How to SCREAM without killing vocal chords?

Hey people, Does anyone have info about how to scream (or sound like you're screaming) without hurting your voice? Thanks muchly! abbz

Its a lot about breath support. With really good lower abdomen breath support. You put less strain on your vocal chords. So 'scream' from you guts, not from your throat. And do all what grant said. :P Expecially a good warm up. Then you shouldnt suffer.

As Grant said, there are definite limits on how realistically you can scream without hurting your vocal chords. Personally, I've never ever heard a 'genuine' scream when at a professional play. And there is good reason for that - it shreds your vocal chords like nothing else, and if you want to be acting for any length of time then that is a VERY bad thing. The best thing you could do (albeit an expensive way) is to go to a professional theatre production where you know there is a good chance of a scream being involved, and listen to what they do. You'll notice that 99% of the time when a performer is supposed to scream they DON'T actually scream - instead they just make a loud high-pitched wail that doesn't actually 'grate' like a scream. There are 2 reasons for this: - firstly, a genuine grating scream is actually quite unpleasant for an audience to listen to: and NOT in an artistically interesting 'make-them-feel-uncomfortable' kind of way. There is a big difference between seeing something on stage and on film - on film there is an instant separation from what you are seeing, whereas when someone is hurting themself while standing in front of you on stage there is an instinctive reaction amongst most audience members to feel mildly ill. People can HEAR that you are damaging your voice, and whilst they might not think about too much, its unlikely that they'll enjoy the performance more because of it. - and, more importantly, that high-pitched wail can be done every night for a full run without damaging your voice, so long as you warm up adequately before each show. Its a matter of pushing the air with your stomach and chest muscles in order to, well, project - like you would if you wanted to project into an ampitheatre without straining. If projection is something new to you then I'm not the best person to explain how, but there are numerous books and voice coaches around, and if the show you're in is a community theatre one then frankly every good community theatre organisation I've ever encountered has had at least a few experienced codgers that are well-versed at passing on that kind of knowledge. Other reasons why 'genuinely' screaming in a play is not as good an idea as if you were doing it in a film are: - in a film the sound editor can take the scraping and grating out of the sound, making it not quite so off-putting for the audience; -in a play whatever it is you're doing is going to have to be repeated throughout the rehearsal season, and then through-out the performance. Consequently it's no good coming up with something that will work great once or twice -it has to be safe enough to be repeated indefinitely. This might be crossing over into condascending-know-it-all territory, but always remember when you're doing ANYTHING that could damage your body on stage that illusion is part of the craft. I have encountered numerous people who, having seen seemingly-realistic violence etc in professional theatre, don't realise that most of it doesn't involve actual hitting or actual screaming, but instead requires a great deal more training and rehearsal to create an illusion of realism. Unfortunately, some of those people then go on to direct an play and demand that their actors actually get hit, or genuinely scream 'for the realism' of it. I remember about 6 years ago doing a play which involved a scene where my character got slapped in the face. The director insisted that the slap had to both be real and that the audience had to be able to hear the slap loud and clearly (requiring it to be done with a lot of force). The director had quite obviously never done any fighting - whether stage-fighting or competitive real fighting - in his life and was blissfully unaware that it is MUCH easier to knock someone unconscious with a slap then it is with a close fist (it's the pushing of the jaw...) and further that it only takes a light slap or cupped hand to accidentally go over the ear in order to burst someone's ear drum. I, on the other hand, was vaguely aware of the risks, but I had only been acting for a couple of years, it was my first ever lead, I hadn't done a lot of stage-fighting (as opposed to actual martial arts) and I wasn't game to insist on opposing the director. Frankly, the scene was a nightmare - trying to hold together a performance after being genuinely hit in the face is pretty much impossible (and this from someone who regularly gets hit in the face for sport:-)). But at least it taught me a valuable lesson - never EVER allow a director to talk you into doing something potentially damaging. No-one worth working with would ever hold it against you insisting on your own safety, even if it means losing the role - if anything, it means that you are committed to acting in the long-haul and that you realise the need to look after the tools of your craft. Sure, screaming might seem less damaging than getting hit during a play, but think again - it is targeting the most important tool you will ever have as an actor. Even if you DON'T think about the long-term and are only ever going to do this one play: how do you think killing your vocal chords with a scream each night is going to affect the rest of your performance? The audience isn't likely to notice the difference between a genuine scream and a non-straining projected high-pitched wail. However, if you do a genuine scream and damage your voice, the audience WON'T forgive you when you're rasping your way through the rest of the show. And if a director is insisting that a 'genuine' voice-damaging scream is the only way of getting the emotional effect that he or she wants from the scene, then frankly that is just advertising their incompetence as a director. Actor, martial artist and soon-to-be Philosophy post-grad student. Making myself less employable one step at a time:-)

