Yelling is a popular technique commonly used by rock singers and other types of music. However, if you scream using the wrong technique, you can injure your esophagus and hurt your throat. Read on to learn some of the safest techniques you can use to sing while shouting.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Sing While Screaming the Simple Way
Step 1. Listen to the singers screaming
Imitating is often the quickest way to learn the basics of anything, and screaming is one of them. Look for singers who don't scream all the time. Instead, to learn how to master this ability, listen to songs that contain screaming sounds, but don't scream constantly throughout the lyrics.
While practicing your own screams, you can try different styles to find one that matches the tone of your voice and the impression you want to convey. However, for now, focus on just getting the basic sound out and make adjustments to your taste in later stages
Step 2. Drink warm drinks
You can reduce the negative effects of screaming by applying moisture to your throat first. Warm or lukewarm drinks are preferable to cold ones because warm liquids soothe the throat (whereas cold liquids can actually cause throat muscles to tighten and feel more painful when used).
- Hot tea with honey is one of the best choices, but you can also drink lukewarm water or fruit juice at room temperature.
- Avoid cold drinks.
- Stay away from drinks that contain caffeine or alcohol. These drinks can make your throat even drier.
Step 3. Whisper “aaa” sound
Push out as much air as you can when you whisper, but make sure that you can maintain a sufficient volume of air to keep the sound out for 15-30 seconds.
- Inhale deeply through your nose before exhaling, to get as much air into your lungs as possible. The more air you get to start whispering, the longer your voice will last.
- Breathe from inside the diaphragm. You need to push the air up from the bottom of your lungs, and you need to do this with a controlled, steady thrust, not kicking all the air at once.
Step 4. Close your throat and apply more pressure
Narrow your throat until the gap narrows and expels air. Apply more force to the "aaa" sound you're whispering until you can finally feel it moving between your throat and chest.
Your throat should be closed as tightly as possible, but still allow a slight opening for air to move out
Step 5. Practice
Don't be in a hurry, as you'll need a few weeks of consistent practice before you master this screaming technique. You have to keep practicing slowly, so as not to hurt your throat.
- If your throat starts to hurt when you practice shouting, stop the exercise immediately and drink a warm drink. Hot tea with honey will be very beneficial in this kind of situation.
- Continue your practice only after your throat feels completely healed and doesn't hurt at all.
Method 2 of 3: Screaming Pterodactyl Style
Step 1. Drink warm drinks
You can maintain a much clearer voice and keep your throat in much better condition if you make sure that your throat is moist when you start practicing. Warm, lukewarm drinks tend to be better for your throat than cold drinks.
- Hot tea with honey is one of the best choices, but you can also drink lukewarm water or fruit juice at room temperature.
- Avoid cold drinks.
- Stay away from drinks that contain caffeine or alcohol, as these will make your throat even more dry.
Step 2. Shape your mouth like the sound of the letter “i”
Position your mouth as if you were about to make a long “iii” sound. You don't need to make this sound first.
- The sound of the letter "iiii" is the same as the sound "I" in the word "cheek".
- Exhale gently before the next section. This screaming technique makes a sound as you inhale, so your lungs will need to be emptied before you can do it.
Step 3. Close your throat tightly
Close your throat until there is only a small opening for you to push air through. Most importantly, you should try to keep this gap as narrow as possible, while still being able to make sound through it.
Move your tongue close to the roof of your mouth while doing so, without touching the palate. This way of moving your tongue will make it easier for you to narrow the airway
Step 4. Take a deep breath
Apply intense force to this inhale, to activate your vocal cords in the process. You should make a screeching sound or a pterodactyl-style scream.
Note that, just like the basic shouting technique described in this guide, this technique will only produce one scream in the entire song. You won't be able to use this technique to scream along the lyrics of a song
Step 5. Practice
You may need to practice for several weeks consistently but gradually, before being able to properly perform this scream.
- Note that compared to the basic screaming technique, it is more difficult, and not everyone can master it. If you still can't do it after a few weeks, you're better off sticking with basic screaming techniques.
- Interested screams like this shouldn't hurt your throat as much as a basic scream, but it's still advisable to take breaks between practice and drink hot tea with honey, or another warm drink, to soothe your throat.
