Any advice on how to get the scream or growls without pain?
1. Read the vocalists thread above.
2. Use my method (both will help you, mind - I really do suggest reading the above thread)
Purse your lips tight together with a small "o" left open and make a "ssssssssssss" sound, just lightly to begin. Then do that harder; you'll hear the pitch rise as you try to force out more air between your teeth/lips and your mouth will likely reflexively open a bit. Feel how your stomach muscles tense up when you do that hard? That's exactly the muscle group you use for extreme vocals.
Now that you know which group of muscles do much of the legwork for extreme vocals, try to take a minute and and try to tense those muscles, flexing them and getting used to the tension - flex them softer, and then harder
. You will likely notice that you kinda half want to take a shit during this - that's because you're using this muscle in your abdomen (forget the damn name of it though) which is basically this large pancake which pushes down when you are taking a deuce. This sounds bloody funny to the uninitiated (
still does to me) but basically to do extreme vocals, you are pushing up
with this muscle instead of down, and also using your abdominal muscles in conjunction with that to create enough internal pressure to change your vocals. Or something like that
Depending on what your style of scream is, a wide-open mouth gives a higher-pitched, black metal style, whereas a more closed-mouth approach nets you a more death metal style of vocals. Using those muscles from before, tense them up and try some screams. This takes practise to nail down. I have some suggestions here:
a) If it starts to hurt a "little bit", "at all", "just a tickle" - [b]STOP FUCKING SCREAMING YOU DUMBFUCK[b]! That's how you can easily get permanent throat and vocal cord damage, and lose your voice and all that fun stuff.
b) Drink plenty of liquids in the day before your jam or show (a day ahead keeps your body well hydrated, the day off is not sufficient) - stay away from high-sugar drinks like pop/soft drinks, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks or hard alcohol when screaming. I recommend either room-temp water or warm tea with some honey in it for fluids, as honey has a natural healing chemical in it which helps sore throats heal up (and helps prevent them too) and water simply helps your body stay well hydrated, which is key to proper screaming. Also, I've heard milk is bad for screaming, but I hardly drink the stuff, so that's not a fact here.
c) The main thing here is DO NOT SCREAM FROM YOUR THROAT. That's why it hurts. You are going to be using your "false vocal cords" which are gonna create your guttural vocals - that is done by screaming from your gut, those abdominal muscles I was speaking of before, and not your throat. If it hurts [b]STOP FUCKING SCREAMING YOU DUMBFUCK[b]!
d) just practise your technique. I find screaming in the shower is good because you have a nice mist which keeps your throat well hydrated and cooled. Plus, if you're doing it wrong and cough up some blood, not a big deal as you're in the shower, lol. It happens. If you do end up spitting up a bit of blood in your mucus, [b]STOP FUCKING SCREAMING YOU DUMBFUCK[b]!
Go from there and just figure out how your vocals work. Everyone has their own style, and my last piece of advice is: don't try
to sound like anyone else. You just have to figure out your own style, and you can force your voice the wrong way by trying to exactly replicate anothe vocalist.