Growling vocals. How to growl to death metal

Are you looking for how to learn growling? In that case, this article is for you. You will learn the basic principles of extreme vocals and how to master growling and screaming at home.

Let's first look at what growling is and what it is eaten with. This vocal technique came out of such styles as: Doom Metal\Black Metal, then it was picked up by previously mainstream trends - MetalCore \ DeathCore. In most cases, guys sing to them, but this does not mean that mastery of this vocal technique is available only to them. Women can also learn. As an example - and. No one argues that it is more difficult for girls to sing (due to a different structure of the larynx), but if you put in more effort, you can overcome this “small ailment”.
We continue the article “How to learn to growl.”

The emphasis is mainly on clefting of the vocal cords.
There are several ways to make a growling sound:
1) direction of air to the sky
2) directing air to the false ligaments
To understand how to properly cleave, try burping. The principle is the same.

You shouldn’t immediately start singing songs of your favorite bands, ala, and others. Incorrect splitting can damage the ligaments. Start with the simplest sounds, such as “eeee” or “eeee.” Learning to growl these sounds will create a good foundation for your potential growth as an extreme vocalist.
When there is a cleft, there should be tension in the lower jaw and the Adam's apple should rise.
The easiest way is to do it while inhaling, the most difficult (but professional) is to do it while exhaling.
*Do not start learning loudly, try to repeat the sounds quietly, gradually increasing the volume.
The “U” sound is made by lifting the corners of the lips.
The sound "I" when stretching them.
As with normal pronunciation of letters.

Go ahead. When singing fully, the tongue is practically not involved. After singing single vowels, move on to syllables, and only then to words. You need to study in exactly this sequence, you need to go in small steps, from small to large.
When learning to growl, you should breathe with your stomach, and not with your lungs, i.e. air is drawn into the stomach, and from there it is spent on splitting. This method will help you growl longer without taking extra breaths. You also need to help your abdominal muscles push out the air.
For quality growling, you need to follow a diet. Before vocals, you should not wear tight clothes or drink carbonated drinks (ala Coca-Cola). This puts extra tension on the ligaments.

Do not drink beer before singing, it does not soften, but rather dries out your throat.
People who smoke tend to growl better. So, if you smoke, this will be a small plus for you.

In recent years, many vocalists have begun to explore new techniques. Some of them are quite extreme and exotic, such as screaming and growling. It's not difficult to learn, but the main thing is to do it correctly.

About the structure of the vocal apparatus

Nature has endowed each person with a unique musical instrument - vocals. And for a long time, creative individuals have been testing their voice for strength in this way and that, as a result of which many unique techniques have appeared that are quite extreme. Before learning how to scream and growl, you need to know a little about the structure of the vocal cords.

The sounds that people make arise as a result of vibrations of special muscles. They are called folds. Oscillating, they close and open the gap through which air passes. But, in addition to true connections, there are also false ones. They do not close completely and usually do not play a serious role in sound production. But for those who want to learn how to scream, learning the structure of the vocal apparatus is very important. The fact is that the extreme vocal technique is very different from the usual one.

The essence of screaming

In the last few decades, a new singing technique has emerged and gained popularity - screaming. Its name comes from the English word “scream”, and in essence this technique is what it is. Professionals call this split-singing. This technique does not require special knowledge of academic vocals or serious data, you just need to understand how to learn to scream. This is not so difficult to do, but at first it will turn out very poorly, because this technique requires honing and regular training. The fact is that sound production occurs precisely with the help of false ligaments. If you do the exercises incorrectly, there is a risk of losing your voice altogether, so it’s not worth the risk. With the question of how to learn to scream, it is better to approach an experienced teacher who knows this technique. However, you can acquire initial skills on your own.

About growling

Another type of extreme vocals is more used by men, unlike the first. We're talking, of course, about growling. However, this does not mean that girls do not master this technique, it is just that it is somewhat less common. The name of this technique is translated from English as “growling, roaring,” and indeed the technique is very reminiscent of it. Growl is used in various musical genres, but, above all, it is death metal.

In addition to the technique in its pure form, there are many more varieties; in fact, each vocalist brings some unique feature to this technique, like screaming. At first, of course, it’s worth learning from the masters, but over time you can and should develop your own style.

