Vocalists voice is way too high and not aggressive enough?

[Chazzy]

I dont know if this is the right forum to post this one but whatever. So basically me and my vocalist have been experimenting with his voice, alot and he never quite got the low voice thing, hes going for a modern metal growly sound sorta like corey taylor from slipknot, and lamb of gods randy blythe... and for cleans sorta like corey taylor, hed also probably take alot of influence from m shadows from avenged sevenfold... Anyway his is very high sounding, just in general, he is 16 so im wondering if we should just wait till his voice is 100% developped... on side note none of his screams are actually screams, they are more like yelled so loudly that they distort? idk guys, im just a guitarist and wondering what advice i could give him, he wants to know all the tricks there is to it and really experiment... generally he is a tenor voice, but wants to be a baritone...

[Myaccount876]

Re: Vocalists voice is way too high and not aggressive enough?

Does he do vocal warm ups? Proper warm ups will extend anyone's range a considerable amount in both highs and lows. Also, to make lows work, you have to breathe a different way. For lows, you absolutely must support every note with a full breath from the diaphragm. Your shoulders shouldn't be moving at all, your entire torso should extend out from the intake of air, and keep your head completely straight and looking directly in front of you.

But the most important thing to remember is that your singer has a natural vocal range, and you need to respect your limits. If anyone ignores their limits, they will rapidly destroy their voice. I'm a full-on bass voice, and I pretty much reach my upper limit around B4. You just have to use what you're born with. I'd love to hit the notes that Rob Halford and Freddie Mercury hit in their glory days, but I simply can't. I felt discouraged about my voice until I found Peter Steele and Type O Negative. If low notes are just too difficult for your singer, look for some examples of tenors for inspiration. Painkiller is a great example of metal with tenor vocals. It can work.

[Demanic]

Re: Vocalists voice is way too high and not aggressive enough?

Use your whole lung capacity and diaphragm for sustain and try not to push the falsetto too much. Keep in mind, most "cookie monster" stuff is done at a low volume from the back of the throat and put through a mic. Whatever you do, don't blow out your cords and get polyps which is a type of scar tissue.
Sing within your natural range and make your music fit your voice, not the other way around, at least if you want to sing for a few years.

[Chickenwings]

Re: Vocalists voice is way too high and not aggressive enough?

Hes 16 and hes getting vocal coaching from his non-singing guitar playing friend.
Has he considered getting vocal coaching from a vocal coach?

[Rockstar216]

Re: Vocalists voice is way too high and not aggressive enough?

"Screaming" is not singing. Way totally different techniques for both. If he wants to learn how to sing tell him to get lessons from a pro. Also a lot of the screams and vocals you hear on those songs you listed have some "studio magic" done to them. Listen to Corey do the songs live and you will see what I mean. Don't end like James Hettfield, or Matthew Tuck, or any other singer who messed their voice up from either abuse or not taking care of it.

[Myaccount876]

Re: Vocalists voice is way too high and not aggressive enough?

To be fair, years of alcohol abuse and smoking (ala James Hetfield) will easily destroy your voice as much as improper technique. I'd say drug abuse is the most common reason of a rock/metal singer losing their voice.

[EDX]

Re: Vocalists voice is way too high and not aggressive enough?

yep, a lot of those bands use studio magic, is funny when the live version 20 years before sounds way more agressive than the original





developing the voice is diferent for everybody, for tom it took almost a decade of being a vocalist to develop his actual voice, while there are 15 yo teens wich can growl like thunder.

also look at tom's technic he doesn't screams, in neither of the videos, not even when he growls he's actually screaming, guessing his voice may be as loud as when he normally speaks

did you heard the growl?, how agressive and mean it is, while still the voice and the words are really "clear" thats the result of voice training, a growl that still can be understood, no computer audio software can do that

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Vocalists voice is way too high and not aggressive enough?

Get him a vocal coach.

Robin Zander of Cheap Trick has a "singing scream" I've always admired. Blackie Lawless and Dee Snider, too.

[Dahla]

Re: Vocalists voice is way too high and not aggressive enough?

I dont know if this is the right forum to post this one but whatever. So basically me and my vocalist have been experimenting with his voice, alot and he never quite got the low voice thing, hes going for a modern metal growly sound sorta like corey taylor from slipknot, and lamb of gods randy blythe... and for cleans sorta like corey taylor, hed also probably take alot of influence from m shadows from avenged sevenfold... Anyway his is very high sounding, just in general, he is 16 so im wondering if we should just wait till his voice is 100% developped... on side note none of his screams are actually screams, they are more like yelled so loudly that they distort? idk guys, im just a guitarist and wondering what advice i could give him, he wants to know all the tricks there is to it and really experiment... generally he is a tenor voice, but wants to be a baritone...

That Avenged Sevenfold dude is pretty high register. You don't hear him trying to mimick Randy Blythe either. And there is a reason for that.

Let your vocalist find his own voice, and his own style. Not someone elses. And let a vocal coach help him. You know, one that actually knows singing.