One of the most common questions we get asked is "where do I start?" We have specifically tailored our content to work for people of all backgrounds; from people with no vocal experience to professionals who tour internationally. This means you can get started without fear of missing out on information, but here's a guide for you anyway.
Identify the type of scream that you want to begin with.
The vast majority of the sounds you're after are based in two techniques, the false cord or the fry scream. After that, shaping and manipulation gets you to more distorted sounds. If you're unfamiliar with these techniques, we have a video on our YouTube channel that explains the differences and a bit about how to produce the sounds:
If you're looking for a deeper dive into how to get started with producing these sounds or want some more information, we highly suggest checking out our EVI Now program. Course 3: Introduction to the False Cord and Fry Techniques is a much longer, more in-depth version of the video above. Courses 15 and 16 focus on the false cord and fry scream activation and different methods of getting there if the original methods presented in the introductory course don't work for you.
The false cord and fry techniques are the two most commonly used extreme vocal techniques in metal. In this course, we are going to identify and define these techniques, compare and contrast them, and learn how to produce the sounds. David walks you through both step-by-step so you have a solid foundation of how to produce these sounds in a healthy way.
Course objectives include:
• Define the false cord technique
• Define the fry vocal register
• Define the fry scream technique
• Begin to produce both types of vocals
Course 15: Revisiting the False Cord Technique description
We covered the false cord scream technique in Course 3, where you got a general overview, how to activate the false cord scream and information about the theory of the false cord scream. Now, we are going to take a more in-depth look at this technique and answer some key questions that you might be asking yourself at this point. Additionally, if you've been struggling with the false cord activation, David gives you some alternate ways to build the false cord scream.
Course objectives include:
• Get a more in-depth understanding of how the false cords work and to prepare the body for vocal work using the false cord technique
• Identify alternate activation methods for the false cords and building into the scream
• Learn WHY David includes the warm-ups he does for the false cords and how it benefits your voice
Course 16: Revisiting the Fry Scream Technique description
We covered the fry scream technique in Course 3, where you got a general overview, how to build the fry scream and information about the theory of the fry scream. Now, we are going to take a more in-depth look at this technique and answer some key questions that you might be asking yourself at this point. If producing the fry scream has been challenging for you or shifting from the fry vocal register to the fry scream, David also offers alternate activation methods in this course that should help you placing the fry scream properly!
Course objectives include:
• Get a more in-depth understanding of how the fry scream works and to prepare the body for vocal work using the fry technique
• Identify alternate activation methods for the fry and building into the scream
• Learn WHY David includes the warm-ups he does for the fry scream and how it benefits your voice
Pick a technique to focus on at first based on your interests or voice
We highly suggest focusing on one technique rather than attempting to learn both at once, especially if you're new to vocalizing altogether. So how do you decide which one is right for you? Watch the video linked above and see which characteristics fit best for the ideas you're going for with your sound. You may find that you try a little bit of both at the start and see which one works better for you initially if you are someone who wants to learn both techniques. Really this all just comes down to choice because you CAN and WILL get there!
Melodic foundation is key
You don't have to be the best singer in the world to dive into extreme vocals or even have any experience with singing at all. However, we do encourage all of our students both private and those who use EVI Now to work on strengthening the melodic foundation.
We do have courses in EVI Now that focus on true or pure tone singing, often referred to as "cleans". We will be including more in the program as we continue to expand our lessons. You will be working on your pure tone singing every step of the way even when practicing your extreme vocals if you opt to use any of our learning resources.
Warm up even if you’re not fully doing the screams yet
Warming up is going to help you build a relationship with your voice. It's important to warm-up before you vocalize of any kind so even if you haven't gotten the full screams yet, you should still do a melodic warm-up before moving on to working on activating distortion.
In our EVI Now program, we have warm-ups that are split up based on your voice type and we include guidance on how to find your voice type if you're not sure what that is. We also have videos on our YouTube channel that you can use as a reference if you are not a member of our program.
Warming up not only helps you to prep the body for more rigorous vocal work, but helps to prevent injury.
Find what works for you
Everyone has a different style when it comes to learning and we try to accommodate for that as much as possible. We also understand that everyone has a different budget to put towards accessing resources which is why we put out so much free content as well as having our EVI Now courses and offer private coaching.
The content we put out on our Instagram, Facebook, and David's TikTok tends to be short format with little talking while our YouTube is more formal. Our EVI Now courses take our YouTube channel and expand on it with even more details and exercises. Private lessons allow David to tailor his teaching style to you and your needs as well as your personal goals.
Even if you don't opt to use our content, we encourage you to seek out as much information about your craft as possible.
Remember to have fun with the process!
Cover photo: Paxton Powell