Growling........

[Faaip De Oiad]

I think..............................this is sliding way off topic..............so maybe we'll all talk more when the dates are released?

Do you need a strong P.A. system to growl? or are you meant to really force it(make it loud?)

 

[Arnold Layne]

I think forcing it would ruin your voice, im sure smoking has alot to do with it and practicing what feels right.

 

[Ermz]

You should be able to growl without any microphone/amp aid. The growls should come out slightly above talking volume as far as the low death metal stuff is concerned.

 

[JeBuZ]

I think..............................this is sliding way off topic..............so maybe we'll all talk more when the dates are released?

Do you need a strong P.A. system to growl? or are you meant to really force it(make it loud?)

Yea that sounds good.

A P.A system makes the growls sound even deeper, and if you growl into the mic close enough (not too close or it's just lame), you can get a kinda distortion there too. But that's probably a different type than you're looking for.

 

[Faaip De Oiad]

Yea that sounds good.

A P.A system makes the growls sound even deeper, and if you growl into the mic close enough (not too close or it's just lame), you can get a kinda distortion there too. But that's probably a different type than you're looking for.

not if i want to do that first part in demon of the fall, haha.

 

[JeBuZ]

not if i want to do that first part in demon of the fall, haha.

lol, to do that you'd have to be able to sing backwards.

Nice name too Faaip De Oiad, damn that's a scarey track.

 

[deliverance]

RISQUIT:
http://ultimatemetal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3475078&postcount=19

did you ever finish that?

 

[MasterOLightning]

I don't know how old you are, but if you can get some beer, that should help. Sometimes you'll see a metal vocalist drinking beer in between songs because it lubricates your throat well, and it has a numbing effect, so you shouldn't feel much discomfort. If not beer, you need to be drinking something quite regularly, and nothing too hot or too cold.

I find black metal vocals to be easier on the throat than death metal.

 

[Nostalgiaplatz]

You shouldn't sing putting all your stength in the throat, unless you want to end up like Jonas Renske who after the recordings of Rain Never Ends (October Tide) loose the hability to growl.. or like Angela Gossow who had gotten blood nodules in her throat. Oh, that all can be overriden if you just want to lose the habilities to talk, early in your lifetime.

 

[BRI]

Alternatively, you can go and steal Mike's voice box.

 

[cthulufhtagn]

Alternatively, you can go and steal Mike's voice box.

and then we will come after you with pitchforks and torches

 

[shark22]

I realise this isn't a very inventive question, but i haven't actually been able to find an answer in my long search.

Basically, We're doing some Opeth covers. (Demon of the fall, April ethereal, Godhead's lament), but i can't growl. Before answering, take in mind that I do realise Mikael is a special case in that he is very clear even when growling.

I thought i might as well ask where people might know him best.

Does anybody here know if there's any special way/technique to it? Is there any way i can train my voice to go that deep while growling? Or is it just a progression as we've seen in Mikael from Orchids to Deliverence?

Any help is appreciated

Ain't that tough to do. Don't strain your throat too much, when you go deep keep your head down, higher look more to the ceiling. Don't use your upper throat (uvula) only for the higher screams, you gotta use the diagphram? (spelling). Anyways it depends on the type of growl, I can get very deep, like true death metal ala. John Gallagher form dying fetus. Deeper is not necissarily harder (I have more trouble with the screams). Sounds like shit but it will either clear a room of piss people off, probably piss them off. But if youre on stage then that should not happen. Try to sound like yourself. When I growl along with Opeth I sound too throaty, Mike from Opeth has a very pretty melodic growl. So try to find your niche' and keep practicin!

 

[shark22]

It depends on the sort of growl you're trying to achieve.

I personally have never been able to get the sound Mikael gets. I think part of it is due to the amount of cigarretes he smokes and the alcohol he consumes. There is some real midrange shit in his growls that just HURTS to recreate. I think the substances aid the pain threshold in that area.

I find that the easiest growls to do are the cliche death growls. Try to start with them, because they damage your throat the least. Breathe in heavily, perk out your chest, use all the muscle power you can muster in your chest to push that air back out. Move your mouth into a sort of 'O' shape that muffles the air coming out. The actual sound that's being created is just due to the way air is passing through your throat. You shouldn't be using the voice for these at all... that just hurts and generally isn't healthy. You need to mess around until you find the right mouth/throat shape to create the growl.

Think about how you clear your throat. That feeling you get in your throat... that's how a growl feels. Try to replicate that by pushing air out of your lungs. It's pretty much just an elongated throat-clearing 'ahem', except more controlled and 'musical'.

Actually I think smoking is a hinderance. I belive Mike would sound better if he quit.

 

[xerexes]

Smoking will help growling (probably the only positive thing it does).

I have practised growling myself. Just like singing, you cant growl just like another person but you can practise and get very close.

 

[OpethRockr55]

I have to agree with the smoking bit. My growls are almost pure phlegm based, towards the back of the throat. It took me a HELL of a long time to learn and strangely enough, I learned how from listening to Naglfar, who rarely growl at all.
Once I got the higher-pitched-raspy-sounding imp, I just changed my pitch and there I had it, a near perfect Åkerfeldt growl. The screams, for me, were just a matter if ushering more air out and increasing the pitch.
I also found that you can get a really bassy growl if you flatten your tongue into a sort of 'curve' to lead the sound out of your mouth. It sounds like talking really deeply only with much more rasp.

 

[OpethRockr55]

Originally posted by Faaip De Oiad
Does anybody here know if there's any special way/technique to it? Is there any way i can train my voice to go that deep while growling? Or is it just a progression as we've seen in Mikael from Orchids to Deliverence?

Personally, I disliked the vocals from Blackwater Park on, with Still Life being my top honors. Still Life was insanely crisp and distinguishable, and the album's afterward really seemed to slack. This is just my opinion and WAY off topic.

 

[deliverance]

if you sound "near akerfeldt," i'd like to hear some samples.

 

[dorian gray]

Personally, I disliked the vocals from Blackwater Park on, with Still Life being my top honors. Still Life was insanely crisp and distinguishable, and the album's afterward really seemed to slack. This is just my opinion and WAY off topic.

dont worry. the new album is going to be a rehash of the entire Still Life sound. Actually, every album from here on out will be just like Still Life.

 

[Goober]

if you sound "near akerfeldt," i'd like to hear some samples.

I personally sound kinda like akerfeldt, well, not really like him, but its in that same area, the problem though is that when i do it, its not that loud. I've always wanted to know if im doing it wrong, or if the loudness factor gradually picks up, cuz people who do growls well do em pretty loud. Can anyone shed some light on me?

 

[Botfly]

I'm 5'4" 120 lbs, and people think I sound just like Akerfeldt. I for one, am actually very damn close in my opinion. I can actually also go as deep as one of the guys from Nile, the "crocodile vocals" one. I fucking rule. I need a beer to celebrate.