Guttural singing (or grindcore) is a very common way of singing or screaming in extreme metal music such as grindcore, deathcore, hardcore, and death metal. The pioneer and coiner of this type of singing is the British band napalm death, and the style was adapted to all the extreme bands of today. To do this, a form of song is executed in which the interpreter breathes in a way that generates vibration in the vocal cords. At the same time, the singer shapes his mouth and lips to emit certain sounds and words. The result is an extremely low (or extremely high) way of singing called a guttural.
Steps
Step 1. Always start by drinking a good glass of warm water, but do not drink alcoholic beverages, or acidic drinks (lemon juice or soda) or even milk before starting the extreme chant
The throat has a protective coating that is damaged when you scream. If you drink any of the drinks mentioned above, you could cause serious and permanent damage to your vocal cords and throat. Warm water and some other tea are very helpful to relax and coat your throat.
Step 2. Begin by breathing in and out slowly, and gradually take longer, stronger puffs
Repeat the alphabet a few times, first sighing the letter A and ending with a yell at the letter Z. These exercises serve to stretch the vocal cords and prepare them for screams, screams, guttural songs, etc.
Step 3. Take a deep breath and try to get a “scratchy” sound (it should sound like you are having an asthma attack)
Now breathe out deeply and whisper trying to get a sigh that is also "scratchy" (think of this as when your mom asks you to take out the trash and you reply "UGH!" It sounds silly but it works). Repeat the inhalation and exhalation exercises to determine which sound comes out the easiest for you. If you can get the "scratchy" sound out by exhaling but not inhaling, you should sing gutturally only by exhaling. If you can create the “scratchy” sound both ways, inhaling or exhaling, use both or whichever is easiest and most comfortable for you.
Step 4. Guttural song inhaling:
Calmly do the inhaling exercises in step 3 until they feel natural and comfortable. Begin the guttural song by saying the letter "o" very loudly. Keep your mouth in that position and simply inhale as in the exercises. At first, the sound will be silly and underdeveloped, but keep inhaling the letter "o" until you can forcefully pronounce it. Keep practicing until you can say the letter “o” and monosyllabic words that resemble the natural volume you speak with (the estimated time to achieve this varies between people). When you are able to say several words, practice with other words that resemble the letter "i".
Step 5. Guttural song exhaling:
When you can breathe out easily and comfortably, breathe out hard and open your mouth in an "O" shape. As you exhale, blow lightly to achieve a hollow effect on your voice. This should produce the basic sound of the exhaled voice in deathcore and modern death metal (known as growl). Practice exhaling until you can loudly pronounce the "oh" sound. When you can pronounce it easily, practice with other words that resemble the "oh" sound. From there, try to pronounce everyday words by exhaling, or try to carry on a conversation with the rotten vowels.
Step 6. When you can easily pronounce a variety of words by inhaling or exhaling, open your mouth slightly and force your voice a little more
With effort, your voice will reach a point that will be the lowest note in its register. At this point, force your voice a little more while closing your mouth. If done correctly, you will go from using your chest voice to using your imposed voice (which is produced with the diaphragm), which is where the guttural sounds are generated.
Step 7. Practice the previous step until the imposed voice comes out naturally and comfortably
The words you say both inhaling and exhaling with your imposed voice should have a gargle-like sound, almost indecipherable.
Step 8. Continue with the previous exercise until you feel comfortable singing and saying the words in a distorted voice
Get some records of your favorite singers who use the throaty voice and try singing along with it.
Advice
- Practice the throaty singing of your favorite bands.
- Try not to practice your throaty voice in front of other people; for most people it is irritating and they fail to appreciate the work involved in learning this technique.
- Never give up!
- Practice for short periods of time; prolonged practice dries out the vocal cords making it harder to produce sound.
- To produce the "pig screech", practice the guttural voice and place the tip of your tongue on the upper palate and say the word "wrii" as you inhale and exhale.
- Just practice the type of chanting (inhaling and exhaling) that you are good at. If you try to "go against the grain" by practicing the type of singing that you are not so good at, otherwise it is very easy to get frustrated and give up. Stay with whoever you are good at.
- Always drink warm or room temperature water, carbonated drinks, or milk before guttural singing.
Warnings
- While not inherently bad, cupping your hands around a microphone to produce a throaty sound is generally looked down upon by audiences of all kinds of extreme music and you will be insulted for it.
- Not everyone understands everything that goes into being an extreme singer, so be prepared for criticism and insults from death metal fans, elitists, and people who don't appreciate grindcore.
- Do not forget to lubricate your vocal cords with any of the liquids mentioned. If they're dry, the vocal cords can permanently damage your voice.
- As soon as your voice starts to hurt, stop for a while.