I'm a "freak" in that I can scream naturally and not hurt my voice at all but I do NOT encourage it in others. All of the above comments are right, you do not want to damage one of your instruments and if the director insists that you really, really scream they are not worthy of the title. In the productions where my character has been required to scream and I've done it for the first time at rehearsal the directors have all fallen off their chairs to get me to stop, when they've realised I'm not hurting myself they almost cry (I hope with joy). It's very unsettling for an audience, they really can hear the difference... but I repeat, I am a freak and very lucky. DONT DO IT WITHOUT WARMING UP and relax your throat, tilt back your head, relax your jaw, tighten your diaphragm and scream from there. Visualise the sound from the pit of your stomach, support it from the diaphragm and let go. Be very, very careful. Rapunzel "there's no respect...."

Hmmm, port, yummy! "there's no respect...."

There is a video at best buy.com that shows you a technique on how to scream without damaging your vocal cords. It is called "The Zen of Screaming." It is by voice coach Melissa Cross. I plan on buying it also...

Great advice from all. As someone who has experienced voice problems in the past - steer clear of peanuts. They scratch the throat and should not be eaten for at least 48 hours (preferably a week) before performance. Pineapple juice is a great soother.

Jumping in on several points raised previously; 1) The peanut issue- reminded me (back to the days I used to sing in public) that dairy products are also worth avoiding. They coat the larynx and can clag you up mid-gig. 2) Port aperitifs- I too have used that excuse, Jeff. ;-) 3) I just adore the fact there is a video called the Zen of Screaming! What's next; the Dalai Lama's Guide to Clefting Your Opponent in Twain??? 4) Warm-ups; an absolute MUST! And something a little more than the cliched "me, me, me, mah, mah, mah" bollocks you often hear people doing. A vocal coach (or book) will give better examples than me, but I've always believed it's best to warm up through your vocal range (low to high). Example one; a school recital included some miscreants (myself included) performing, in a school concert mind you, Motorhead's "Ace Of Spades". This is back when schools had a sense of humour. I tried replicating the famed vocal technique of Lemmy (ie sound like you've stuck a bottlebrush dipped in Drano down your throat) and after three minutes of glory, I was virtually unable to speak. Rapture abounded amongst the classroom ("thank God he's silent!!"), but nevertheless it made me ponder how do Death Metal singers, often credited on albums with playing an instrument called "throat", managed to make the guttural fiendish noises they do for hours on end, night after night. So I recently asked a Death Metal vocalist. His answer; "Make sure you've warmed up REALLY well. For at least half an hour before the gig." So there you have it. El "It ain't braggin' if you can back it up."- Jaco Pastorius

When I saw the heading "nutty throat" I thought you meant you had testicles in your oesophagus.

Dairy Products unclude chocolate! As I recently found out. But yes milk etc can clog you up so quickly. If you know your voca limits then go for it. Each note seperately should be warmed up focusing on volume also. If not you should perhaps spend a few hours during the rehearsals etc finding the limits of your voice - how high and how low can you go? are their pitch and volume limits? etc. My friend is a memeber of a heavy metal band and I know he spends a good 40mins warming up for a half hour section. So he spends longer warming up then actually performing. I myself have a very basic warm up routine for my voice but everyone needs something to suit them personally so making a basic one is a good suggestion. ~ Tari The Writer is a child forever listening at the keyhole of the adult world.

Seriously folks don't stop with dairy foods. Any milk based drink should be avoided and don't eat chocolate. Avoid sweet drinks as well even fruit juice can be an issue. It increases the production of phlegm as well. No hot drinks as they remove the needed tension in the vocal chords, no cold drinks as they tense them too much. Sorry Jeff but alcohol is really not a good idea even if you don't swallow. Tea and coffee if you must drink them should be black with very little sugar and be at their hottest, tepid. To be frank the only drink that is really safe is room temperature water. Don't overload your stomoach before protracted use of the voice, a light snack is best. All this came from a workshop I did led by Cicely Berry in London. She was for many years the RSC voice coach and while some of her theories have been partly discredited this sort of info is basic. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

