The Guide to Metal Vocals Episode 2: Distortion and Power

[wewillsoar77]

I have a question about a certain kinds of vocals. Are you familiar with the "ripper owens" style of singing or the rob halford "painkiller" album singing? I was wondering if you knew how to do that kind of singing because its almost as cool as black metal vocals in my opinion.

[HowIOwndYourMoM]

man, i hate living in an apartment made out of paper and plywood :( the damn neighbors. >:(

[xDeadlyxShawnx]

whenever I do the gutterals (peewee herman voice) for longer than a few seconds I seem to gag and/or dry heave. Any help?

[Blixish]

@xDeadlyxShawnx That technique is unsafe, and it's hard. It takes time and practice, and I can't guarantee that it will end well. You could end up harming yourself beyond repair.

This is one of those things you just have to figure out yourself, getting to know your body.

Imagine this: A child is born paralyzed. At 15, his body suddenly snaps out of the paralysis, but he doesn't know how to move individual muscles.

Try to teach this boy to juggle, just by text on the internet.

[Deathguitarist92]

Watching video, after video I was finally able to learn very well because of you, thanks so much i know its not the best but it has improved way more from before keep doing what your doing your advice is great!

[Eivind91sa]

207 got helped by this, 1 couldn't handle it.

[OnlyABlemish]

Something that took me a long time to figure out: Dont be a ultra-perfectionist about this. Your voice isnt his voice. Your cry wont sound like his infant cry. It. Wont. Happen. The goal is to get the vibrations down. Not the EXACT pitch.

I tend to be a perfectionist and I dont know how many weeks after I wasted after I had to base down trying to sound exactly like him. Dont do that...

[NekoMonChi]

What do you think of Nergal's growl? >x)

[cochi256]

hey dude I have a problem that is a real pain in the ass. There are some days where I can at least get that infant cry sound without any problem, but some other days (like today) I feel like I just can't no matter how much I try. I feel like my throat is kinda dry, could that be the problem? What do you recommend for drinking while performing this vocals? many recommend water but I don't really feel it helps much. Sorry for the long comment but I really need some help. thanks in advance :)

[Muckruckuck]

@cochi256 you probably figured this out by now but you want to drink lukewarm water or tea. never drink cold water when doing vocals. beer and soda dont help either.

[yeoldecouchpotato]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU you have just granted me my greatest dream: to sound like chris barnes and/or glen benton. you are my new best friend.  after watching this video i learned how to do the vocals right in about 5 minutes. i sure as hell didn't sound good, but it didn't hurt at all and it was the right way to do it. thanks one more time, great videos!

[LyricsArFun]

What do you think of Opeth man?

[Blixish]

@LyricsArFun Best band there is. Why do you ask?

[LyricsArFun]

@Blixish I think the same. But I like to consult some metal aficionados such as yourself before getting into a band. Thanks for replying, your the best vocalist on Youtube.

[BackboneOfTheSky]

@Blixish I don't think think he was talking about the band, he clearly typed "Opeth man", not "Opeth, man.". Now I'd like to know what an "Opeth man" is.

[LilLotziRedx]

Question, question. I can't even get the freakin quiet sounds T_T or if i do and add power it just huuurts man. what should i do?

[Blixish]

@LilLotziRedx Cry like a child, there is really nothing more to it. When a child cries, after a while it gets worn out and start making those ridiculous, semi-distorted sounds. Do the exact same thing (there is no metaphor here, I mean literally the same thing) and add power.

[LilLotziRedx]

@Blixish thanks for replying :D ok now i'm gonna have to go and be a weirdo and relisten to my cousins child crying, but If it'll work i guess it's just gotta be done. thanks again man :)

[StoneFreax]

XDD "If your loud, you can *BROOOACGHHGHOOOOOAAAAGHTAAAAA­AAAHRGH*, see?"

