Screaming Lesson #1: High screams

Screaming Lesson: High Screams
This is the kind of scream that bands like Periphery, Bullet For My Valentine, August Burns Red, and Textures use most of the time. This is not the scream that bands like Between The Buried And Me and Opeth use most of the time, that will be covered in another screaming video.
This may take you a few tries before you get the technique right. If your voice hurts, stop and try again when your voice feels better. Eventually you will figure out how to do it correctly and it won't bother you much at all; it should eventually feel as comfortable as adding rasp. Another point to consider, longevity will come with practice. At first, you may not be able to sing a 30 minute long set thats half singing half screaming, but don't give up.
If you have any questions, leave a comment.

[@paweginalski5801]

Going from rasp to scream is really good way to learn screaming :D. I've watched "thousands" "how to scream" videos and I'm confused why are you the only one who shared this method. Thanks ;)

[@NIIVES]

I can't do it. I really really want to, but after I do the rasp and take the note out, some kind of loud whisper remains. Do you have tips?

[@jacksoncrockett9572]

@@NIIVES You ever figure it out man?

[@loganmurray8810]

I learned how to scream when I didn't know how to sing. Learning to scream actually taught me diaphragm control, which that I used to become a better singer lol It works both ways.

[@NIIVES]

Thank you for these videos man, they are the most helpful I've seen in a long time! Though I'm having a hard time trying to "take the voice out of it". I do the rasp, got that down i guess, but when I take the note out, I make some kind of barf sound and then i start whispering. I'm somewhat moving in the right direction with the whisper method but I do prefer the first method! Some extra help would be very much appreciated mate! Much love

[@AndrewSouthworth]

Also, water is definitely good to be drinking throughout any vocal activity. The water will keep your throat hydrated, which will allow your vocal cords and your false vocal cords to work smoother. It will prevent damage, add singing longevity, and make everything easier to vocalize. Some people will say to drink milk to get a thicker scream, I would say just drink water. Avoid soda's and coffee like the plague (they dehydrate you fast). Also, make sure you warm up before screaming.

[@mengmar1]

definitely agree with a previous comment you made somewhere, where you said this kind of information should be free, so fair play to you there for teaching a nice safe way of doing this kind of singing for free

[@DavidWoodMusic]

After 4 years of trying, this video taught me how to fry. Thank you.

[@jinxxandava8489]

This is fun to watch.

[@m0002856]

Not sure if you still are active on KZbin, but I think you have some of the best videos on KZbin. I still can't seem to grasp these concepts which is lame =/ would you consider ever doing one-on-one lessons for money over skype or something? I'm really trying to learn this because I've been singing for a long time but I can't do covers of some of my favorite bands because I can't scream/sing with rasp to save my life.

[@AndrewSouthworth]

I have a recent video about this on my channel. But, you have to make sure each scream uses as little air as you can manage while still keeping the scream, and still keeping the breath support. This will change over time as you progress, but one way to move it along is to hold out screams keeping this in mind. Get a timer and try to hold out a scream, try this several times and record your best time, repeat daily and you'll definitely see improvements.

[@schism206]

Very helpful thank you.

[@AndrewSouthworth]

Once I started truly trying to scream, it took a few days of trial and error to get the technique solid. In a way it took me two years, because I was always too afraid i'd hurt my voice, but once I committed and tried it came quite quickly. At this point i've been screaming for about 4 years.

[@destberg1337]

you got really cool voice, your scream is amazing! i would like learn to scream but it's really hard for me, anyway i will still try thanks!

[@AndrewSouthworth]

I defined 'high scream' to be the kind of scream that I use, and the other being the low scream, which I do not use that much. I'm assuming that you were looking for a lesson on a way to do super high screams, this isn't really that lesson. As far as the whisper method - both methods are ways of reaching the same technique. Two people learning from both ways should hopefully land on the same kind of screaming technique, thats the point. Good luck finding what you're looking for.

[@DarkTrailsExplorer]

Your poster on the wall reminds me of the artwork for Cyhra - Letter To Myself :D

[@LoveYouMorningStar]

Thank u 🙏

[@AndrewSouthworth]

Is it bridging between low/high screams, or just doing high screams you mean? If you can do both separately, then bridging just takes a lot of practice, and you need to establish a middle ground where you will make the transition. Slow that part down, and do it over and over again until it is easier. Since growls and high screams are two different techniques, similar but different, it takes a certain 'switch' inside your throat to make the switch. If this isn't what you mean, let me know!

