Undoubtedly the screaming and rough distortion voice, particularly in rock music, has become very popular. For some kinds of rock music, the screamo vocals are necessary.Singers who wish to pursue a career in rock music always have been dreaming of singing with distortion; however there is always a fear of damaging the vocal chords by doing something that is considered dangerous. I have been asked the following question a few times ”Is it possible to damage my vocal chords if I sing with a raspy voice”?
By investigating the way the vocal chords work during singing normally or even talking in daily life, it would be possible to give a clear answer to this question.
The vocal chords (or vocal folds as they are called sometimes) are located in the larynx below the epiglottis and above the trachea. There are inner muscles in the larynx that control the closure of the vocal chords while the diaphragm forces the air up and by the air pressure they open. The diaphragm, which is a big muscle, controls the air, so singing is a result of muscular coordination controlled by the hindbrain and the thinking brain. There is a misconception about the nature of the vocal chords as it has been believed that they are a muscle, which is wrong. The vocal chords are a soft tissue, therefore they are very fragile, and they are not protected by bones and other organs, being exposed to physical damages and wrong bodily actions.
The way the vocal chords work during talking or singing is by shortening and relaxing. When a person sings a high note, the vocal chords close and open faster, consequently less air is needed to engage the vocal chords properly. On the contrary a very low sound requires a longer column of air.
Tense in the vocal chords can be caused due to the lack of muscular control (diaphragm) and that can cause damage to this very sensitive organ. Singing without breathing and muscular control can be the start of vicious actions that could lead to a permanent problem of nodules and polyps which can be removed sometimes only with surgery. However there are cases where the surgery caused alteration of the vocal chords, affecting thus permanently the quality of singing. The screaming vocals could be a dangerous way of singing for someone who doesn’t know how the vocal system works. There is a lot of tense on the vocal chords during the incorrect scream singing and depending on the sensitivity of the person it can cause big or small temporary damage.
The way for someone to build up a scream voice is firstly to work out perfectly the natural voice and after a long time of practicing, to start working with distortion and screamo techniques. This rough sound should not come by the pressure of the vocal chords but by an exact position of the air in coordination with muscular pressure in the lower diaphragm. In fact there are two categories of screaming singers 1) those who sing like that because they have affected their voice by using drugs and alcohol (these singers can find it hard to sing naturally as their way of life has affected their voice permanently) and 2) those who can scream using the appropriate technique and can sing either clean natural, either rough or very soft. It would be bad to imitate the first example as the result could be massive for the vocal chords. Based on my personal experience people have lost their voices by using wrong techniques and practicing mistakes, or have been forced to avoid singing for a couple of months.
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…The screamo singing could be dangerous for the vocal chords if done without using the appropriate technique There still can be tense and pressure in the vocal chords caused by wrong techniques but due without the feeling of irritation. In order to learn how to sing with scream it is required to learn singing in the natural voice firstly. |
What is the best way to learn how to scream-sing?
1) Choose what type of scream-distortion voice you want to use. There are different styles of scream. Hard rock, blues rock, pop, jazz, gospel? however by exploring the vocal system and by reaching a high level in singing, it could be possible to manage a lot of different styles of scream.
2) Hire a good vocal coach to help you learn to “sing-scream” but firstly it is very important to learn how to sing naturally, without extra effects. Otherwise you may expose your voice to damage caused by wrong techniques.
3) Practice by focusing on the breathing techniques, resonance, volume and articulation.
4) Warm up the voice before you start singing, while starting the daily practice with a high-pitched song or with scream vocals should be avoided. 40 minutes of warm up could be enough and extra exercises for the vocal chords for at least ten minutes before trying any kind of scream would be advisable.
5) Drink some water if it is necessary to clean your throat.
6) Avoid alcohol as that can dehydrate the body by affecting the brain which is the main responsible organ for the muscular coordination.
7) Avoid milk based drinks and foods (chocolate, ice cream…) as they can coat the vocal apparatus making the singing harder while sweet drinks can increase the possibilities of phlegm.
Important notice: It is always advisable to all the voice students, once they feel pain, burn or any kind of irritation in their throat to stop singing immediately avoiding the risk to cause any damage. However there are times where there is still tense and pressure in the vocal chords caused by wrong techniques but due to a variety of reasons there is no irritation or any feeling of doing something wrong, which could be considered even dangerous. The best preventive measure in this case is that the student must always try to follow the instructions for correct singing, avoiding thus the danger as much as possible.
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December 27th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Thanks Lawrence, this is very helpful indeed.
December 25th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
6. Avoid Alcohol – Good advice, but sometimes hard in practice.
Vocal coold down exercises are good too.
Check out a two-part set of DVD’s called The Zen of Screaming. Very good instruction on how to sing loudly or even use screaming as a vocal technique without causing damage to your vocal instrument.
November 22nd, 2009 at 9:06 am
My opinion is with Andrew and Mathew. I checked Slipknot. Coery said he has lost power and there are a lot of rumors of having troubles with his vocal chords. I don’t know finally the actual truth as I have never followed that band.
David Townsed singing with Steve Vai. He is doing some good screamo stuff. Not very hard core but it sounds good as he can change from hard distortion to normal.
November 22nd, 2009 at 2:01 am
A lot of you don’t seem to know what your talking about. I have never met Slipknot but I know for a fact that Andrew is correct. IF you watch a couple of LIVE clips from different eras of Corey performing vocals you will notice that his voice has deteriated significantly since he began his career. He has a grasp on his singing voice but if you listen carefully in his recordings you can even note there that his voice has strain. Now you can imagine how much strain there is when he screams. He’s said several times that he has no idea how long he can keep it up anymore. He knows, like Andrew knows, like I know, that his voice is killed and that will be the same fate for those who dont practice properly.
August 23rd, 2009 at 1:02 am
Very informative writing on the vocal chords and how they can be damaged. Also about singing in general, it seems like you really know what your are talking about.
I like reading posts like this, as it teaches us something good.
August 13th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
@Dan Singing Lessons In: Thanks for the extra info. Yes you are right. Cold or very hot water it would be better avoided. The room temperature also is important to be balanced. Also the room should be clean and free of toxic gas as they can harm the throat badly.
@Ryan dont: We actually talk about screaming effects and all the similar stuff like raspy distortion. They are not exactly similar but they both follow some common tips. First of all, in every case of vocal effect perfect knowledge of natural singing is required. Those effects work as voice expanding techniques and sound colors.
August 13th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
I did want to add a little to the tip about drinking water. The water should be warm or room temperaure so as not to constrict your vocals when you sing.
Other then that the other tips were great and can be used to greatly improve your singing.