Breath

It doesn’t matter whether you need to learn how to scream for a girl or a man. We must not forget about the main thing - breathing. And it must be special for both techniques. Most girls usually breathe with their chests, that is, with their lungs, while extreme vocals require directing the air flow using the diaphragm. The first exercises before learning how to scream and growl should be aimed at achieving this goal. Breathing with the diaphragm should eventually become simple and natural, while you need to monitor your posture, it must be correct, otherwise the task will become more difficult.

Correct technique

At first, training should be short - 10 minutes is enough. Before you learn how to scream and growl, you need to make sure that your throat is healthy, and even better, quit smoking. Without knowing how to sing cleanly, it is quite difficult to master the technique of extreme vocals perfectly. So it is better to minimize all factors negative for a healthy voice. By the way, during each lesson you need to drink a lot of clean water. Anyone who attends live concerts knows and has seen how much liquid artists consume during a performance. Keeping your throat moist helps you sing and reduces the chance of injury.

Before starting each workout, you must sing. Despite the fact that the true vocal folds should not be involved in this technique, it is better not to risk it; weeks and months of treatment with a phoniatrist are not worth one annoying mistake. Having warmed up, you need to understand at what point and how much the muscles tense. In fact, screaming singing occurs with relaxed ligaments, although the opposite impression is created. You need to pronounce the sound “a” or any other suitable vowel. There is no need to try to do it loudly right away, otherwise there is a risk of injury. If you feel pain, you must immediately stop exercising.

Excessively intense training, neglect of warm-up exercises and incorrect technique can lead to hoarseness, a broken voice or even loss of voice. Therefore, you should be very careful about your natural musical instrument - vocals. During self-study, you always need to listen sensitively to your feelings. A professional teacher can also tell you how to scream correctly, so you can take several lessons.

After each workout, you need to rest your voice - this is very important. Having mastered the basics, you can begin to master the transitions from low to high registers and vice versa, pay attention to articulation, etc. There is no need to rush, because the health of your voice is the most important thing. How to learn to scream without it? It's simply impossible.

Music itself has been a constant companion of man for many millennia. The age of the first instruments found (flutes made from animal bones) is tens of thousands of years. Probably, the craving for melody, emotional sounds and orderly rhythm is inherent in a person at the genetic level. However, as in many other highly developed animals. Today we will dive deeper into the ocean of music: we will find out what growling is. Who first started singing in this manner? Is it possible to learn it? What is the difference between screaming and growling? The answers to these questions are also contained in this publication.

Music

In recent decades, a huge number of new genres have appeared among musical trends. Not all of them became popular. But most of them are united by such a feature as informality. It can be considered a bright sign of the times. Quite difficult to understand, but relatively soft classical instrumental music is no longer the basis and mainstream of modern culture. Now metal and its varieties. There are quite a few different vocal styles in these areas. One of them is growling. What it is? What are its differences from other similar singing styles? Is it possible to learn it?

Definition

Growl, or growling, is one of the singing techniques that is performed with “splitting” of the vocal cords, resulting in a kind of “growl”. Of course, it is used only in those styles of music where such a vocal effect is appropriate. For example, in grindcore, deathcore, black and doom metal. And although this method of using your voice has been known for a long time, it has gained particular popularity in recent years. Growling is a technique that many rock and metal bands resort to experimentally. True, it’s not always successful. Simply put, this is a rough and aggressive “growl” that not all fans of heavy music styles like. We figured out what it is. Now let’s briefly tell the history of the appearance of this vocal technique.

Story

For the first time, the Hellhammer group delighted their fans with this style of singing in 1982. Later, something similar could be found in a number of American bands performing in the genres of gothic, doom and death metal. In the last two, you can increasingly find a kind of cocktail of rough male growling and clean, high female vocals. This combination is the most popular. Although growling is a technique that can now be heard performed by women. True, it is quite rare, due to the peculiarities of the anatomy of the speech apparatus. Therefore, women more often use another “aggressive” way of singing called “screaming.”

If we talk about such types of metal as black and death metal, then sometimes there are virtuosos who use a peculiar combination of screaming and growling. This style is also often used as a complement to other aggressive and extreme techniques of singing and playing musical instruments. Heavy, low, growling bass, behind which it is sometimes difficult to make out the words - this is exactly what growling is. We'll look at how to learn it below. But first, to properly understand the subject, let’s look at the growling technique in more detail.

