As I have received many inquiries related to screaming, I figured it would be appropriate to post a blog about it so that anyone can read for themselves how I go about attempting to make the most creative and distinct vocal noises for your hearing pleasure. Although I am not nearly as talented at this or as masterful of this strange art as I hope to be someday, I will do my best to describe to you how I go about making the odd noises that I spend hours and hours making.

First off, a very common mistake made by aspiring yellers, screamers, or anything of that sort is simply trying too hard. Taking huge gulps of air, straining your vocal cords and using your throat to change the sound of your voice are all things I have done in the past, and mistakes I see being made by many others as well. As strange as it may sound (get it?), screaming is very similar to singing. The way you use your diaphram to breath, along with many other things are in essence the exact same as singing...but with an obviously different result.

Before I get into specifics, allow me to say again that I am by no means your best resource for this and I have found Melissa Cross, who has made the Zen of Screaming 1 and 2 DVDs, to be a much greater help than anyone else I have come across. If what I try to explain through this blog doesn't make sense, or even if it does, go pick up those DVDs and regularly practice the exercises in them...believe me it makes a world of a difference!

The first thing you must understand is the correct way to breath. As I stated earlier, do not take huge gulps of air in an attempt to belt out as ballsy (is that a word?) of a scream as possible. Whenever you take a breath, do not fill your chest up with tons of air. In fact, your chest should not even move, no matter how much air you take in. Concentrate on filling your diaphram, and after that feels full then put your "reserve air" (as Melissa Cross says) kind of behind your ribcage. When you are preparing to belt out a scream, do not take a huge breath and push as hard as you can. Rather, take a quick sip of air and calmly let your diaphram do the work. As far as the difference of high, mid, low and everything in between, those various sounds should not be determined by your throat. Rather, it is the shape of your mouth that creates different sounds. In essence, every scream should be the same as far as how you breath, how much you push, all that. Shaping your mouth very small and almost closed will create a lower sound...as opening it up wide can create a much higher pitched scream. Also focus on not straining your vocal cords. Imagine the sound coming from your diaphram, passing right by your throat, bouncing off the roof of your mouth and then being released.
Although this is difficult to explain without being there to personally show you, I hope this helps! And don't ever be satisfied with your voice, keep experimenting, while keeping your technique correct, and see what crazy noises your body can make. Good luck!