How do people scream without harming their vocal organs?

[AxAxSxS]

I think the big mistake that people make is in trying to fake making a sound. Trying to hard to sound aggressive makes a lot of people sound like a WWF wrestler challenging Andre The Giant to a match at wrestlemania.
Think about how you would yell at someone who really pissed you off. You are not constricting your throat, it comes out naturally and it should not hurt afterwards. It has a ton of volume because you want to get their attention. Getting used to reproducing that intensity level without actually being about to get in a fight is the first step. after you get comfortable with that it's a matter of lowering pitch if you want a growl or adjusting the timbre if you want it more gritty. Trying to jump straight to full volume death metal vocals tends to equate to a great cookie monster impression.
If you do it this way you may find your own voice has it's unique property's that are more interesting than the scream vocals you might want to emulate.

[D.o.S.]

(Ps trial sucked)

[ChetMagongalo]

Thanks for the advice so far guys! I'm gonna try to do some focused practice with these ideas in mind. I think I can get a lot of time doing it while I'm driving pizza around at work

[neonblack]

I found that with a mic I can make a screamy yelpy yelling noise that sounds really good and feels very natural, but I can't recreate it without a mic. Anyone else experienced this?

[aedes]

I heard a story on NPR years ago about Chris Cornell getting lessons on how to scream after he kept losing his voice…apparently it's Susan Carr. Here's the promo video: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXGHFYYANV4[/youtube]

[DarkAxel]

And good point about not trying to sound fake... because when it's real, you feel it

I ask myself that every time I listen to Neurosis, those are some fucking gut ripping screams. As real as they get

[dase]

Here's that article.

http://wordsasweapons.com/screaming-in- ... or-change/

[goroth]

I found that with a mic I can make a screamy yelpy yelling noise that sounds really good and feels very natural, but I can't recreate it without a mic. Anyone else experienced this?

Mics are crucial man.

[Iommic Pope]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-tpf7OFN0I[/youtube]

I'll cop to Melissa Cross.
When I first started screaming, I was doing Ok, but just destroying my chords.
Found Zen of Screaming, never looked back. Helped to strengthen everything and tighten up technique. Also helped to darken my voice, which is crucial, but also something you may have to let happen naturally with age and use of your voice. Practice often, get in touch with how you sound. reach a point where you can accept your voice (the hardest part) and eventually, once technique is down, you'll grow to be pleased with how you sound. Then you'll start to kick some arse.
I got some real singing lessons down the track as well, so I can hold a tune alright.
The Zen of Screaming thing seems really lame and sort of kids in "core" bands, but its technically accurate and it fucking works.

There's a great article on this by the dude from trial that I'll try and find when I'm not on my phone, but basically it boils down to this:

Breathe. Like really work on your breathing and place your words around it.

Sing from your stomach. Be aware of how you're using your diaphragm. Stand up straight so the diaphragm has room to expand and contract.

Never, ever, ever use stuff like lemsip or throat coat. It just anaesthetises the vocal cords so you don't feel it while you're damaging them.

Drink hot drinks, inhale steam if you can.

Use the pa to push your voice as much as possible.

Keep your throat and chest warm when not singing.

If you're on your try and avoid talking after the show as much as possible if you can.

There's no way to do it that won't damage your vocal chords and voice in some way, but you can minimise the harm.



Anecdotally I've found chewing raw ginger helps a lot, but that could be he anesthetising thing to. The other thing I've been doing lately that REALLY has helped is use a music stand in practice. I'm in a new band that's writing new songs and I'm trying to write and learn six or seven sets of words. If I stare at bits of paper on the ground I'm hunched over. If I have them on a stand at mic level I can stand up straight and do all that breathing stuff. It really does work.

All of this is wisdom.
Anything to do with singing is about relaxation and breath, which seems counter intuitive to screaming, but its the truth.

RE Tom Waits: Drink bourbon......but not when you're about to sing.
Just kidding, nobody is ever gonna sound as good as that guy.

[skullservant]

It took a while for me to figure out how to get the sound I wanted and doing it properly without feeling horrible afterwards.
I'll mimmic that most of it comes from my stomach in terms of force than my throat, and a decent microphone/being elevated in the mix a little bit will let you not have to do it so loudly

[PetZounds]

RE Tom Waits: Drink bourbon......but not when you're about to sing.
Just kidding, nobody is ever gonna sound as good as that guy.

Seriously.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAuf_AjbtGs[/youtube]

[astrangerinthealps]

What worked for me was, kind of like singing, finding my screaming "range." Way back when I was in my first band where I was going to scream I tried to scream low. After every practice my throat hurt and was scratchy. One day I tried screaming in a higher range. Well that worked. Countless shows and practices later I never had a problem again.

[MaggotBrainNY]

I destroy my throat every show, but I just do back ups so I'm not constantly screaming. It seems like repetition is the key. You're vocal chords just get used to the punishment. I have a couple friends that just do vocals for heavy bands, and their voices never change after a set or series of shows, or hours of recording.

Also, never just scream from your throat, or try to contort your voice in a way that doesn't come easy, or relatively naturally. I.E. don't scream higher or lower than it seems like you're capable of. Scream from your gut. Get pissed if you have to. It's easier.

I think ear plugs are smart too, because like headphones, you can hear your own voice in your head better when your ears have something in them. This will prevent you from over-compensating for the volume of the rest of the band at gigs/practices, and you'll have more control over your volume and intensity and tone because you can hear yourself better.

[Iommic Pope]

While I agree that there is a degree of strengthening that comes from screaming more often (as you would expect from any repetitive motion involving a bodily movement, and as occurs with singing) I don't think it's a good idea to go blast the shit out of your voice repeatedly in the hope it will get stronger. Real danger of developing nodes. If it hurts, that's your somatic response system telling you it's causing damage and to quit that shit.
Once you've got a technique down that enables you to say get through a set without it hurting, then you can start practicing and engaging it more repetitively.

Horses for courses, but I always found I couldn't control my voice well enough after more than a few drinks, which is dangerous if you're trying to avoid injuries. Again, everyone is different and a few beers and a joint certainly helps with the nerves. Although once youre confident you generally get over that.

Personally, I think if you're gonna be employing any kind of brutal screaming/barking/shrieking/pig squealing/growling/guttural scraping noises, you need to deliver them in a way that floors an audience. It's not enough these days to get up there and get all hardcore kid screamy about everything. Give em your best!

[Sparrow]

i Really Love the REFUSED shape of punk to come album.

I think it's a Great use a screaming without being over the top.
i used to cop that style a bit. and, get a harsh throat after.

i used to warm up .. singing in the car. LOL. along to CD's.

i think that .... a bit of vocal warm up can help a lot.
Like stretching before you workout. You notice this more as you get Older
warm salt water gargled .. can help to ( no jokes )