Screaming Vocals: For Anyone Who's Interested or Experienced

[finaleclipse06]

I read a post in another topic somewhere on this forum (I think it was the topic where people have been putting up songs they have composed) about someone trying to learn how to do screaming vocals.  I thought I'd start a topic specifically for people to post in if they: 1) have experience doing screaming vocals, and want to help out those of us who don't but who want to learn (like me); 2) don't have any experience, and want to learn, or have some, but want to get better at it.

I've been trying it out when I'm in the mood, though I can't say I've gotten much of anywhere.  I've been told that when you scream, it comes from your gut, so I'm trying to work with that.  I've also been told that you shouldn't attempt to the point where your throat is very sore, because that could mess up your vocal chords VERY badly.  If your throat starts getting sore, I'd say to stop for the day and give your vocal chords a rest.  If it's sore in the morning, don't practice that day. 

That's what I know.  If anybody has anything else to share, or anything to say about what advice I have recieved, share your wisdom. 

[Smeagol]

All I can say is, do NOT death grunt all of Stand My Ground by Within Temptation. I could barely talk for a week afterwards, it hurt to say anything.

[finaleclipse06]

Man...and I haven't even heard of the song, nor the band, but it must have a LOT of screaming in it.  Another thing I was told (that I forgot to mention) was that you should do a little at a time, gradually building up the amount of screaming you can do at a time.

[Smeagol]

No, it has none. I just did my own little cover to it when singing along. It's what I do, badly.

[Ankle]

Also, it's not screaming. It's grunting. If you try and scream rather than grunt you'll have a very hard time keeping your breath. I've managed to carry a few conversations with a friend while LANing late in entirely death grunts for practice as we are mutually interested in metal. I'm hardly good at it but meh, practice is practice.

[finaleclipse06]

I think we're on similar, but slightly different tangents of the same thing.  You're talking about what I call the "metal growl," the low pitch "screaming," if you want to call it that.  What I was thinking of actually was something more like Poison the Well, or Trivium.

[MDX]

Thats grunting. And a little bit of screaming. the rawwrawrawrawwww thing is grunting.

[Smeagol]

Triv-style-screaming isn't too bad, although for long periods of time, it can dry out the mouth entirely.

[MDX]

Its more irritating than anything, you dont know what hes saying at all, i mean fair play i listen to alot of bands where the vocals and sometimes the gruntings dont make full sense without the lyrics, good band but vocally, he's better off not screaming/grunting/whatever so much. In Flames do it best.

[Ankle]

I think we're on similar, but slightly different tangents of the same thing.  You're talking about what I call the "metal growl," the low pitch "screaming," if you want to call it that.  What I was thinking of actually was something more like Poison the Well, or Trivium.

They are just technique with noticeable deviation from the 'traditional' death grunting. Metalcore and melodic death aren't that different from death vocals. It is for the most part just a different pitch, though some bands do scream in parts along with the death grunts, but that usually never lasts longer than a word or three. But yes, I suppose you could call that a slightly different tangent.

My favourite use of death grunts, be it a variation or traditional, would have to be Dark Tranquillity, Tristania, Theatre of Tragedy and Swallow the Sun. I'm also very fond of the black metal vocals which are somewhat similar, Kovenant and Eternal Tears of Sorrow being my favourites there.

[Jack Lupino]

I think we're on similar, but slightly different tangents of the same thing.  You're talking about what I call the "metal growl," the low pitch "screaming," if you want to call it that.  What I was thinking of actually was something more like Poison the Well, or Trivium.

First up : Train your throat every day

Like scream half an hour or something

Second : Adjust the tones, like you don't squeek out of it suddenly, that would be gay.

Third : Now you need to learn to scream softly, almost whispering, but its not excatly whispering. you know what i mean ?

Fourth : r0ck out.

i think this about covers it. you might want to google it.

[finaleclipse06]

I've found a good song for me to scream along to for practice, and I practiced screaming along w/ it a little bit today.  I'm sorta starting to learn how to control my vocal chords to get them to produce the sound I want.  I've also discovered something else: when I said in an earlier post that I have been told that a scream comes from the gut, that is a tried and true method.  What I did, and what I will most likely continue to do, is to, when I scream, contract my stomach muscles, to help force out air.  This helped A LOT with my screaming practice today.

I don't understand something you said, RadiczOr: you said to learn to scream softly.  How does that help?  I'm not saying it hinders anything, but I don't see how that helps, either.  Could you explain that, please?  Thanks!

[Ehsivar]

Interesting..I might just try this out. I'm one of two vocalists in my band, so this is quite awesome.

[finaleclipse06]

What kind of music does your band play?  Screaming seems to go better w/ some rock, if you can make it work, and metal.

[Jack Lupino]

I don't understand something you said, RadiczOr: you said to learn to scream softly.  How does that help?  I'm not saying it hinders anything, but I don't see how that helps, either.  Could you explain that, please?  Thanks!

Control.