumbly throat" thing - it's not very powerful, and it can hurt. Instead, try tensing up the muscles in your esophogus (sp?) and then pushing the air through your throat.

It's very difficult to explain through typing, but I hope you get the idea.

[cancer]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Okay, thanks. So does anyone know of any good microphones that are kind of cheap? I have no idea what kind of microphone to buy or anything, so if someone could advise me on what to buy I would be grateful.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Amorphous]

[quote name='Tical Blue']When you scream, put your heart into it and scream like you mean it. Whether it be deep like Slipknot or lighter like Cradle of Filth, you gotta put power into it.[/quote]Do you mean Cradle of Filth has lighter screams as in higher pitched? Or lighter as in not as deep as Slipknot? Either way Danni's vocals are much more amazing then whats his name in Slipknot... though I wish Danni would have learned how to use his vocal abilites better/make a better band. Oh well.

Anyways avoid Slipknot or being like Slipknot or anything Screamo as Jake has said.

Also I find gurgling some pop before singing helps. That is just me though.

[Jakehammaren]

[quote name='Amorphous']Also I find gurgling some pop before singing helps. That is just me though.[/quote]

Actually, soda is one of the worst possible things you can do to your vocal chords before screaming. If you're planning on playing a show, recording, or rehearsing, do not drink any soda that day. Water only, and if you can manage, drink room temperature water.

[John]

Doesn't a fine-tuned technique really defeat the intentions of screaming? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd think that screaming as a vocal technique was created as a departure from singing, to give a more visceral and unrehearsed sound. If you scream, you'd better mean it, and if you mean it, then anyone who doesn't approve of your particular screaming is just overconscious about it.

[DeadSeraphim]

[quote name='John']Doesn't a fine-tuned technique really defeat the intentions of screaming? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd think that screaming as a vocal technique was created as a departure from singing, to give a more visceral and unrehearsed sound. If you scream, you'd better mean it, and if you mean it, then anyone who doesn't approve of your particular screaming is just overconscious about it.[/quote]
[size=1][color=indigo][font=arial]Ssh, get your logic out of here man! They'll get you. [i]Get you[/i].[/font][/color][/size]

[cancer]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]John, I think that fine-tuning screaming technique makes perfect sense. It's just a distorted vocal performance, but the fact that it's distorted does not mean that it should not be tamed to be better controlled. Would you not agree? I want to get the best possible scream out and be able to control it. I don't want to scream and hurt my vocal chords. Therefore, the technique is needed. [/COLOR] [/SIZE]

[Ellerby]

[color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]It's screaming. It's supposed to only come out when you're surprised/scared, not as a way of scaring.

Seriously, I realize you don't want to hear this, but I'll speak anyway. If you played screamo to someone who had never heard it before, they'd think the singer was being hurt or something. And that's how it should be.

So if you want to learn how to scream, get one of your friends to torture you or something. >_>"[/FONT][/COLOR]

[John]

[quote name='cancer][size=1][color=DarkRed]John, I think that fine-tuning screaming technique makes perfect sense. It's just a distorted vocal performance, but the fact that it's distorted does not mean that it should not be tamed to be better controlled. Would you not agree? I want to get the best possible scream out and be able to control it. I don't want to scream and hurt my vocal chords. Therefore, the technique is needed. [/color'] [/size][/quote] I still think it takes away some of the emotional authenticity. I think if you're screaming, it should be for a reason, in which case you shouldn't be worrying about the sound as much as the message. You can focus more on the aural aspect if you want, which is fine and good, but I simply find it lacking something. And of course, trying to protect your vocal chords is completely understandable.

[cancer]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]White, leave the negative opinions about screamo at the door. And John, your opinions haven't helped much either. This thread isn't about what people think of screamo music, it is about how to scream safely. Do any of you have any information on techniques to strengthen vocal chords or make them better for singing (such as drinking water). [/SIZE] [/COLOR]

[Claire]

[quote name='White][color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]It's screaming. It's supposed to only come out when you're surprised/scared, not as a way of scaring.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]

[FONT=Arial]That's not true, you silly. Haven't you ever seen a screamer flash file? The image that pops out isn't always scary, but the scream that accompanies it can make me jump out of my skin.

My middle school principal was very scary when he screamed. And I bet kidnappers scream at kids or their older hostages to be quiet or follow their directions, which is probably really frightening for the captive.

So, you see, screaming of all sorts can be used to scare people!

Anyway, on topic. Screaming is a lot harder than it sounds. Just the other day, I was trying to record a guitar and vocal version of Miss Murder by AFI, and I could NOT scream well at all. It may just be that I'm a 15-year old girl with three and a half years of choral training, or that I'm just afraid a neighbor will hear me and wonder what in the world is going on in my house. I even screamed into a couch pillow so I wouldn't be so loud. But when I listened to the playback, it sounded really dumb.

While I can't really help you scream, I do know that dairy products are really bad for your voice because they create [B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]mucus[/COLOR][/FONT][/B] in your throat, which coats your vocal chords. So, don't drink milk or eat yogurt or ice cream or anything made out of dairy before a show.

[/FONT]

[Box Hoy]

[QUOTE=Marsh][FONT=Arial]
Anyway, on topic. Screaming is a lot harder than it sounds. Just the other day, I was trying to record a guitar and vocal version of Miss Murder by AFI, and I could NOT scream well at all. It may just be that I'm a 15-year old girl with three and a half years of choral training, or that I'm just afraid a neighbor will hear me and wonder what in the world is going on in my house. I even screamed into a couch pillow so I wouldn't be so loud. But when I listened to the playback, it sounded really dumb.
[/FONT][/QUOTE]

[size=1]I somewhat agree with the idea of your neighbor hearing. There've been times I tried singing when others were around and I surpressed my voice somewhat and it sounded like crap.[/size]

[Jakehammaren]

[quote name='John']I still think it takes away some of the emotional authenticity. I think if you're screaming, it should be for a reason, in which case you shouldn't be worrying about the sound as much as the message. You can focus more on the aural aspect if you want, which is fine and good, but I simply find it lacking something. And of course, trying to protect your vocal chords is completely understandable.[/quote]

I preform "extreme" (growl/scream/screech/whatever) vocals for a Metal band. Our lyrics do carry emotion, but I do pay attention to how my growl sounds. You see, if you focus purely on the emotional intent of the scream and not on controlling how it's coming out, you will hurt yourself and sound awful. You can totally tell when a vocalist has no idea how to scream well. Bands like AFI and The Used are great examples; when it comes time for screaming in their music, they just sound awful. They're not putting any focus on technique - it just sounds like the vocalist is screaming about something as opposed to using extreme vocals in a musical way. You see, there's a fine line between actual vocals and a guy just yelling at the top of his lungs. This is why much attention must be payed to the timbre of your growl. My band has a recording up on our Myspace page ([url]www.myspace.com/vikingedda[/url]) of a song we completed recently, and I'll say it right up front - my vocals sound absolutely atrocious. I was too busy trying to nail the lyrics and rhythm (which is of the utmost importance, don't get me wrong), and not paying attention to how my voice actually sounded. I was sick that day, I had just drunk a Pepsi, and I hadn't warmed up. The result is very, very lame.

[cancer]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Yea, the thing is I can scream okay now, but if I try to do it too much or at a higher pitch it starts to hurt. After a lot of screaming will I be able to do it more without such pain, or is that something that you always have even with practice? [/SIZE] [/COLOR]

[Jakehammaren]

It should not hurt very much, if at all. If it does, you're straining too hard. You just need to find a comfortable technique. Try practicing using different parts of your throat until you find a spot where pushing the air through doesn't feel like it's shredding your vocal chords.

[cancer]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]All right, well I screamed really good today, like I screamed my heart out. But the problem is I lost my high voice a little. It's hard to make a high note with my voice right now. Is that normal or bad? Thanks.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Box Hoy]

[size=1]Yeah, I was gonna say, that if you're feeling some pain, you probably need to change up the technique/method of your screams.
As for higher notes, that's normal. It takes serious training to hit a quality high note. It's normal though if you're beginning. Like I said in the beginning, there are things you can do to clear your voice up like drinking green tea.[/size]

[cancer]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Does the green tea need to be hot? Also, I'm curious about a mic technique I saw. I often see singers using two microphones, and I'm curious if anyone can explain why. [/SIZE] [/COLOR]

[Jakehammaren]

[quote name='cancer][COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Does the green tea need to be hot? Also, I'm curious about a mic technique I saw. I often see singers using two microphones, and I'm curious if anyone can explain why. [/SIZE'] [/COLOR][/quote]

It's just for show. There's no good purpose for having two, unless you want feedback or something.

[Justin]

Try sucking on a lime. That used to help me when my throat hadn't quite got conditioned to screaming yet. Now, so long as I warm up, I can hit just about any sound that falls under the 'extreme' vocal style. Though, like Jakehammaren, you can't tell that by my band's recording on Myspace.

At that time, I'd basically locked myself into the high-end. And, though I didn't know it at the time, that end of my vocal spectrum needed a little bit more work, heh.

I also want to say that screaming doesn't have to affect your ability to sing. It doesn't have to damage your vocal chords at all. And it's not going to make your throat explode or anything stupid like that. You just have to figure out the mechanics of it. I've been in one band or another for several years now, all of which were bands that primarily used aggressive vocal patterns, and I can still sing perfectly.

My advice: Start off whispering. Whisper from the back of your throat, as though you were going along with your favorite aggressive album, but didn't want to wake anyone in your house up. Then, gradually push it a little harder and louder, staying in the back of your throat at all times. It may hurt a little at first, but you'll get used to it. Once you figure it out, you can then start gradually employing different areas of your throat to get different styles.

But yeah, two mics is really nothing if not for show. Though, I do suggest a cordless mic for a stand-alone vocalist. It allows for more free movement, and a lack of steppage-on-cords.

*Your vocals aren't THAT bad, bro. They fit the music just fine. I also like the Fimbulwinter track quite a bit. It's interesting. So far, it's the only track I've listened too, though.*

-Justin