Any screamers here..?

So uhm, I'm in desperate need of help with screaming. Ultimate-guitar.com wasn't able to help out that much, so thought I'd come over here and give it a shot. But, from the looks of it, not many screamers here.. but whatever, here goes nothing.

Alrighty, so I've decided out of boredom to start to learn screaming. I have a few problems, though.

First off, the bands that I like (top three, at least):

Bullet For My Valentine

Bring Me The Horizon

As I Lay Dying

The reason why I tell you those bands is I'm not sure what kinds of screams they mainly use so I know what to learn, I'm pretty sure they all use fry screaming, but need clarification on that.

Second off, once I got down the fundamentals of screaming, can anyone recommend a nice starting off screaming song? That would be great.

Thanks in advance!

I use some screams live and in some songs here and there. The key is to scream without fully screaming. It's hard because the screaming song has emotion and you feel that and really scream. This can hurt your voice. At the very least it tires out the voice and you probably have a whole night ahead of ya. Control the scream and let the mic do the work. Play with roughing up your voice in the mic untill you get the desired effect without hurting your chords.

I can't really recommend a song. I don't like doing it but have to sometimes LOL! There are lots of different types of screams out there. The cookie monster in Atreyu or the belting of Cornel or Alice in Chains. Hope that helps somewhat. Good luck.

I don't know how to scream in a song.

I only know how to do the full on horror movie blood-curdling scream at the top of my lungs (which I'm good at *preening* lol)...but I expect the more sung rock metal scream whatever...that'd be more like...closing off your throat or something to strangle the scream...somehow? I really don't know.

It's actually nothing like closing your throat off. That's how one might do it before figuring out how to do it properly, but that'll just do damage. The way I do it (and I can only do it sometimes, coz I never really take care of my voice) is just an extension of the "rasp" part of singing. Just that the raspiness is taken far beyond what one might normally do in singing, to the point where it's basically just the screaming sound with no real note behind it.

Don't ask me how to do it though. I found it by accident one day.

I'm also embarrasingly good at ridiculous high pitched screams. It's a part of my voice I just can't get anywhere near to unless I'm doing a ridiculous horror scream. I normally have a fairly deep voice, which just makes it even more ridiculous. Although it's been a while... I wonder if I can still do it. It's a bit too loud and to really do it that often.

Yeah, that rasp thing with no real note behind it is what I meant..cause for me, the only way to get rasp is to close off my cords...so it cuts off the main thicker sound of a true, proper note? And just leaves the rasp there or a strangled scream...

Or maybe I mean opening the cords more...cause closing them more means MORE voice/note/tone, doesn't it?

See? I know nothing! lol

Haha... well, for me, there's still a normal note in there somewhere, just it's covered up by the obnoxious rasp. If anything, to get that far with the raspiness, it feels like everything is more open than when I sing normally. For me it's a resonance thing. To get into my raspy spot is a matter of (in terms of feel) shifting the resonance a bit. The more raspiness needed, the more resonant I need to make things... and closing stuff off isn't going to help there.

Mind you, I'm talking in very technical terms here, so don't be upset if you're not following. Self-

Maybe it's different cause I'm a girl...

Or maybe it's different cause I have no brain...mm hmm.

Well, my 1st band was Black metal and i wanted to sing, we started to learn cradle of filth songs as well as a really good local band. With the local band i couls peak to the singer ans talk to him about screaming and he told me some real life advice. "If it hurts, STOP!" because at the start of it i used to properly screm "Gilded C**t" at the top of my lungs. Now what style of screams are you thinking because i took a look at bring me the horizon and they are very good btw. There are many types of screaming as you most probably know and knowing exactly what you want is a good idea.

The real key with screaming is that for low notes you need ALOT of lung power and to do that or even a phrase in a lower pitch you need a big lung capacity or at least bigger than a 15 yr old :/ I trained myself by just doing iut reasonably quietly and watching the videos on youtube, vimeo etc. I used to expand my lung capacity with playing sports like rugby. If you find someone on say youtube who can do it, talk to them! but I personally found tone wasn't terribly difficult but the absolute pitch was.

you guys talk about the "old" way of screaming (check out Hellyeah - Hellyeah yeah it's a band and a song...).

What the OP is talking about is fry screaming which has not much to do with it.

This is the tutorial that seemed the most helpful to me, I still can't do it... hard technique.

