Before reading: make sure that your vocal chords are fully matured (or you're older than 16-17 years of age). Get some vocal warm-up exercises from a professional vocal instructor (you may tell him that you'll be practicing growling). This Wiki only explains how to train your mind to trigger the growling. In order to control the air flow, increase range etc... you'll just need to practice, a lot.
Step 1
Learn how to breathe properly: sit down with your back straight, and just hum with your normal voice and mouth closed. When humming, one automatically uses his/her diaphragm and abdominal muscles, so you should feel your abdomen goes in, while your chest and shoulders aren't moving. This is exhaling. To inhale, expand your abdomen and lower back ribs, while not moving the chest and shoulders. Practice this breathing, and master it.
Step 2
Hum (with your mouth closed) and gradually increase the volume. Notice how your abs are shrinking towards the inside (this means that your diaphragm is relaxing and pushing air out).
Step 3
Keep increasing the volume, and you'll notice that your humming is kind of vibrating.
Step 4
Inhale some air, and push the humming even further, making it vibrate even more. Keep the airflow steady (about five seconds is the maximum).
Step 5
Inhale again, hum like that again, and open your mouth. You've got yourself a growl. That's your 'death growl'. Now you can just alter the pitch, and make it sound "lower" or "higher".
- For Black Metal grim-style vocals, you simply growl with a higher pitch: hum in a high pitch than your normal voice, increase the volume, keep your tongue down, make a grim face (believe it or not - it helps), and open your mouth. Keep your head tilted up a bit. You've got yourself a grim voice. It might take some time to work on raising the pitch for some people.
Tips
- Inhaling growling could damage your vocal chords in various ways, but it doesn't hurt usually. Overall it's recommended to avoid inhaled vocals.
- This style of vocalization is hard to explain in words, much harder than 'clean' singing, because it's quite personal, and it's kind of taboo to even talk about it. Anyway, the above are just very basic tools which may, or may not, help you to start, find if your voice fits this style, or not.
- Always warm-up for about 10 or more minutes before practicing.
- Remember to drink lukewarm water during practice sessions and shows.
- Make a habit of drinking tea with honey, not too hot though. It's tasty too :)
- Eat healthy (to avoid heartburn), don't drink milk and soda drinks or at least avoid them before and after sessions.
- Don't drink alcohol or smoke. Some say it helps, but it doesn't help your vocals nor your general health.
- Death growling never hurts. So if it hurts for you, even slightly, revise your technique.
- You will probably not sound like your favorite singers, never. Everyone has his own set of chords, and will produce unique vocals. If you try to sound like someone, you will probably end up hurting yourself.
- Black metal type of vocals may hurt if pushing too hard or after very long and intense sessions. Keep that in mind and try to avoid those situations.
- Practice no more than 10-15 minutes a day in the beginning, it will take time for your vocal chords to adjust to the abuse and eventually you will sound better. If it hurts badly in the beginning though, stop and revise your technique - maybe you're pushing too much?
- Keep your body totally relaxed. Form the voice with your mind, express it with your folds. Don't try to force the vocal folds to do what they shouldn't do. Keep your throat relaxed.
- Record yourself to find the right volume, pitch and style. It's recommended to record, listen and listen again only after few hours, so your mind will be able to spot even the smallest mistakes.
- Growling is always loud (compared to speaking voice).
Warnings
- Never push. Never tense any muscle
- Don't use your throat muscles. If you feel vibrations in your head and not in your chest, you're using your throat. If the volume is very low, you're probably using your throat. Throat growling is acceptable, but it will hurt and will damage your chords. Practice those at your own risk.
- Monitor your breathing. Improper breathing may result in bad technique and, eventually, damage.
- Never growl at someone with a mental illness. This may cause a problem.