I'm not going to deny the excellent advice given above, as I've heard it often enough. But for me personally, it makes virtually no difference for me to consume milk products. To some extent, if I feel my voice might be rough and raw in any way, milk is actually soothing and helps me use my voice better! I reckon about 60% of my performances are in outdoor venues, where strong vocal projection and clarity is a must, and it all depends on good warm ups and vocal technique. Best advice is water. A dry throat is going to cause problems. Anything I've eaten or drunk may effect my production of saliva, which is required for a lubricated throat. Avoid anything that causes you problems. It's different for different types of performance. For a radio voiceover, sometimes having TOO moist a mouth can result in audible tongue clicks over the mic... Alcohol's a bad idea for lots of reasons. It usually dries you out, rather than moistening your throat. It can be sugary, which effects your saliva. It can effect judgement. And it may numb feeling in your throat and tongue. I totally avoid anything like cough-drops that may have a numbing soothing effect...if you can't FEEL the damage to your throat, there's a good chance you are doing even more. You have to feel your voice to be able to use it properly. When I was recovering from laryngitis, a swig of olive oil was something I found really soothing..! For me, a warm up involves RELAXING tension in the throat, neck, jaw, abdomen, and everywhere else in the body. Hold a good posture. Next step is BREATH control...expanding the lungs, controlling the airflow, utilising the diaphragm. Always support the breath with muscular control, but not tension. Warming up my RESONANCE comes next. Humming, yawning, and trying to project sound from all the available resonators: nasal passages and sinuses, head, chest, stomach...not just the mouth and throat. Then increase my RANGE. Humming, yawning, gently testing the lowest to the highest notes, including the smooth transition over the patch where my voice breaks from chest voice into head voice into falsetto. Increase VOLUME for the above. Requires resonance, breath control, projection. Explore different mouth shapes to produce different vowel sounds. ARTICULATION. Lips, tongue, teeth, shape of mouth, precision of delivery. Tongue-twisters. Over-emphasise the endings of words, and all consonants. Phrasing (where you take a breath within the lines). If singing is required, further warm up is required to control PITCH precision. Singing scales, being precise with note intervals, hitting octaves. Try to prepare your body to 'think' each note just before you actually hit the note, particularly when going up the scale (rather than sliding up to find pitch) And finally, if you're performing in a CHARACTER voice, doing whatever is required for that sound. Many of my characters are nothing like my normal speaking voice, and require me to hold extra tension in my throat or nasal passages. If you're speaking or singing in a foreign accent, or voicing an animal, for instance. Wait until you've warmed up in your natural relaxed voice, then push to wherever's necessary. A lot of the time your character's voice will be going through points of crisis...anger, shouting, harsh whispering, forced laughter or screaming, etc. Find out in rehearsal how to achieve this with minimal tension, and also how much you can sustain over the entire performance. There's no point giving your best shout in Act 1 if it then hurts too much to wail in Act 2. Reduce one to achieve the other. Try not to clear your throat. It doesn't actually do a lot of good, it's better to sip water or swallow. And there's nothing worse than hearing throats being cleared from in the wings. In fact, quite often it's better to cough or clear your throat ONSTAGE, so long as it appears natural and doesn't interrupt the rhythm of the piece, rather than offstage where you're distracting everybody. If your voice is sore or tired, DON'T SKIP THE WARM UP, thinking it will 'save' your voice. More than ever you need to warm up, to test your limits and restrictions and know what you're capable of. Be gentle on your voice, but still try to do all the steps above. Think about how you're going to PACE yourself, in order to sustain your performance and your emotional journey. Sometimes you have to maintain your voice for a long time before pushing it. In the show I just finished, I did a warm up just before they let in the house, but then it was still 15min before the show started and another 45min into the act before I appeared, to speak and sing. I had to maintain a warm voice for an hour backstage (where I could be heard) by gently humming during other people's songs and during loud scenes or moments covered by laughter, but keeping quiet during the rest. Being thoroughly prepared before the show meant I was best prepared an hour later. Hope there's something useful in all that. Cheers, Craig ~<8>-/====\---------

Wow, Thanks heaps to everyone's contributions for the advice :) (and port, is extremely good for all occasions) I have also heard the "how to scream like a heavy metal singer" technique which is more like pushing air from the diaphragm (pardon the potential misspelling) and letting the air past through somehow without actually using the vocal chords. A rock singing friend mentioned this sounds more like a scary roar than a "Scream" as such. hrm... abbz

I've heard of that method, and tried it for about 15 minutes and sounded exactly like ryan clark from demon hunter except i could seem to be able to change tone and pitch.

I've heard of that method, and tried it for about 15 minutes and sounded exactly like ryan clark from demon hunter except i couldn't seem to be able to change tone and pitch.

Vocalists like Jonny from Job For A Cowboy scream every single day for years and can still scream as good or better than before...I dont understand how everyone says it damages your vocal chords because vocalists like him pull it off all the time and its not like they cant scream or talk after touring. Check out www.myspace.com/jobforacowboy as example...