Method 3 of 3: Scream with Advanced Technique
Step 1. Sing the sound “aaa” in a falsetto technique
Choose a tone that you can easily maintain, but is high enough for your falsetto range. This should be the highest note you can sing and maintain without getting too tense.
- Shouting in the falsetto technique is usually easier to learn than yelling in your normal range of voice.
- With this technique, you can learn to incorporate certain screams into the songs you sing, or shout out specific parts of the song's lyrics.
- As an added aid in this step, consider playing the notes you sing on a scale aid or a keyboard or guitar.
- You shouldn't experience any tension at all on this note. If you have to force yourself to get out and maintain this note, lower the pitch and try again.
Step 2. Maintain this tone for as long as you are comfortable
Once you've decided on the note you've chosen, try to sing it for as long as possible without hurting your throat. Ideally, you should maintain this tone for 30 seconds.
Keep practicing until you can maintain this note for the full 30 seconds. Staying without stuttering means that your voice doesn't crack, bump, or change in pitch quality or intensity
Step 3. Gargle with a sip of water when you make a “aaa” sound
Take a small sip of lukewarm water without swallowing it, then rinse your mouth with the water while making a "aaa" sound as you did before. Maintain your voice quality and pitch.
- Pay close attention to the vibrations of your uvula. The pharynx is the flesh that hangs from the top of the back of the roof of your mouth.
- This vibration will be very reliable when you make a hoarse scream.
- Keep gargling while making “aaa” sounds until you can retain, memorize and feel comfortable with these vibrations.
Step 4. Switch to the “uuu” sound
What's important is that you try to make the same sound as you did while gargling, but without rinsing again. Make a "uuu" sound while directing the air towards the soft palate of your mouth. The breath pressure should be directed directly at the center of the roof of your mouth.
- The sound of the letter "uuu" is the same as the sound "u" in the word "sit".
- The soft palate is the soft layer that lies on the roof of your mouth.
- This movement will cause the child's throat to vibrate, just as in the previous movement. The sound produced will resemble the sound of a pigeon cooing.
- Make sure that this voice is also sung at the same pitch as the previous voice, and that you can hold it for 30 seconds without changing the sound quality.
- This technique trains you to place notes on the soft palate, which is very important if you want to survive long screaming sounds when singing a song.
Step 5. Go back to the “aaa” sound, but now use a new technique
Sing an “aaa” sound at the same pitch and sound quality as before, while making sure that it sounds consistent. Aim more air towards the soft palate to activate the child's throat, while creating a distorted-sounding "scream" tone.
- You can direct as much air as you want toward the soft palate, as long as your throat doesn't hurt.
- Move your tongue and maintain your throat and breathing with this same technique, to produce different sounds, vowels and consonants.
Step 6. Practice
You'll need to practice a little but consistently for two weeks before you can really master this screaming technique. Do not rush, so that your throat is not injured.
- Don't rush, as you'll need a few weeks of consistent practice before mastering this screaming technique. You should keep practicing slowly so you don't hurt your throat.
- If your throat starts to hurt when you practice shouting, stop the exercise immediately and drink a warm drink. Hot tea with honey will be very beneficial in this kind of situation. Continue the exercise only after your throat feels completely healed.
- With enough practice, you'll be able to make loud, hoarse screams, without relying on your child's throat. You'll also be able to use this technique for your entire range of notes, not just falsetto notes.
Tips
- When learning to sing while shouting, master the basics of good singing technique first. You have to understand how to breathe with a duaphragm and how to maintain a certain pitch.
- Drink plenty of water, even if you're not actively practicing this technique. Try to drink six to eight glasses (250 milliliters each) of water each day.
- Do not smoke. Smoking can damage your lungs and throat, and trying to scream with all that damage can hasten the destruction of your lungs and throat.
Warning
- Yelling can damage your vocal cords. To avoid long-term damage, practice your screams at short intervals of up to 5 minutes each day in the early stages. Gradually increase this duration, but you should always stop when your throat starts to hurt.
- If you sing with too much screaming and cause too much injury to your throat, you may need throat surgery.
