Official Growling Vocal Thread

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

Well, since there seems to be someone asking about vocals/growling, or whatever almost every week, I thought it would be a great idea for all of us to just contribute all of our ideas, advice, and possibly links to mp3's of our own vocal styles.

Persoanlly, I need like a growling 101 guide. I think I could go really deep, I just need to train my vocal chords, and throat to handle it. I can get a mean one sometimes, but it's just a matter of minutes or even seconds before I have to stop because my throat gets dry, or starts hurting a little bit. So how do you growl from your gut??? I just don't get it. Hopefully this will get the thread started, and please don't flame me for trying to make this thread.

Thanks.

 

[Nico16]

you have to do it like this: rrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"()&=

 

[BulletRider]

1: Drink warm water (serious) NOT COLD!

2: Have the sound come from about an inch under your chin

3: Just growl whenever you can so you can growl longer

4: www.soundclick.com/illuminatisalem

 

[Sunbane]

Good growl threads?

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42294
(the mother of all growl threads - read Soultorn's advice there)

'bane

 

[Ultimate_Symphony]

Take a look at that thread that bane gave you, lots of good advices there. Facial expressions help a lot on growling. Go in front of a mirror and start doing growling routine, start experimenting with your mouth (opening it while your growling or closing it, depending on what note or sound you want to pull off) and keep track of what you're doing. Keep doing it and you'll get a hang of it and remember, keep the throat use to a minimum

 

[BulletRider]

does anyone else drink warm water before they growl?

 

[Sunbane]

Not me - drinking warm water is gross.

After I got my growling technique down, I've never had to prepare myself in any special way. I just drink if I'm thirsty and when my throat gets dry.

 

[JACKO]

when i try to growl or anything,
i dont really use a proper technique i do what comes to me naturally, it seems to work ok

 

[Darthlardo]

alright I'v said this tons of times before.

you growl with your gut not your throat. if you wanna use your throat then do it and dont blame me when after 30 seconds you start coughing and shit, and blood flows out of your eyes and ears! Use your gut, act like you are a fucking balrog trying to kill Gandolf and breathe fucking fire!! From the gut! its fun especially after you just had Wendy's or mickyd's! take your gut and vomit that shit, while you scare your friends so much that they vomit also!!

remember, your gut!!!

 

[ImpaledMisery666]

my thing with screaming is i sing from the pits of my stomach i punk out screams like dark tranquility, morbid angel, dissmember, etc...
I really cant do it good im just practicing, i wanna scream like alexi from cod or chuck schuldiner R.I.P from death.

 

[Ultimate_Symphony]

does anyone else drink warm water before they growl?

Hell no! I hate warm water :Smug:

 

[Sado God]

Let me make clear that nothing essential is needed to growl successfully.

I never drink/take anything special (some say milk's the shit and some say they take whiskey and smoke some pot) before growling. The key is the right technique. It may take a while to find it (for me it took over half a year). Remember that right technique doesn't hurt. After that, start practising actively. If the only way to growl that doesn't hurt sounds like shit, it only means a little more practise. But in the end, with the right technique you'll end up sounding good.

I don't mind if someone drinks warm water but when you think you're cool saying "yoghurt's my choice, but it must be blended to soda water" I compare you to a handicapped who needs a wheelchair for moving from a place to another.

And yes, from the gut

 

[TekChef]

here's a quick recap from that thread-
1.Warm up! don't go so low at first, spend a fewminutes slowly going lower and lower
2.keep water or whatever you drink about..you will need it
3.push air from your gut! there should be NO pressure on your throat
4.if it hurts..STOP!!!!! you are doing it wrong!
5. you can get tired quickly at first..just do it a bit every dya, and your endurance will increase

 

[Sado God]

Yeah, having water is recommended. I spend about 1/2 liter (if possible, a few sips more) during a 45min show.

 

[BulletRider]

With the warm water thing, it clears out all that phleghm that gets in the way of "the beast roaring out of your stomach". It isn't used to distort the growl. You have to be able to do that naturally IMO without it hurting.

 

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

Hey, lemme ask you guys something, does it help when you practice at like whisper level, maybe a little bit louder??? Because it seems like I can only get a decent growl at that level for now, so should I stay at that level, until I improve, and will I improve??

 

[BulletRider]

Practice getting louder and louder. Whispering doesn't do much unless the mic is REALLY sensitive.

 

[Sado God]

Yeah I guess it's useful too. Concentrate on the voice and try to keep the quality up while eventually going louder and louder

 

[IntoTheAbyss]

ive been practicing growling off and on for about a year..... let me say this.....you must never use your throat your you will regret it....as of latley ive been trying to sing heavy....this part is tricky i havent gotten to the point to where i sound like i want to sound but all i do is sing the words but use my diaphram instead of my throat. to me it sounds like shit but i guess i need to keep practicing any helpful tips would be awesome..

 

[Hexer]

Leper: whisper-level is probably not loud enough to growl in a band or something, I`d say, keep practising getting louder in small steps while keeping the quality, with a bit of practice you`ll improve I`m shure.

there are also vocalists who growl at about talking volume (Abbath in the older Immortal-stuff for example)