[Blixish]

@StoneFreax xD

[jericho4004]

I love your vocal tutorials. They are very concise and informative. As an older guy who is just starting to learn vocals, I find your approach very appealing. Cheers!

[dtma24]

Hey this might be a silly question, do you have any tips for recording guitar, other instuments besides vox?

[Blixish]

@dtma24 Yep, but it's too much to summarize in a single comment. :P

[metalman3636]

this is stupid wheres the talent in this kind of singing. sorry no disrespect

[DMU555]

@metalman3636 "This is stupid... sorry no disrespect"

So which is it? A disrespectful expression of opinion or a girly expression of opinion?

[Scowmoo]

@metalman3636 Honestly, it takes alot of time and practice to sound good, and if you do it wrong, you can DESTROY you're voice. still think theres no talent? Try to get good at it. You'll see.

[MrPeace360]

thank you Dude..

[blackoutpa]

I have the distortion down when I'm just screaming, but when I start forming words, the distortion disappears towards the end of the word. Like, the last syllable is still in the same pitch but there's no distortion. Am I just closing my throat up or is it something else?

[Blixish]

@blackoutpa I'd need an audio clip to analyze methinks. ;)

[blackoutpa]

@Blixish Hmm... I'll make one later. But, i kind of answered my own question a few minutes after posting the comment. I think I started to tighten my vocal chords at the end of the word or sentence or what have you. It still came out low, wasn't distorted. Thanks though. These really are the best teaching videos I've seen.

[Blixish]

@blackoutpa Cheers! :)

[FROMOUTHERE]

so many people do like whispering and obviously fake vocals and swear by it. saying youll injure yourself doing real screams. ive been screaming for years and im ok. if it hurts youre just screaming wrong. i think the more someone explains it the harder it is to understand. its good to just be silly about it, try making fun of it and treat it like a joke, scream about poop. i do this at work all day long. if youre not serious there is nothing to be ashamed of. then one day youre good at it.

[Blixish]

@FROMOUTHERE Great choice of words! I've been joking around with my vocals a LOT, most of the time in public. People look at me funny, but that's their problem, not mine. :D When I started out, I even managed to get thrown out of a café for growling Cannibal Corpse lyrics at full power. (Corpsegrinder style!)

Great comment man!

[jimbobmcgee]

Could you recommend any good songs to practice to? The only bands I listen to that use heavy vocals are Killswitch Engage and All Shall Perish, and both are HARD.

[Blixish]

@jimbobmcgee I started out with Cannibal Corpse and Six Feet Under, which worked like a charm. ^^

[e3axordos]

dude this kind of vocals are not my favorite but I really liked this guide. twas informative. the part where you did the yell , bricks were shat

[Beholder505]

I live in an apartment building with many neighbors. The rooms are small, and sound escapes very easily. I cannot play music loudly because others will complain. I can't go full force when working on my vocals without people thinking I'm getting attacked or just pissing them off. How can I practice properly? Do I have to take a trip into the woods or something?

[fcnme]

@Beholder505 i have the same problem as @Beholder505 . a stupid idea popped into my head, will screaming into a pillow help? or do i really need to find a place where i can be loud coz i really have no idea where except a jamming studio which i have to pay for to go to.

[Blixish]

@fcnme I don't really know, I guess you just have to find a secluded place. :/ I've never had that problem though, so I can't really say for sure. (Also, I don't have a problem with screaming in public. Yay for social awkwardness! :D)

[fcnme]

@Blixish lol, i wish i wasn't as self conscious. guess i'll figure a way out to find a place to practice. thanks a bunch!

[panteralover23]

My problem is that I can't seem to get my sound "loud." It's just there and all I can seem to do is get it from my throat. I'm not purposely trying to be soft with it, but I just can't push it. Is there a way that I could send you a video and we could try and work on it together? I'd really appreciate it!

[Blixish]

@panteralover23 Are you able to yell with a clean voice? Try doing that, then turn it into the crying sound. (By literally crying like a child.)