[@JamiePK1]

i can kind of get the rasp it's just i can't get it to go to a high scream any tips?

[@seanjackman6461]

Hey Andrew, I don't know how often u check comments but I've been trying to scream and it's been going okay, I've watched pretty much all ur videos on high screams and It's really helped! The only thing is that when I do scream, there's this kind of airy tone I guess? Kinda like some kind of whistley noise and it doesn't hurt at all but I can hear it over the rasp. I've noticed a couple people have had the same problem in the comments of some of ur videos. Do u have any suggestions about what might be the cause of this?

[@GlowingRaverCat]

WHOO! Your Voice! Me Gusta! :D

[@rubyjunetunes]

I'm not sure if I'm doing it wrong or pushing to hard or whatever, but sometimes if I try to hold a scream for a long time, or go really high (I'm not sure if it's out of my range or something), but after I let the scream go, I get like a massive migraine for a few seconds, and then it dies down (sometimes it lingers, other times it just goes away). Any ideas as to what I might be doing wrong? My throat doesn't hurt at all, it just gets kinda hoarse since I sometimes do it for a few songs at a time, but other than that it never really hurts at all.

[@cenwei-og8kr]

Can u explain more about how to avoid scratch the throat while u doing screaming?

[@PALK1991]

Hey Andrew, I can scream in a Phil Anselmo kind of way for a week and i feel very comfortable with it. Then for a mysterious reason my voice gets clean!and although i can sing in an alice in chains style it hurts screaming. It is really weird because the whole week i might be singing suicide note part 2 and then nothing comes out !. I am not losing my voice i just cant scream without hurting myself. Then, after I do some days of vocal exercises and try to scream, it all comes back to me. The thing is that i want to be able to scream all the time without losing my rasp for 3 days. Its like i have no phlegm at all and my vocal range gets higher! Have you experienced the same thing? It makes no sense at all!

[@bobloblaw9639]

Andrew Southworth hey man I am having trouble with this. Whenever I get the rasp and try to go to a scream, it just sounds like I'm trying REALLY hard to clear my throat. Same goes for when I try the other "whisper" method. I am practicing the rasp and improving, but I feel like I can't even begin to get any positive result when switching to a scream. I can't take the note out of it like you say. any tips or can you tell me what I might be doing wrong? by the way, your scream videos are the best on youtube. I have looked everywhere for scream videos and I believe yours are the best.

[@naggitze1174]

Bob Loblaw i had the same struggle before, what i did is or what u have to do is you have to project your voice. don't push the air use your voice while using the rasp or whisper method. i hope this helps i really love using fry's when im hitting the High's in the song and False chords or growl on lows

[@Massolgy]

can you help me?

[@666OV]

your technique is really cool man , but i cant get the high stuff yet.....

[@danielp1722]

How do I project the scream to be louder? I can get the sound down perfectly and have been able to do so for quite a while, but its no where as loud as yours. Is projection something that just comes with practise or is there a specific way to use my diaphragm or something. Also, i saw in another video where a guy said that he adds a falsetto voice behind his frys, do you do this? Any response would be great.

[@Zurvivorr]

I have problems with transferring from low screams to high screams. It's like whenever my falsetto kicks in, I can't make a proper scream anymore. It start's top hurt and sounds like shit. Any advice?

[@commandconquerfitness1506]

Thanks for the video, very helpful! I have my false cord low growls down, but I’ve been trying to use that same technique for highs. I like how it sounds, but I can’t hold it out for as long. Do you know kinda what I’m referring to? I think it’s a cool technique but I wanna learn your way of doing high screams bc you can hold it out longer

[@AndrewSouthworth]

Nice. Yeah I know the kind of screams you're talking about. They're just like growls, except you bring the mouth shape much more open to make a high 'deathy' kind of scream? I use these sometimes but they're definitely much harder to old out for long durations as compared to my high screams/power fry screams. The deathy scream is also more tiring to do on the voice.

[@commandconquerfitness1506]

yes exactly! Over time, I've gotten to the point where they don't hurt my voice at all, but like you mentioned, the high screams are really nice because you can hold it out longer. I'm gonna get working on those and comment again in a few weeks to let you know how it's coming. Thanks again!