Technique

If we talk about scientific definition, then growling can be called diaphragmatic bass. This vocal technique basically involves the extraction of sounds on a support from the diaphragm during a strong exhalation and the further process of splitting the vocal cords. It is the combination of all this that creates the effect of a rough and scary growl. And by the way, growling and screaming are often confused. There is certainly a difference between them. Thus, screaming is a very high-pitched wheezing scream, the technique of which also uses the method of splitting the vocal cords. But very often vocalists use it incorrectly. The result is the usual high-pitched, shrill cry. Well, we already know what growling is.

Safety

We also must not forget that everyone who begins to practice screaming experiences a sore throat at first. And sometimes very strong. True, over time the painful sensations pass. The main thing is to establish the execution technique. But if discomfort remains after a long time, this is a sure sign that you are singing incorrectly. You also need to monitor your breathing - if it is done incorrectly, severe dizziness will certainly occur as a result. And as for the negative impact of this vocal technique on the voice as a whole, there is no evidence of this fact, since with proper screaming the ligaments are practically not involved in sound generation.

Growling: how to learn?

Almost everyone can learn this vocal technique. And for this it is not at all necessary to have a naturally low and rough voice. But, of course, if you have one, then growling with it will be much easier. And the sound will be more rich and juicy. Also, during the training period, you need to exclude cold drinks from your diet, as well as too hot drinks.

And it is important to remember - despite the fact that you can find a lot of videos and articles with the title “Growling for Beginners”, a really good and safe technique for the ligaments can only be obtained through practical training with a person who already possesses this skill. But still, we will consider one of the most popular methods:

First, you should learn the technique of regular vibrating vocals. The style of both regular and progressive rock or one of the varieties of metal is suitable for this. At this stage, it is most important to learn to control your breathing and maintain a balance between the tension of the vocal cords and the diaphragm. If you try to “growl” with the ligaments, then it will definitely not end well. To push air out, you mostly use a diaphragm. And the ligaments themselves should be left relaxed.
It is advisable to drink something warm before and after training. You can also do this between songs. And it is better to avoid alcohol and milk.
You always need to “warm up.” You should not try to growl without vocal and, to some extent, even general warm-up. You can use articulatory gymnastics, Strelnikova’s breathing technique, or exercises from other systems developed for vocalists for this purpose.
Take a deep breath, and then push some of the air out of your lungs, tightening your tonsils and throat. This must be done simultaneously, but without much tension. You should try to produce a guttural and high-pitched sound, gradually lowering the pitch, returning to the usual style of singing, and then vice versa.
Imagine as if a powerful column of air is passing from the diaphragm through the chest and palate. In this case, the larynx must be kept open and relaxed. This technique will significantly improve your already developed growling skills and add melody to them.
The air needs to be pushed with the stomach. Ideally, growling is when all the power of singing should come exclusively from the diaphragm. The same thing happens with opera singers. A straight back and relaxed muscles around the spinal column help with this. Then inhale deeply and exhale forcefully, making a growl with your vocal cords open.

Conclusion

And most importantly, don’t be sad if you can’t growl. This skill comes with time. It is necessary to train carefully. In addition, each singer uses his own style. You just need to find it. Listening to professional growling during training will also be a good help - since our body is familiar with a kind of empathy, the body will try to take the same position that is characteristic of the singer “nearby”. This, together with direct comparison of sounds and their adoption, can make the task much easier. So, now we know how to learn this technique and what is needed for this. In addition, we answered the question of how screaming and growling differ from each other.

If you want to sing in some evil gang, you have to know how to “growl” correctly. Such vocals are typical for Death, Doom, Black. “Roar” is scientifically called “grawling”, or “grawl vocal”. Proper voice placement is also important here., as when singing clean vocal, because you obviously want to growl well and loudly and not spit out your ligaments in the first five minutes of singing. I recorded vocals for the album MEMORIAL TO SUFFERING by PAINFUL MEMORIES in one day - I had to growl for about eight hours straight, but I was not at all tired and not at all hoarse. True, I periodically moistened my throat with liquid and at that time did not smoke at all. There was a time when my grawling was considered one of the best in St. Petersburg.

Let me note right away that all the stories about how you need to smoke a pack of Belomor before you growl to get a good sound are crap. Smoking immediately clogs the respiratory tract and irritates the ligaments., so after a pack of Belomor you won’t even be able to speak, not just growl. If you want to sing, it is better to quit smoking altogether, although smoking in reasonable doses with a properly trained voice does not have a significant effect on vocals.