Sounds very weird, but it works! :)

[panteralover23]

@Blixish, well, I guess I just don't know how to start, so therefore I'm even more self-conscious about it. :P. I'll try again and then ask you any questions relating to my problems. Thanks for all of the help!

[moggydaghlegend]

Clapping windows sound scary lol.

But awesome vid dude cheers xD

[ikjeweetwel]

My grunts are very "Airy". There is a lot of air in my grunts. It doesn't sound like a full grunt, but more somewhat like there is air in between like the infant crying technique. How do i get this away?

[Blixish]

@ikjeweetwel Use more voice with it. Clean underlying tone is important, and in a mix it won't be heard anyways. :)

[XQriousX]

@Blixish I learned growls through your tutorials, and this works ok for me, but one thing I want to mention is that the infant sound is very individual. I've been able to do it my entire life, but it seems that not everyone can actually do it. I tried to teach one of my friends to growl, and the distortion didn't work for him at all. Some people must use other approaches. And btw, I have an idea for the next video: Overtone and pitch, how to transit between pitches and do overtones and squeals.

[Blixish]

@XQriousX Every single child I've ever heard cry can do it. ;) It's mechanically possible for everyone, but not everyone can "tap into it" immediately. ^^

Overtone and pitch, good idea. I get questions about that a lot, so I should make a video on it.

[XQriousX]

@Blixish Yeah everyone can do it from the start, but here comes the problem: Some people kinda loses it when their voices drop during puberty. Everyone can do the vibration, but it can in som cases sound very different. My friend for example can do the infant thing, but only low pitches. It sounds kinda dry, like the angry sigh, and he can't do it with normal speaking voice. Everyone can do it, but some will find the growling thing easier through other approaches. Still, great tutorial bro!

[Blixish]

@XQriousX I believe he's mechanically able to do it, he just doesn't know how. Yet. :D I might be wrong though - I'm always open for that. :)

Cheers man! :D

[XQriousX]

@Blixish Yeah probably. Hurry up with the new video, can't wait! No, kidding. Take your time and make it awesome!

[alsoichhalt]

I really have to thank you for your excellent videos, they really helped me alot to develop my screaming voice and my intention for the future is to perform black metal high pitched vocals but my normal voice is very low and i can do very low growls but my screams cant get high enough that it would sound like endstille for example or nargaroth, could you please help me and tell me how to get higher or how to make higher screams?

[Blixish]

@alsoichhalt You simply need to pitch it up like you would with clean vocals. I don't have a very high voice myself (at least not THAT high :D) but I can pitch it up easily. Just do the infant crying sound, and pitch it up far into the falsetto register (even though your voice will crack you need to relax though) and add power. :)

[alsoichhalt]

@Blixish ok thanks so i´ll try it like this again, but i got another question do you know any exercise to increase your breathing capacity, so that you can make a scream or growl that goes on for over ten or twenty seconds?

[Blixish]

@alsoichhalt Yeah, just practice a lot. The more you practice, the more your body will catch up. :)

[FatSk8rkid]

where the heck do you live? how can you scream like that, if i close my room door to hard they let me know let alone scream lol.

[Blixish]

@FatSk8rkid I live in a small town in northern Norway, in a house. Noone can hear me scream. ;)

[ZerO0311]

Lots of ppl told me NOT to be TOO loud cause the PA will make the rest. So I'm still being confused now. I mean.. being loud means putting more force into my voice. And this makes me afraid of ruining my vocalchords. ... maybe thats a reason why many people aren't loud enough. I'll try it out for myself when its not 2am. Good Video - I'll keep an eye on you :)

[Blixish]

@ZerO0311 Being this loud will help beginners actually obtain the distortion and power they need. You don't need to be this loud when performing (although the PA is a versatile piece of equipment, it doesn't care if you are loud or not), but if you're stuck doing the grudge sound, you need this kind of a wake-up call. :)

[sierramister123]

I have never been able to scream at all before i saw your videos and i admittedly have a soft voice but these are the most user friendly videos about screaming i have seen, you should make a metal vocals for dummies book lol

[StoneFreax]

So, how do I pronounce words and sentences? I mean, I can scream... kinda... but I cant "talk" while I'm screaming! Please help!

