How can i preserve my vocal cords and still sing raspy vocals to death vocals with pure force.?

Question

Any warm up tips or sunjestions? My Vox had changed over the last few years quite a bit. I have to change the way i sing just to get close to older vocal timbres I used. I'd liek to be able to keep my voice the way it is and keep from having to change the way i sing, or scream hehe.

If any one has any tips or wants to share tips contact me at [e-mail]

Answer 1

in short, no.

here's why:
by using force you are stretching your vocal chords and causing them excess strain. liken it to an elastic band that has been streched to its limit then plucked really hard over and over again. that's what you do to your vocal chords when you use too much force. except the little cracks you see in an elastic band actually form as cysts or nodules on your vocal chords.

by the sounds of it you have already done quite a bit of damage. you might want to consider backing off on the screaming (even just 10%). you may even find that your voice is just as loud, if not louder, when you don't force too much anyways. maybe think of seeing a vocal coach (you should be able to find one at a local music store or music school).

Answer 2

Warming up and proper breathing are two major components of good screaming. By warming up, you are not only preparing your voice/improving your preformance, but it also pumps you up, lets you get the feel of it (especially how your voice sounds in the room where you're singing (a hollow sounding room, an absorbant one)) and it can also help a whole lot with stage fright. If you're already in the stage area for half an hour, it's not going to be quite as scary as if you just got there a second ago.


These I took from Singing Basics. (Just so you wouldn't have to flip back and forth. :P) I perhaps modified them a bit, though.
Warming up--

This is very imporant, especially for the overall tone and quality of your voice. Your throat is a muscle, and if it is overworked, it can injure or get sore just like any other muscle.

Often the hardest part about warming up is finding a place to do it! It helps if you warm up a little bit all day. Buzz around, hum. Just anything that will keep you going. Good places to warm up are in cars, a room in the building or place you're singing at (IF you can find one) OR if bands are already playing, some people just warmup in the crowd. People probably wont notice if it's loud.

When first starting your warmup, just make easy hums, nothing too hard. Move on to making EEEE AHH and OOO sounds, buzzing sounds, and then start to focus on your tone and quality/pitch.
Do a few scales, (it's great if you have a piano/keyboard or guitar to help you match the pitch with, but alone will do as well) If you pull a note that is off key, start from the beginning and go up again, slowly. Don't speed up until you have the scale down pat. If there is a note you just can't get, don't over stress. You can try more or less slurring up to reach the note. It's a gradual thing. THEN start over.
Warming up can take anywheres from 10-15 minutes to over an hour. Much of it depends on how much you're singing.



Breathing--

This is one of the most important things of singing, and so many never realize it. With singing, you have to breathe efficiently (obviously) otherwise, you'll run out of air. :uhoh:
The most effective breathing method is sticking your gut out and controlling your air with your stomach (diaphragm). When you breathe in, your stomach goes OUT (not just your chest). Your abdomen is much more powerful than just your throat/lungs, and it will give you a steady stream of air, which will help keep your tone even and improve your dynamics. If you're doing this right, it should feel like the sound is coming from your chest, and coming through your throat. You shouldn't feel pain afterwards. The entire idea of proper breathing, is being efficient with your air. You will realize how little air it takes to make a good sound.

A good way to practise this (especially when you're first starting off) is laying on your back and breathing. When you breathe in, watch your stomach go up. When you breathe out, it should go down.

Starting off--

Most people start off whisper-screaming. You make the rough whispery sounds with your voice, but without the volume. You can practise this laying down so you can focus on proper breathing at the same time.

Next, bringing up the volume, with growlingor screaming. Try doing long notes. Start off soft, then get louder, then get soft again. Do a slow scale of this. Take your time. Try laying down for this too, as you still must get used to the breathing technique. Do this until you're feeling quite comfortable.

From what I've heard (mudvayne rocker :yes:) if you're growling correctly, it should feel like you're on the verge of a burp. :lol:

Also, talk to a vocal coach. Probably one of the most valuable lessons you can learn from a vocal coach is breath control.

Answer 3

Lip sync.

Answer 4

DRINK BEER!!!