What all types of grawling have in common is that almost all of them are forced vocals, i.e. To sing like that, you need to work harder. But at the same time, a common mistake of beginner growlers is increased air consumption during sound production. Air should be used as sparingly as possible.: because a whole hurricane is coming from you, the sound does not always become louder, but left hissing and whistling sounds are added to it, articulation and control of pitch become difficult, and after a while, from hyperventilation of the lungs, your pressure will jump and the roof will go crazy. Yes, I was not mistaken - with a roar you can sing according to the notes! But not just any roar.

"Low" grawling

There are several styles of low growl, although to a sucker the growl seems the same everywhere. Now we will look at the main ones:

Brutal grawling
typical for brutal Death metal. The sound seems to come from the very inside, from the intestines, etc. This is a noise grawling that has no specific pitch. The basic sound for producing such a roar is the “U” sound. So, take a lot of air into your lungs and growl as low as you can - “UUUUH...”. But just growl, and don’t moo like a cow, tense up and don’t be afraid to scare your neighbors - that’s where they belong... At the same time, try to keep the imaginary point of sound emission as low as possible. Watch your air flow! Watch the articulation - lips into a tube! In fact, this is a chest roar, i.e. you sing to your chest. Therefore, when singing with such vocals, a person even with small vocal abilities can achieve a fairly low and strong sound. This style of growling is not expressive enough and makes the text very illegible, but it has a characteristic bastard coloring. If you have good vocal abilities, then I will recommend other styles to you.

Guttural grawling
typical for Doom metal. The sound is born in the throat, the singing goes to the head. With sufficient skill, it allows you to sing according to notes. The basic sound is somewhere between “A” and “E”. Correct articulation - the mouth is not open wide, the lips are slightly drawn inward. It is important to find the correct position of the head and larynx to obtain maximum resonance.

Throat growling
or growling type Barney Greenway- this is actually practically not a roar, but a wheezing, but it sounds like a roar. To a large extent, a clear voice is involved in its formation, so before classes it is better to sing in a clear voice (this can partly be attributed to guttural growling). The basic sound is "A". Articulation - mouth wide open. This style is characterized by developed articulation, jaw movements have a large amplitude, which requires the presence of powerful maxillofacial muscles. When singing with such vocals, good intelligibility of the text is obtained.

High growl

Quorton type vocals
named after one of the founders of the style, the founder of the BATHORY group - characteristic of BLACK METAL. It's like a fairly high-pitched squeal. Actually, this is the kind of vocal that many blacksters use - it’s like a growl on a mixed double or even a falsetto. But in general, BLACK uses different vocals - the low growling styles discussed above may also be present here, so let’s look at high growling using a number of illustrative examples.

Recitative high growling
The bands IMMORTAL, SATYRICON and many others use mostly not too high creaky vocals. It is recitative in nature and cannot be used for singing from notes - the vocalist seems to angrily pronounce his text so that it seems that he is reading some kind of creepy magic spells. In terms of technique, this is purely guttural singing. This can be called a recitative high growl. How to get a squeaky sound? Will explain. Imagine that you are some kind of evil leprechaun and distort your voice so that it sounds like the voice of a small and very evil creature. At the same time, the larynx rises and high overtones appear, the voice begins to sound unnatural, something magical and unreal, otherworldly and infernal appears in its sound...

Swedish growling
Vocals characteristic of Swedish BLACK/DEATH, respectively, are used by Swedish bands, such as DARK TRANQUILLITY, IN FLAMES, DISSECTION, etc., but, of course, not only Swedes can sing like that - Norwegians, Finns (CHILDREN OF BODOM for example) and even ours can do it no worse . Such vocals are quite high, they are guttural and contain clear voice is often mixed in(for example, AT THE GATES). This vocal style acquires its characteristics due to its characteristic articulation. To understand the principles of articulation in this style, you can say “wow!” Now shout the same thing louder, lingering longer on “a” and swallowing “u.” Do you feel it? On “a” the mouth opens wide, on “y” it closes accordingly. Consider that you made one sound - “a”, and the ending “u” gives it a kind of siren-like sound, which is cool. Now shout the same thing with increased articulation (now you know how) and imagining that your mouth is the bell of a powerful loudspeaker. Cool? But if you do all this with a clear voice, you get a kind of rock and roll vocal, which is also used in metal rock, mainly not Nordic. Therefore, add distortion to your voice and repeat the same thing. Note that the “u” still sounds quite clean, which adds to the atmosphere, but the “a” is just evil! Cool, yeah? You can sing according to the notes and quite high. Some bring this height almost to a coloratura soprano, for example, the English bands CRADLE OF FILTH and HECATE ENTHRONED.