[Blixish]

@StoneFreax Pronounce the same way you would with clean singing. That's not hard with the false cord approach.

[StoneFreax]

@Blixish Yeah, but everytime I pronounce a "k" or a "g" the screaming stops for a slit second... Is that normal?

[Blixish]

@StoneFreax Consonants block the air flow, so yet. Just like in classical singing. ^^

[StoneFreax]

@Blixish Simple^^ Now it all makes sense!

[TheGuitaristOfGod]

Nice tutorial.

Do you happen to know if screaming wrong can cause tonsil infection?(white spot(s) on a tonsil)

[DeathinHD]

4:15 Holy Shit!

[xXRoFFlaNXx]

Really good tutorial, you explain much better than all the scene-fags here on youtube :D

[shimoshamman]

i can growl now(notgoodtho) but i cant scream D: how would i place a scream in to it?

[Blixish]

@shimoshamman Watch episode 1. ^^

[shimoshamman]

@Blixish thanks man :3

[OsiriusX]

I dont know what the heck I'm doing wrong! Always when I trying to do vocals my throat starts tickling and I have to cough :( It is really annoying because then I cant continue training anymore 'cause my throat feels kinda 'dry'

[Blixish]

@OsiriusX I don't know honestly. :/

[OsiriusX]

@Blixish No can do, I just have to try different approaches and find what suits for me, maybe I push too hard and because of that my throat are tensing or something.... But your videos are great and I think those are the best vocal lesson videos what i've seen :)

[fkinarrwstos665]

@OsiriusX tried drinking water ? when that happened to me i drank a bit and then it felt better and then the next days it was easier to practice

[StoneFreax]

@OsiriusX Happened to me when I started... It was gone after 3 days practicing!

[XDIASthecuber]

Same thing happens with my piano chords, if i press a key and scream

Also, for some reason, i can't yell with my normal voice....everytime it just distorts without any effort in that way

[Blixish]

@XDIASthecuber That's odd. oO I can yell perfectly fine with a clean voice still. :p

[XDIASthecuber]

@Blixish it's not that much distortion, but is noticeable

To be honest, i was kinda scared when that started to happen.....but i found a good solution

don't yell at people...always works :)

[Blixish]

@XDIASthecuber Haha, good solution! Both for social reasons and vocal-technical ones. xD

[deathcoreskater]

once again another great tip video =) cant wait to see more

[voidismatter]

Thanks, this helped a lot.

My teachers might get mad when i start yelling at them though :D

[Aydan86]

I followed a lot your vocals tutorial, and i learned something ... i think :D

the "infant cry" thing ... it really helped me a lot! Then i practiced on my car XD

On my next collaboration video i will show you something!

Cheers and thanks! :)

[Blixish]

@Aydan86 Wow, sweet! :D You can become a one-man-band then!!

[MetalSk8Shred]

Haha when you did the first scream, I heard metal making ringing sounds. Yeah when you first taught me about being louder for better sound, my guitars and pet cages would ring like hell hahaha!. Great video \m/

[goatambush]

great video blix

[Blixish]

@goatambush Thank you! :)

[ikjeweetwel]

Nice video man.

Just a question: What size are your plugs?

[Blixish]

@ikjeweetwel 10mm. ^^

[ikjeweetwel]

@Blixish Nice man, you planning on getting them bigger? It looks good on you (that sounds gay)

Well thanks again for this very nice video, will send you an email soon for asking if i'm doing it right. I wish i could just pass by at your house to ask but it's a bit too far from the Netherlands.

[Blixish]

@ikjeweetwel Nah, I think I'll keep them like this. I like em like this, they're perfect cigarette holders! :)

Sure thing, just pass it along and I'll review it for you.

