Karaoke Forums

So...how does one do it? Now I am not talking about singing metal and just yelling into the microphone...but some songs the artists sings soo loudly or powerfully its like they are screaming the notes...

Example:

U2 Pride (In the Name of Love)
    "IN THE NAME OF LOOOVE!!! WHAT MORE IN THE NAME OF LOOOVE!"

Singing that less powerfully it just does not sound quit right but it is extreamly hard to "Scream Sing" it without my voice cracking...anyone have any tips on how to do this kind of stuff?

Another example:

Oasis  Don't Look Back in Anger
    "AND SOOO SALLY CAN WAIT..."  This one is a little easier and I can usually get through it assuming I do it as a first or second song...

I don't know the technical terminology for the different levels of singing voice or pitch levels...blah blah blah, but I know to sing powerfully you have to put some lung into it while at the same time maintaining some control of your vocal cords.
Practice...practice...practice is the only way to know for sure. Recording yourself is a useful tool.
I've never had a real problem with voice cracking at a higher volume level, but it has happened before because of chest or sinus congestion I'm supposing.
Head voice is where my voice would crack usually, or, I'd run out of wind too quickly in head voice.

You'll need to just experiment with this until you're comfortable with the results, I'm not a teacher, but someone here knows more.  :)

oow - do you really mean scream? I think I understand what you mean.
I'm no expert either, but I'm guessing with practice the cracking will go away. It might just be you are out of your range. I 'm assuming your cracking is when you
get into your higher register. Or is it when you hold a note?

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Don't know if this will help or not, but here is a free online "improve your singing & range" lesson.  Didn't really look through it, but anything I suppose can help, nothing like real vocal training.  Also some people just don't have the higher range or try singing songs out of their range - biggest mistake for many - and they end up straining or just screaming out the words.

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Preditor, I would try dropping the key one click on "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" and see if this works.  You probably have reached the upper limit of your vocal range.  It sounds like to me that this song isn't too far out of your range.  If this is still too high keep going down with the changer. I tried this one once and had to drop it two clicks (most of the other U2 songs I can sing in the original key).     Furthermore, the chorus part of this song has to be sung with power to do it right.  

"Don't Look Back In Anger" by Oasis is one of their higher vocal range songs, although not as high as "Pride".  

Another thing - I wouldn't try singing a song that pushes your vocal range as your first song of the night at karaoke (this mistake is made way too often).  Try songs that are easier to sing for your first one or two songs as warm-up songs.

It's definetly when I try holding notes. I have been working on trying to transition from middle to head voice better because I have no problem singing in head voice...but some songs like Pride for example...that chorus part I dont think is head voice...and so if I stay in middle...the part that I can never do is "IN THE NAME"! I can get the "of love" part...

Another thing...I have never tried singing this karaoke and usually sing along with the actual song...I think I need to invest in a microphone and practice without the lead vocals...I may just be trying to be too loud.

But like I said...head voice isnt that hard...and a song I like doing is "Brick" by Ben Folds. The she in "She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly" is super easy cuz I jump into head voice them move down but it sounds well (or at least I think do).

Anyways, thanks for the help so far!

Hey thanks for that site...I gave it a one look over quickly and will definetly check it out later! After reading the first part of it... I am almost positive I sing with too much tension on my throat (hence the not being able to hold notes). I need to figure out what it is that I am doing to cause so much stress on my throat...

I think you are talking about a combination of several specific traits often found among females especially covering the classic rock and blues genre's, yet as you mention males too. It's VERY common in Operatic vocals too.... I think one of the features you are describing is called "Belting". The other is a higher headier larynx pushing that is dangerous.. While today I hear more commonly term mezzo-sop used, this wasn't heard of in rock days when I was younger, the term in those days I believe was referred to as "Chest Belt Tenor voice" and when I questioned women I was working with about the term that was used among females I worked with in the 70's "Chest Belt Tenor", she'd never heard of it.. Today I think some Mezzo-sop's use this...I can't imagine what Kate Bush did to her voice in the 1980's :/ OUCH....as a soprano doing that...ALot of larynx pushing... That would sound like screaming I assume if it's generated from the throat, and not the gut...  I think the gut sound is called belting tho... Jazzy and Jason would likely know this stuff..

The high output ball's to the wall belting was probably similar to the rigor's of the physical and emotional stress the Operatic tenors, and female rock vocalists put themselves thru when covering some of the classic rock and blues songs.. and trying to use their larynx, diaphragm, and even sinus cavities to overcome certain venue's and instrumentals...  High energy rock vocalists did this all the time..  Most ended up talking like Rod Stewart and Joe Cocker, yet this was also a means of breaking into voice Gravel...  Sort've like singing from your gut in order to transcend the limitations of your throat....


VERY VERY dangerous !  It's tremendous stress on the throat and larynx..  Broadway actor's and actresses often end up doing that type of thing too....

The style I believe is known as "belting", yet it often integrates tremendous voice-box straining too....

I don't sing, I'm just the instrumentalist that hides behind singer's, write's arrangements, and has written for, and directed glee clubs at many levels...and worked with barbership and mens glee

Bass, Bari, 2nd, 1st, and falsetto voices..

as well as women's glee clubs.. including the soprano voice registers...

I'm just a wannabe singer... Yet have had to study aspects of vocal's to work with you folks, before you replaced me with Karaoke tracks..


"Is it real, or is it memorex"

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Very interesting topic.....

  In the past couple years, I have kind of tapped into a type of "scream" register if you will......I basically just go into falsetto and push all my air through my nose, the gravelly tone it produces just seems to happen for me, I can't really explain it....on some songs this works out pretty well......I think this is a trick that alot of the "screamier" singers do...like Steve Tyler, Robert Plant, and that dude from AC/DC......I'd say it's just a throat trick.....and there not actually "screaming"....if you were standing next to them in a room, and they performed without amplification, it probably wouldn't be loud at all.......

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When you hold a note try different techniques. Try less or more air control ( opening your mouth more like a smile).
or- try bringing the power more from your diaphram instead of forcing the air out.

I definitely think the suggestion to warm up before trying these challenging songs will help.
It is hard to tell what is causing it without experimenting a little. It could be still that area of your talent just isn't developed enough.

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I think Bono is not screaming there but closer to Belting.  Alot of singers do that-- not scream that is-  Think folks like Aretha Franklin or even Barbara S.    Belting seems to be commonly associated with theater (broadway stuff) and you can mess up your voice if not done right and/or too often.

Some key things to remember--  if it hurts, stop.  Find some techniques to sing those notes and at that power to do it right.  You could otherwise mess up your voice

You mentioned AC/DC (one of my favs) -- there's Bon Scott and Brian Johnson as their one time and current singers (respectively).  The later has some songs that are quite hard to sing as they are fairly high - I'm quite sure he's in a falsetto or a vice grip on his private parts.  I think he's belting as well.  But, the key is some people can do it "naturally" and some have to train for it.

Here's a couple of links I found on this topic....
http://www.vocalist.org.uk/powerful_vocals.html
http://www.geocities.com/kristinasvocal ... lting.html