Periodically, but not often, during vocal practice, the throat can be moistened with liquid. Try not to use beer for this, as it dries (oddly enough). It's better to use something like tea (I understand how difficult my last recommendation is to follow, haha).
Don't use minton and other similar shit frequently, as you may become addicted to it. The use of such drugs is permissible only in emergency cases, for example, if you have a concert in five minutes, and you are completely hoarse from smoking.
Don't try to sing too loudly, don't overexert yourself! After all, there are microphones and amplifiers.

Learning to growl is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. It can be performed by representatives of the stronger sex with a low natural voice, as well as by young people whose voice timbre is higher. And surprisingly, even girls!

How to learn to sing growling?

There are several types and subtypes of this direction:

traditional growling;
mixed;
more like a grunt;
growling

All these types are similar to each other in the technique of sound production. The mechanism of execution is no different from ordinary belching. And this suggests that you need to use the same parts of the throat, producing a specific sound change.

It is important to practice regular vocals. Correctly open your mouth and control your breathing, air flow, and then make vibrating movements. It is necessary to produce sound without damaging the vocal cords, and therefore it is unsafe to learn only growling. To do this, it is important to listen to songs by famous performers, both vocal and growl, and understand the technique of performing speech.
Breath. It must be special, that is, not breasts, and the diaphragm. You should also maintain correct posture, otherwise the task will become more complicated and you will not be able to achieve the desired result.
During exercise you need to drink plenty of fluids, using plain water or green tea. The main thing is that the liquid is not hot or cold, but at room temperature. Juice will irritate the ligaments, milk will promote mucus production, and soda will dry out the throat. As for beer or other alcohol, this is also unacceptable while singing with a growl. They will make your voice uncontrollable, and you are unlikely to remember anything after such a “drunk” lesson.
Be sure to do the chanting! It doesn’t matter how you rehearse, alone, together, as a whole group, and chanting is an important element before each artist goes on stage. This way, your voice will sound good and the ligaments will not be loaded with strong pressure when pronouncing “heavy” sounds.
Successful repertoire.It is important not to imitate the public and the latest fashion in the musical world of growling, but to try to develop your own individual style, choose a repertoire that will help reveal your talents. The main thing is that you like the song and like it. Then the teaching will be much more exciting and accessible.

Basic exercises from professionals

First you need to draw in lungs full of air, and then, not too abruptly, start squeezing it out with your diaphragm. At the same time, try to create certain sounds with the larynx that will be similar to growling or coughing. The result is a heavy sigh, and the output is a high-pitched sound.

Then you need to lower the tone until the sound turns into a roar or a terrifying scream. The larynx should be relaxed; it should not be difficult or painful for you to perform these exercises.

Now you need to imagine a flow of air that is exhaled with the help of a column going from the diaphragm through the chest to the sky. After this, you should start making a growl, it should come from the larynx, at the level of the collarbones, and not disturb the vocal cords.

Attention! The air will run out very quickly, and therefore after such lessons you may feel dizzy and feel weak throughout the body.

Now imagine that everything around you is annoying and make an angry “oof”, like an old pirate whose favorite treasure was stolen. With this movement, the back wall of the throat will begin to vibrate, and a sore throat sensation may appear. With this movement, you need to learn to push out more air to make the growl more powerful.

When performing this technique, the vibration of the vocal cords is important; here it is important to understand how the open larynx works; when you yawn, the Adam's apple goes down and the throat becomes wider. In this position, vibration of the ligaments is best achieved. If you add the “hrr” sound to this sound, you get a growl with splitting.

You won’t be able to practice quietly, it’s important to pronounce the sounds at full volume, it’s worth experimenting until you get the desired result.

Mixed growl

Growl with grunt

This is an ordinary grow, in which you need to raise your Adam's apple as high as possible. This manner will result in grunting; it is better to train to the sound of “ooey”. In this case, the lips should be extended forward.

Drink plenty of fluids all the time to avoid damaging the ligaments.
Conduct classes regularly, then the growling will become more and more brutal each time.
Practice such activities when no one is at home, because not everyone around you can adequately perceive this activity.
Don't copy someone else's style, but try to find your own, individual one.
Do not abuse bad habits, take care of your health and treat this style as a serious activity that requires maximum concentration and vocal knowledge.
Make an “open larynx” split when singing so as not to damage the ligaments.

Good luck with this style! Try, and you will certainly succeed!