[ikjeweetwel]

@Blixish

Do you smoke a lot? Becuase you don't seem like a smoker to me.

Would love to hit some good ol' dutch greenies with you ;)

[Blixish]

@ikjeweetwel Yeah. Only tobacco though, which I shouldn't have started with in the first place tbh. ^^

[ikjeweetwel]

@Blixish True. But what happened has happened.

[TheNameIsPascal]

@Blixish Haha if i stored my cigarrets in plugs all the tobacco would come out :P

[666cryingdeath666]

wow that analogy really helped. im definitely going to practice like this from now on

[TimboooJ]

Hey man, I can get the distorted sound to like a talking level but if i try to get it louder it turns into a clean vocal note. The distortion just seems to die away. What do?

[Blixish]

@TimboooJ How do you achieve the talking level distortion then?

[TimboooJ]

@Blixish Using the technique you showed, crying infant or whatever. Then pushing it to a talking volume. But if i try to push it louder it fails.

[Blixish]

@TimboooJ Umm... Usually, babies cry a lot louder than talking volume, don't they? Oo Do that! :D

[TimboooJ]

@Blixish Alright, I'll give it a shot. Thanks man :)

[Blixish]

@TimboooJ It's easier than you think. ;) Just allow yourself to sound stupid, and it'll sound good! :D Let go of the embarrassment factor! Let me know if it works. ^^

[MonsterMetalMusic]

ive got so much respect for you man. Not only did your first video on screaming actually teach me how to scream in a way that doesn't sound like a dying cow, but this video helped me even more with the volume. And your so laid back haha your a great teacher

[Blixish]

@MonsterMetalMusic Thanks! :D

[johannesww1]

Remeber to tell the watchers to stand up! :)

[Blixish]

@johannesww1 Good point indeed. ^^

[hammerphilosopher]

Man, i think you just did one of the best videos on youtube regarding this style of vocals.. keep up the great work :-)

Cheers!

[Blixish]

@hammerphilosopher Thanks! :)

[SuperGangster88]

i love your videos and they helped me alot already!! but i have problems to do really depressive vocals for my one man band "Trauerklang"(check out my instrumental parts on my channel if you like!)! Would you be so kind and make a video for depressive style vocals?? I would really appreciate this!! thx

Sry for bad english i am from austria!

[Blixish]

@SuperGangster88 It's actually easier than you think. ^^ Just cry like there's no tomorrow! I can make a video about it, but not tonight. If I remember it tomorrow, I'll make it then. :)

[SuperGangster88]

@Blixish thank you very much!! You're such a great teacher!! I asked a lot of people who do Metal vocals but nobody of them was able to teach it that everybody can learn it but you are really great in teaching !! ;)

[Blixish]

@SuperGangster88 Thanks! :) As you can see by now, it's a lot easier than you'd expect, eh? ;)

[SuperGangster88]

@Blixish yeah i have to practice a lot before i start recording the vocals for my one man band! but i dont really get a depressive sound out of my throat! thats the only thing where i need help now! i try and try an try but it doesnt sound much depressive!

[johannesww1]

@SuperGangster88 usually depressing dosnt go with deep vocals imo

[Josh12111120]

what should i do if my throat strart harting

[Blixish]

@Josh12111120 Then you should stop. This is actually only a matter of realizing that this type of screaming is the very same as the screams of a snowboarder who just broke his foot. Just let it out loud, and it should work just as it would if you got hurt or scared. I'm trying to invoke an epiphany in you! :)

[feverhood]

I think i shouted the shit out of my voice. And it worked. Then i started to be a bit more silent, after i got the "idea" of screaming.

[Blixish]

@feverhood Awesome!

[hellhammer95]

4:12 so awesome

[pastilance1]

Okay I'll try to be...

[Blixish]

@pastilance1 Try being loud with a clean voice first, then gradually adding some distortion while yelling. Sometimes that works.