Guttural voices: Tips and tricks

[IronApe]

Rule #1 : if it hurts, you're doing it wrong, stop
Rule #2 : don't try to be someone else
Rule #3 : seriously, stop even before it hurts, when you're feeling uncomfortable

+1

In fact, I'd like to learn to growl too, and I'm going to get the "Zen of screaming" dvd ASAP, mostly to avoid screwing up my vocal cords...
Seriously, you can get some pretty nasty damage.

 

[Mutant]

Hey IronApe i'm waiting for your sample i don't want to try any technique without knowing what to expect - there are so many different growling techniques that i may hurt myself because of using the wrong one and straining my throat for a totally different sound.

 

[Mutant]

Are you all using any tricks to make your vocals naturally lower ?
Like for example tracking in the morning when your vocal chords are more relaxed and therefore longer, drinking something warm and fatty (milk) to lubricate your throats and pressing your chin to the chest ?

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

I drink beer to clear my throat during a long session. It's not much for the alcoohol but the bitterness I'm guessing, but it works for me.

 

[sparkyness]

Throat Coat or Slippery Elm Bark powder (virtually the same thing) made into a tea....get it at health food stores. Between that and proper technique, I can scream all day on that stuff.

 

[JBroll]

I just need to have my throat wet, if it's dry nothing sounds right and my allergies can kill my voice quicker than napalm. I'd hope that it's unnecessary to use fancy teas, lozenges, sprays, or whatever - they shouldn't change the way your voice works, if anything they're anesthetic and are hiding potential problem signs.

Jeff

 

[IronApe]

Samples coming, I'm just a bit messed up these days...

 

[CJWall]

I don't think what CJWall said will be able to get you what you're going for - there's a reason we don't hear 'inward singing' featured anywhere. You need to be able to move air with your diaphragm (breath control is very important in any singing, some just know how to exercise it better and hit 'that spot' quickly and easily) and, to put it most intuitively, shove your voice back down your throat so that you feel like you're using your chest and not your throat to produce sound. Zen of Screaming is helpful to know what parts of your voice are there for, but practice is really the best approach - it's not that far removed from what you'd consider 'normal', if anything it's just using the same approach to your speaking as bears use when roaring, and you should be able to do it at a level close to or above your normal speaking voice... that 'silent scream' shit will make it very easy to throw your voice out without getting good results when you can, and if you want to be successful you can't just have it as a 'trick' - you should be able to order a pizza with your growl as easily as you would with your speaking voice.

Jeff

I totally agree, but the technique I use really wasn't for success or to be 'known' as a good screamer/vocalist/whatever.

Theory and whatnot aside, it's more of a practical thing to get something down on tape to go along with whatever I happen to be writing without the hassle of dealing with another person

But still, I think to get vocals in the 'guttural' region of a growl, inwards are almost a must, but I will admit there are a few insanely talented people than can get super super low gutturals using the 'normal' technique.

Inwards are almost seen as a cheat in the extreme death/slam/whatever scenes..

 

[IronApe]

Sample: guttural voice

No inspiring here, and some very rare moments I can get a bit lower...

 

[Mutant]

Sample: guttural voice

Thanks !

This type of growling is fairly easy for me, but quite painful (early cold type of pain) after a while.
Here is how it sounds recorded with 5$ multimedia mic to SBLive and some sloppy processing: pitchshift, quadrupling, reverb and (maybe something else i dont remember i made it 8 months ago).


Can someone replicate Chris Barnes vocals without any processing (is it even possible) ?
If you can please post a sample and tell us all how to do it.

 

[BrandonS]

Check out 'Aerial View' from www.myspace.com/satanicdirge. Hopes it helps.
It's practically a whisper. Adding EQ made it sound weaker. Also, adding effects made it sound worse. I just left it natural and it sounds fine. It's pretty gutteral, and I find you have to try really hard to stay perfectly still or else the sound can change with the smallest move of your lip or whatever. Exhaled grunts. I push the air through the opening in my throat near the bottom. I hear people say that's where you growl from, but I can't seem to get any actual force through there, it's always pushing air and not strong growls.

But as for gutteral stuff.... let me know if it helps. If not, nothing I can say... I'm really not very good but my motto is, make do with what you've got and do your best, if you like it, that's all that matters. Some people have very low vocal ranges, and for them, grunts are easier.

 

[Mutant]

Thanks Oinkness thats the sound i want !
Even though i'm not sure if i understood 100% of what you said (yet), your post got me a little closer to the target !

 

[BrandonS]

Oh really? Well to be honest, I'm surprised.

I get about 6 inches away from the microphone. I use a Blue Snowball, USB studio mic. When you try to do the gutteral thing, you don't growl. You shouldn't feel a grinding pain in your throat at all. It's hard to describe how to do it, of course, but it shouldn't be painful. You may have to drink a bunch of water to keep your throat wet, BUT you do not use plhegm or wetness to do the guttural. I just found that if it gets TOO dry, it gets really weak. (for me anyway)...

Try this.

(1) Sing the lowest note you can sing.
(2) Sing the note while pushing out air, sort of like doing half sing / half whisper.
(3) Say "Noooo" while you do that.

Move your mouth around. It should feel sort of like you are indirectly blowing out. Like you've shaped your throat at a weird angle. Probably doesn't make any sense but I hope you figure sumthin' out.

I found this area by mimicing the Amon Amarth singer at the end of the song called "Versus The World" where he's like "VerrrrrSUS! The... WOOOOOORLD!" You could try that too.