Scream Music Singers -- Protect Your Voice

A scream music singer walks into your voice studio asking for help. Now considering you’ve spent the last 20 years imploring singers not to scream, what do you do? While it may be tempting to suggest to your heavy metal screamer that they simply stop screaming, your words would most likely fall on deaf (very very def) ears.

Musical tastes have evolved over the millennia starting with caveman growls ascending to the exquisite classical music of the nineteenth century and back around to screams and growls at the end of the twentieth century. This pretty much puts scream music groups at the top of the de-evolution musical food chain.

And there's a lot more screaming going on out there than you might imagine. Even Nashville has its scream heroes like Hank Williams III, who somehow manages to turn mandolins, fiddles, and steel guitars and into punk metal music.

While it’s true that all singers must learn to guard against damage to the delicate vocal apparatus, those who sing scream music -- heavy metal, hardcore punk, death metal and thrash -- certainly have to expect that there is bound to be damage somewhere down the road. It’s like sending out a group of second graders to sing a Wagner opera. Somebody’s gonna’ get hurt.

Scream music sounds dangerous because it is dangerous. It sounds like it's ripping up your throat because it is. So, why put your voice through all that? I'm not sure, but one thought is that scream music projects a certain raw seductive quality of imminent danger, perhaps by creating the impression that the singer's voice could go out of control at any time.

The best help a vocal coach can give to these singers is to stress the importance of support, to work on how to support, and to demand they use support. I have only one printed message on the walls of my studio, and it reads, “It’s the support, stupid!” The sign is not only there to remind my students, but also serves as a reminder to me that good support is absolutely crucial.

And good support for the voice starts with the way a singer breathes. Wherever you direct the air in your body is where you will apply pressure to blow it back out when you perform.

Like a furniture mover, the scream music singer should draw on support from the strong parts of the body: lower abdominals, legs, glutes and lower back muscles. It's like tucking your hips under as you imagine that you are sitting down on your tailbone. In fact, the way a furniture mover prepares his body to move something heavy is reminiscent of the extra boost needed to produce a good scream.

Whether it be thrash metal, death metal, hardcore punk, or just plain heavy metal, the ultimate goal here is to protect the voice so that it lives to scream another day.

Nashville vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams reveals the trade secrets that have already helped hundreds of aspiring singers become celebrities: Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Dixie Chicks, Miley Cyrus, Huey Lewis, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Jason Aldean, Christina Aguilera...

Like me on Facebook at or follow me on Twitter @MyVoiceCoach. My blog can be found at MyVoiceCoachBlog.com.

Go to CyberVoiceStudio.com and sign up to receive my free weekly Video Voice Lessons.

For more information go to MyVoiceCoach.com or call 615.244.3280 to schedule a private voice session in person, by telephone or by Skype.

A Singing Career in Your Future? Learn to Play an Instrument

 If a singing career is your goal, while you make a commitment to pursue a professional singing career, you should also make a commitment to become a multi-instrument player. A good voice and the ability to execute a well turned phrase are simply not enough any more. If you want to have a career in singing it’s important that you become a well-rounded musician.

Learn to play an instrument. In fact, learn to play several: guitar, piano and drums at the very least.

Guitar

I highly recommend studying the guitar first -- it’s easy to learn to strum a few chords and you can get started playing music right away. The guitar will teach you about the relationship between the keys and how repeating patterns form and transfer.

Piano

I also recommend learning to play the piano because it will teach you the language of music. It’s all laid out for you (quite literally!) right there in black and white on the keyboard.

The wise student will learn to develop two piano skills, playing by ear without written music or from chord charts, and by learning to read music by sight. If you cannot find a teacher who can teach both systems, find yourself two teachers.

Drums

If you want to develop your rhythmic integrity, it's also a good idea to take a few drum lessons. You will be expected to know the difference between a shuffle, a disco beat and a waltz, and how to accurately indicate the tempos you prefer. An error in setting the tempo could lead to a nightmare as the song progresses.

Get as much onstage experience as possible, this is imperative for those who want to have a career in singing. Join a band or put a band together; you need to experience how to run a band and entertain an audience under every kind of condition.

Touring drives record sales and creates a fan base. When you are ready to approach record executives they need to see that you have honed your craft through extensive onstage experience and that you can command the attention of a crowd and build a following. Without it, you have no proven history and you will find it difficult to convince anyone to make a high-dollar investment gamble on your singing career.

Nashville producer Paul Worley, (Lady Antebellum, Dixie Chicks. Martina McBride, The Band Perry. . .) has a program that he makes his unseasoned young singing clients go through. They must schedule, book and play 90 gigs in 99 days. Now if that sounds difficult, think ahead to when you could be playing 99 shows in 99 days. If you're not tough enough, there are plenty of others who are ready and willing to jump in.

In order for a career in singing to be hassle-limited (notice I didn't say "hassle-free ) you have to give yourself every advantage when you communicate with your band, your producer, your audience. You have to know what you want before you can get it. Everything you learn about the mysterious inner workings of the music you make will make you a better singer and a stronger leader.

 

Nashville vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams reveals the trade secrets that have already helped hundreds of aspiring singers become celebrities: Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Dixie Chicks, Miley Cyrus, Huey Lewis, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Jason Aldean, Christina Aguilera...

Like me on Facebook at or follow me on Twitter @MyVoiceCoach. My blog can be found at MyVoiceCoachBlog.com.

Go to CyberVoiceStudio.com and sign up to receive my free weekly Video Voice Lessons.

For more information go to MyVoiceCoach.com or call 615.244.3280 to schedule a private voice session in person, by telephone or by Skype.

Choosing the Best Songs to Sing

How do you go about choosing the best songs to sing -- the ones that define what you are about and why?

There’s no way MapQuest can tell you how to get from your local hole-in-the-wall all the way to Hollywood, but a big part of a singer's success comes from having a good nose for sniffing out the right songs at the right time. So, how do you know if you are choosing the best songs to sing?

Some of you may feel that a good singer ought to be able to sing any song at all -- including the phone book. But there are certain parameters -- social, vocal, and age -- that define what is normally considered to be acceptable. So why ask for trouble? Why not get songs that are exactly right for you?

Age Appropriate

First and foremost, songs should be age appropriate. If you’re young and you haven’t had fourteen steamy love affairs, it’s hard to sing "You give me fever, baby" convincingly. It always shocks me when a nine-year-old turns up with a song about whiskey and failed second marriages. On the other hand, neither should a mature artist ramble on about what happens after school and the end of summer vacation.

Vocal Range

I find that a majority of singers choose songs that are way too high for them to sing comfortably. Perhaps they feel the need to challenge themselves. Forget that, you should sing what makes you sound best. I mean, it’s fine to challenge yourself in private, but choosing material that is too high to present well in public doesn’t make any sense. I find myself suggesting lowering the keys for many of my students, and most of them are already pretty evolved singers. So, especially if you are fairly new to singing, the best songs to sing are those with notes you can reach with ease.

Social and Ethnic Background

You would also be wise to avoid songs that are sung in dialect. If you’re not Irish, don’t sing an Irish jig. If you are Irish, why not make the most of your heritage by exploring it in your music? Writers are told to “Write what you know.” Singers should take that same advice and “Sing what you know.” If you were born and raised in New York City, it’s a good bet you know little about tractors, barns, or hay rides. But, you do know about Times Square, all night dancing and perhaps what it’s like to be lonely in a big city. The same is true for a Tennessee farm boy. If he's never been off the farm what does he know about bright lights and the big city? The best songs to sing are those you can, in some way, personally identify with.

Personality

Who are you? It’s a simple question, but oh, so hard to answer. Know thyself! Know who you are and choose songs that you can identify with, wild child, county boy, or classy lady. Are you a high-energy singer who moves all over the stage? Then you should look for songs with an upbeat tempo. If you are the more George Strait stand-in-one-place-and-strum-a-guitar type, look for ballads and easy-going songs. This does not mean all your songs have to be one or the other, but you want to load up with songs that play to your greatest strengths when you are performing.

What do you listen to most

Perhaps the best songs to sing are simply the songs you like to listen to. Check your radio dial, your CD collection and your MP3 play list. Do you see a pattern? Our favorite songs tend to be the ones we like to sing along with because they are in a comfortable range: the ones that don't require three octave high notes sung at full throttle. Make note of those songs that you have loved for years and keep their properties in mind when you are choosing the best songs to sing for yourself.

Some of the above suggestions may appear to be obvious. However, the number of singers that don't seem to take these issues into consideration is surprising (and alarming). Remember to keep in mind when you choose songs that your age, range, personality, and personal history are all very important factors.

Nashville vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams reveals the trade secrets that have already helped hundreds of aspiring singers become celebrities: Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Dixie Chicks, Miley Cyrus, Huey Lewis, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Jason Aldean, Christina Aguilera...

Like me on Facebook at or follow me on Twitter @MyVoiceCoach. My blog can be found at MyVoiceCoachBlog.com.

Go to CyberVoiceStudio.com and sign up to receive my free weekly Video Voice Lessons.

For more information go to MyVoiceCoach.com or call 615.244.3280 to schedule a private voice session in person, by telephone or by Skype.