[@AndrewSouthworth]

Nice! Yeah that technique is a lot tougher on the voice, but over the years i've gotten to the point where its pretty comfortable - I just never could get the long sustains like with this technique. Let me know how it goes, the high/power fry screams took me a lot longer to figure out. I have another video on my channel called 'How To Power Fry' which is the exact same technique, but the video is more recent and has many more examples. A lot of people have been commenting saying that it helped them figure it out, so check out that video if the content in this video isn't enough.

[@commandconquerfitness1506]

Will do, thank you so much. I think I have the raspy yell pretty good, but I don't know how to go from that to the power fry. Could I send you a short clip over email or something?

[@thedarkmessiah874]

is it fry scream?

[@NtinoPapp]

Hello!I'm pretty amazed by your vids!You are bloody fantastic! How can I make my voice sound like three voices at once?Like Chester Bennington for example.

[@Baliken100]

sounds a LOT better than the meshugah car video lol just being honest bro if we're not critical and honest with each other we will never improve as a whole or individually I scream using the same techniques I think I use a little bit of a lot more false cord I like to allow my throat to vibrate using my diaphragm to push out the air but also using my vocal cords for a little bit of tone at the end so it's like static x meets mushroomhead

[@syllavr4584]

So the squeaking is normal??

[@AndrewSouthworth]

This kind of screaming should be close to as strenuous as singing with rasp; also, it shouldn't really affect your singing voice unless you're screaming for a while. If it hurts more than this, or affects your singing after screaming for a short duration, then i'd consider refining your technique, and making sure you have it down correctly. If you send me a video, or audio, or just more details, of your screaming, I could give you a much more detailed response. Thanks!

[@kura53]

I get quickly out of breath when i scream, i c'ant scream like you do, i think don't use correctly my breath... do you have any tips ?

[@szymonozi]

Don't push too much air to your throat, it will help

[@WhatsHisName666]

I have problems with making it loud, is that an issue with singing technique more than anything?

[@Massolgy]

Freezing

[@mikethai5109]

Does the top of your throat supposed to feel tension, not like pain, but like straining?

[@AndrewSouthworth]

It should feel more like soreness, similar to if you were practicing singing high notes for a long session. Straining is probably a good way to describe. It shouldn't feel sharp, or stabbing.

[@mikethai5109]

@@AndrewSouthworth Thank you, yes no pain, I was a little dismayed because I sound like a troll when trying to add words.

[@YourMusicPress]

at 1:40 you were looking for "imperative"

[@user-cu7iy3di3b]

Is this the way of the song tears don't fall using?

[@jinxxandava8489]

I imagine so. Sounds about the same.

[@zenobibonsai]

This little clip from a Melissa Cross video may help people trying to figure out where this sound is genarated - Its defo NOT the throat - watch it a couple of times and hear the differance from guy in the video (who she stops) to hear doing it - Awesome! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ol7XoZlthKuBZqs This little clip is far more informative then her two DVDs (Zen Of Screaming 1 & 2) which suck for learning to scream!!! lol

[@carminerusso6056]

ice cream

[@someonewithsomename]

Damn it will fuck up a lot of vocal cords, such a bullshit

[@AndrewSouthworth]

Nope, been doing this regularly for 8+ years and i've never had a single vocal problem. Also, thousands of other people do this as well.

[@someonewithsomename]

Sure, but what you are doing is not what you are teaching others. Whispering sound is made by vocal cords. Screaming is not. False cords are responsible for sound splitting. That's just like Screaming101. Don't believe me - look at what Melissa Cross is teaching and what all your students are saying. There's the site and the list of clients here: www.melissacross.com/ If you push whispering, you can really damage your vocal cords.

[@AndrewSouthworth]

What i'm doing is exactly what i'm teaching. The whisper example is just one of many. Sometimes it works for people and sometimes it doesn't, depends on what kind of whisper they're doing I guess. I find it very easy to go from a whisper sound to a false cord sound, and considering that many other people have found my video's helpful, this has worked for other people too. It has nothing to do with pushing a whisper sound, but you transition the normal whisper into a false cord whisper, which is essentially a quiet scream. I wouldn't quote Melissa Cross as the best example for what you're talking about. I'm sure she's wonderful teaching in person, but her DVD's were almost useless to me when learning how to scream a long time ago. The DVD's never showed the technique of how to scream, only how to warm up or how not to scream. Perhaps they didn't want any kind of liability for a mainstream product.