help...lost my growling skills

[TekChef]

okay..better descripition...

first, off, hum for a bit to warm your throat up. This is important!!! If you try to do deep growls without the warmup you could do damage.

Keep your throat moist! Lemon water is one of the best things to drink. I have been told this by a few singing in instructors.

Relax your jaw-let it do it's work without clinching up your jaw mucles. When you clinch up your jaw muscles, it also puts pressure on your throat..then before you know it..you are using your throat to push air. NOT GOOD.

Breathing right is one of the hardest things a singer learns to do. Opera singers spend YEARS mastering proper breathing to get the insanely high notes that go for days. soo..here's a bit of info..

after your throat is warmed up and moist, you can start growling. You DO NOT push air from your vocal chords or throat...you push air from that muscle beneath your ribs-The diaphram.Take a deep breath, then relax your neck,jaw and throat. Push the air from your diaphram.
For practice, don't try to growl..just push the air from your gut. Your jaw should hang loose and relaxed while it sounds like you are breathing heavy. This is the start of doing things right.
Once you get the feel of pushing air from your gut with no pressure on your vocal chords, try to talk while doing so. You are basically singing at a low level. Then start to growl with this breathing method..it's almost like gargling. If it hurts or you feel pain in your throat STOP!!! Also DO NOT try to project volume-let the amp you use for your vocals do that. It's better to get a good growl at talking volume or just below, and let the amp do the work.

Also, if you do growl for a bit, your chords will get tired. If you are struggling...STOP!!! Let them rest awhile, then try again.

That's about all I can do without showing you in person.

 

[Toby]

I see this thread's been going on for over 2 years. Fuck!

 

[Slavematic Sound]

I Drink either a 20oz bottle of Lemonaid or go to the gas station and buy a Slush puppy (if your American). Slush Puppies work the best. Put 15 squirts of flavor then the rest of ice. Its Plenty enough to coat your throat until u get use to it. After the Slushie is gone, drink Gatoraid.

 

[Melodeath]

Indeed, read the thread called "is there a secret" on the In Flames board... Worked for me.

link? couldn't find it in the search

EDIT: ok, i found it literally 1 second after I posted. It's the Arch Enemy board, not In Flames.

 

[darkladykleio]

Well. TekChef and Krigloch the Furious are right.
Try to learn how to BREATH using your gut. Just try to notice how you are breathing. Sit on a chair and notice your chest and gut. Is your chest going up and down while breathing? Sorry dudes, WRONG WAY!!! If your gut is moving, you're using your diaphragm, get much more air, need less effort to speak and sing, so, your voice goes on and on and on... And if your lungs are big enough, the sound will be excellent! I have a friend who's really...big...(I bet he's half-orc) and his voice sounds as if it where coming from the depths of hell!!!

While you're practising in "singing", avoid screaming and putting extra effort. Act naturally, as if you where talking and tone only the powerfull parts of the song. This way you will even pronounce wods more clearly and you won't get tired. Practice in low volume most of the time- "open" your voice sometimes- sing loudly in public, and yes, you can let a micriphone help you.

You can also try masage with oil on your neck,half-boiled eggs(I hope you don't get infected by Salmonella!!!) lemon tea and honey.Or maybe a kind of "flowerwater" the Arabs put in their coffee (served warm). The choir I'm in, tried it before a concert and it works, but I have to tell you:it tastes awfully!!!

Now, losing your voice overnight just like that... I don't know... Have you checked if it was a polypode? Go to the doctor and don't avoid telling that you have been practising your brutal vocals for a long period.

And for heaven's shake, GET SOME REST!

 

[Ravaging Dragon]

@ darkladvkleio:

You said "avoid screaming and putting extra effort"

did you mean not to put effort while screaming or not to scream at all when practising?

 

[AmirH]

Oh god, not another one of these. There are two effective ways to growl- one with the throat, which is loud and makes highs quite easy- one with the gut, which is quiet and allows for a great sustain. The quiet one tends to sound a lot less human if you record it properly, but I can't do it as consistently as the other. I've posted how to growl so many times I've lost count- so just use a search.

As for the mucous thing- I completely understand what you're talking about. It's a helluva lot easier on the throat if it's moist back there when you're doing quiet growls. My advice- don't stress it, it'll come back.

 

[darkladykleio]

@ darkladvkleio:

You said "avoid screaming and putting extra effort"

did you mean not to put effort while screaming or not to scream at all when practising?

Well, sometimes you have to scream while rehearsing, but don't overdo it. The amount of the times you do it doesn't matter as much as finding a technique to make it right. Otherwise, it's a waste of your voice. As for the effort you put while screaming, it will be less if you use your gut (more air in your lungs=>longer & more powerfull scream). I know it can be a little difficult to learn how to breathe like that while singing, growling etc., but it really worths.

 

[Pessimism]

dont eat prior to singing/growling, it limits free space in your viscera and may make things much harder.