I watched that video, the problem is that it sounds good but you'd never be able to recreate on stage consistently. If you get in touch with local bands, go check them out and if you like, talk to the singer before/afterwards.

that's how lamb of god and bullet for my valentine does it (source: their vocal teacher, I got her DVD but it didn't help me that much).

to the OP, some useful sources:

Zen of Screaming 1, 2 (my verdict: meeh)

Jaime Vendera's "Raise Your Voice" (everything about singing)

buncha stuff on youtube

Thanks for all the advice! I looked at the youtube video suggested, it worked to some extent, but when I do it the top part of my throat feels like its burning (I guess? can't explain the feeling well). So is this an issue of not drinking enough? Or does this video simply suck and/or I'm doing it wrong?

I'm still open to suggestions for starting songs and would like some more good tutorial links, thanks!

Buy "Zen Of Screaming".

You're welcome.

I was told most of it is advertisements etc. and that its not the greatest instructional dvd.

Do you feel any tension except that?

Make a vid of your own it will be much easier to clarify.

It shouldn't be burning.

The BEST way is to warm up your chords is by singing

NON-screaming songs for a few (10-15 minutes/ 3-4 songs)

Then, BEFORE screaming...do the growling thing low to high

into the mic....or in the air....you

know......oooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooo

oooo....quiet to loud and back again. I found this helps ALOT!

Last band practice...It worked soo well that I was completely

screaming every little thing...just messing around... like

"what song is that" *screaming* "strawberry milk shake" and

whatever other stupid ass words came to mind. it was

awesome....AND my screams sounded best they ever have.

On my link with some demo songs for my band, I recorded

before I figured that trick out. I'll record some new versions

with my "warmed-up" screaming and post it for ya.

http://www.punbb-hosting.com/forums/Metal_Singers_Foru

http://www.purevolume.com/TakenOverMusic

"The real key with screaming is that for low notes you need ALOT of lung power and to do that or even a phrase in a lower pitch you need a big lung capacity or at least bigger than a 15 yr old"

You shouldn't need to be pushing out a {censored}load of air.

Get used to singing in more of a speaking voice...at least for a few songs for warmup. This will MAKE you use your diaphragm. Once you get used to using THAT reserve of air (Melissa Cross DVD...I bought it...but don't watch it much)

you can subconsciously use it to your advantage.

So:

-Practice singing in your speaking voice-

-Warm up cords by singing (normally) a few songs-

-warm up scream by doing the "oooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo"-

-ALWAYS stay hydrated-

_and....of course...... If it hurts...STOP.-

Hope this is helpfull.

The link to the other forum I made is only for screamer information...I'm NOT trying to take anyone from this forum.

Also.....to know you are screaming correctly....your throat should feel like you're kind of yawning.... or like pee wee herman Hehe laugh voice....lol

know what i mean?

Also referred to as "cookie monster"

Thanks so much SeVeReDmUd! definitely a huge help

Now all thats left is the question of what song to try first. Any suggestions? I'll post all bands I'll like to learn a song from below.

Bullet For My Valentine

Escape the Fate

Bring me the Horizon

Slipknot

Killswitch Engage

Underoath

Haste The Day

A Day to Remember

All that Remains

The Devil Wears Prada

Atreyu

As I lay Dying

In Flames

Lamb of God

August Burns Red

Parkway Drive

These bands are in no particular order.

Okay new problem, I'm trying to get this "over the pencil" technique down, but, I simply can't get the sound right.. I'll try to get a video up soon, but anyone suggest tips on how to get it down?

under the pencil is where you sound like a game show buzzer...*oohnk* or in other words it will sound obnoxious and you will feel it in the lower part of your cords. OVER the pencil sounds more soft and smoothed out. Like a proper singer singing a soft smooth tone.

I doubt I actually explained HOW to do it..lol...but at least now you (may) know what it SHOULD sound like.

as for the songs you want to try: Personally when I record I would rather do my own songs, but...you can sing to whatever you like.

I'm not exactly a big fan of alot of the bands you listed but I do like:

All That Remains, As I Lay Dying, and Killswitch.

I think I sound like more of a mix between AsILayDying and All That Remains.....the former more than the latter.

Just remember to SING NORMALLY TO WARM UP BEFORE attempting any scream warmup or full out screaming.

P.S.

SLIPKNOT also Rules!

I missed that one..hehe

Thanks a bunch once again!

I still have the problem of not getting the correct sound... mostly because I probably haven't seen the best tutorials. If you could, show me a tutorial on how to scream SAFELY and correctly, would help a ton.

Once again, thank you

P.S. Slipknot is amazing

Thanks a bunch once again! I still have the problem of not getting the correct sound... mostly because I probably haven't seen the best tutorials. If you could, show me a tutorial on how to scream SAFELY and correctly, would help a ton. Once again, thank you P.S. Slipknot is amazing

[YOUTUBE]t0zBvUZRBVY[/YOUTUBE]

:rawk: