12
votes
Singing rock vocals properly
I've been spending a lot of time working on developing my singing voice, and I'm starting to push into a loud, yelling voice at the upper end of my register. It sounds awesome, but it kind of hurts and makes me wonder if this sort of thing is sustainable long-term.
Someone like Dave Grohl (great example of the type of vocals I'm trying to emulate) seems to have made a career singing like this, so I'm pretty sure there's a way. I guess I'm mostly wondering if there's any sort of "progression" or way to do it properly vs improperly.
Does it get easier? Will my vocal chords adapt? Mostly I'm just wondering if I can keep doing this without sacrificing vocal range in the future.
Usually I hear voice coaches specifically say that if it hurts- stop- it's typically a sign something is not being done properly and can lead to damage.
Yea, this makes sense. I also think that there's a line between "hurting" and "sore" - a line I'm still trying to understand. But it makes sense that my vocal chords might be a bit sore after a long workout, though I'd want to avoid singing in a way that causes any sort of acute pain.
Hey I’m on the same journey. A few of us have been practicing rock standards in my garage for the last few months. I’m the lead singer and after a two hour rehearsal I am absolutely shot.
In order to get the proper belting sound, I have to work my diaphragm to an operatic degree. And I’m someone who swims several miles every month and works narrating audiobooks and YouTube videos. The breath-control required for long form narration is like running a marathon and I thought I was in proper shape for this. But no no no.
There are absolutely proper ways to do this and not. You want to at least look at some introductory videos, if not find a teacher for yourself, which is what I’m considering. I just want to find someone who teaches both singing and narration, because so many of the techniques crossover.
As a narrator at first I could only work for 30 minutes before my voice gave out. Then I worked up to an hour, and finally four hours of character voices and screaming and yelling and laughing.
Our rock singer journey will be somewhat the same. It will just take months to get the muscles in shape and stamina to develop.
I'd suggest going to a good vocal coach to double-check your posture and technique.
It's very easy to damage to your voice in the long-term while sounding good in the short term. Good technique is why singers like Bruce Dickinson are able to have such long careers while belting for hours. This youtuber does a good job of showing some of his technique.
I have no singing talent at all, but I'm aware of a vocal coach on youtube talking about it in this reaction video to Disturbed's "Sound if Silence". From the way she talks about it, you would benefit from coaching to make sure you are doing it correctly.
Bonus: this is my favorite reaction video of hers:
https://youtu.be/Mtd4CYsfHBE
I don't want to say anything more about it because I don't want to spoil it, but it cracks me up every time.
I would recommend finding a vocal coach certified in the McClosky technique or similar! Big emphasis on vocal health and being able to maintain your voice over the years. They coach for both singing and speaking. https://www.mcclosky.org/
I've taken vocal classes from a McClosky teacher and she was super helpful.
I used to play in a few rock bands from the ages of about 16-24 (10 years since I last played in a band this year, yikes!)
I generally played rhythm or lead guitar and carried out lead vocal duties and my vocal style was definitely that hard rock belter style.
I used to practice a lot but I had similar issues where after a particularly long show and giving it 200%, my voice would be shot to pieces the next day (one time I got sent home from work because I couldn't talk on the phone and when selling gas and electricity was my job, sending me home was better than losing sales).
I went to a vocal coach for 4 or 5 sessions, nothing crazy, it was just to try and do those screams properly and it was a huge help, I very rarely if ever had problems with my vocals again. I'd highly suggest doing the same, it's just about learning to harness that voice you already have from the right place. As a bonus it'll also give you greater control over your vocals as well as stopping you from shredding your vocal chords.