metal vocals advice

Fishbrain · #1 04-08-2008, 03:17 AM

I do the screamy/shouty vocals for my band and I think I do pretty well considering I'm relatively new to it all. I'm not the song/lyric writer for our band though and I've recently had a song brought to me where the vocals are quite long but with out many spaces to take a big breath. To get a good sound (for me at least) takes quite a lot of air, how can I get around this problem? Are there any exercises I can do to be able to hold more air or let it out in a more controlled way? Or does anyone have any other ideas?

Thanks

Deacon_Blues · #2 04-08-2008, 06:34 AM

Work on your support. That's one of the main keys to all singing. DON'T try to gain volume or higher pitches by using more air, that can be very bad for your voice.

One exercise you can do to check how well you use your support is to do a quiet "sssss" sound, and try to make it as long as possible. You should be able to keep the ssss for at least 30 seconds, but 60 s and more is also achievable if you know how to use the air sparsely. My own record is 92 seconds. Many new/untrained singers run out of air already after 20 seconds, and if that is the case for you as well, you need to work on how to let the air out slower and in a more controlled manner. Read the "Bassist's guide to singing" -sticky in the Band Management and Performance forum, all of it. There's plenty of good advice on how to use the support, and singing in general.

Of course, the ssss exercise doesn't have much in common with actual singing, so when working with the support, replace the sss with notes instead - both high and low, loud and soft.

One thing that can't be said too often is: Anything that feels bad when you sing (or even just feels) is bad. So if it hurts, tickles in your throat and/or you get hoarse, you're using bad technique, and bad technique is harmful for your your voice. Don't continue singing the same way as it will make things worse and perhaps lead to permanent vocal damage. There are techniques on how to scream and sing safely even with distortion/growl or grunting without hurting your voice. It is not easy to learn overnight, but it is possible.

However, you should always work on normal singing before working on anything else like distortion or screams.

Fishbrain · #3 04-08-2008, 07:45 AM

thanks for that advice, it seems very sound. I can produce a good growly scream without any discomfort or horseness. it's just the running out of air that's the problem...

Deacon_Blues · #4 04-08-2008, 10:44 AM

How long phrases do you need to sing? Mostly, when there is a problem of running out of air, it is due to uneconomical use of the support. Don't use more support than needed on the simple notes, but save some for the highest notes.

Just to have a clue where you stand in order to see if I can help you:
The longest phrase I know sung in a rock song is the bridge in "Monkey Wrench" by Foo Fighters, starting "One last thing before I quit..." and ending with "...and now I'm freeeeeeee.......". How much of this phrase can you sing (with intensity and power) without the need to take a breath?

Oh, and in what register do you usually sing? How high can you sing without having to switch to falsetto? Pitch is also a support thing, going up to high C and beyond is actually possible for anyone. Learning to sing those high notes properly also improves the overall support, so it's a good thing to work on even if you wouldn't use them.