Hi Jester72,
I play guitar and perform the lead vocals for a Sludge/Noise metal band. Most of the heavier part of our sound is down tempo and at times becomes a wall of noise.
Vocals are quite sparse and are used more for an effective sound then to produce a melody or to present a subject to the audience, its more about adding to the overall mood then anything else. I use a lot of growl/scream vocals as well as more melodic singing (although I use a vocal effects unit live that adds to the weirdness). I found some useful tips on how to scream sing without damaging your vocals and how to get the most powerful sound.
Try this as a starter:
http://www.wikihow.com/Properly-Stress-Your-Vocal-Chords-With-Screaming
And check this vocal coach Melissa Cross who works with big names on improving their scream:
Hope these help.
a cauliflower is just a cabbage with a college education
While that Wiki article has some good points (such as properly warming up / down, drinking lots of water and not going OTT) it also presents some pretty daft comments.
Such as;
This article will teach you how to properly stress your vocal chords without hurting yourself...
Which is pretty much impossible. Screaming and growling WILL damage your vocal chords, with or without good technique; no way around that.
Sometimes trying too hard, will result in throwing up
Sometimes, just doing it too much in one go can cause throwing up! Check out any vids of "The Used" in concert - there is vomit from the lead singer all over the stage after an hour (no joke).
Practice screaming into a pillow. This makes it much easier for beginners
Yeah....riiight. Actually, it makes it 'easier' because you are not actually doing what you should be doing. Putting your face into a pillow is just going to make it harder to breathe out (and therefore sing / scream) as well as giving you a bad idea of how you are sounding.
To avoid some more harm to the vocal chords, scream nasally. Imagine that the sound is going up and out of your nose. This helps with both health and sound.
Actually, it'll make you sound like you have a cold.
Just keep practicing - your voice will develop if you do. Trying recording a bit of yourself doing what you can do. After a month of practice, make another recording and compare the 2. You might be suprised.
ETD - Formerly "10141748 - Reincarnate"
Yeah , some of the comments on that page are pretty stupid. But as I explained its a good place to start, warm ups etc. But as Embrace_the_darkness says; practice as much as possible and you will notice an improvement over time, but don't go crazy.
a cauliflower is just a cabbage with a college education
When I was first shopping around for vocal coaches, this one asswipe of a lady picked up the phone - heard that I was a male, and said, "Oh, I don't really endorse 'that' type of singing." All I said to her was, Hi I'm interested in taking some voice lessons. She wouldn't even hear me out - I just wanted the basics....
My tip is to find a qualified coach and work with them for at least a few months. The good coaches will actually attend your shows with you (singing live is a different beast than in a nice piano room). People waste a lot of time (me included) trying to self-teach, and while I'm not saying that the thirst for knowledge is a bad thing - you may reach your goals faster if you find the right coach sooner than later.
Let me know how it goes.
- Rick
I second that Rickdini.
a cauliflower is just a cabbage with a college education
