Btw: I've thought a little about it feels like the distortion is coming from the soft palate area. Notice I'm not singing "I don't care" but something like "rrri don't care". This is how I access it I think... apart from pretending that I'm totally...

@ Adam : yes, the high Cs are in mixed voice, but singing consistantly with grit on high mixed voice notes is still a work in progress

This is a little something from "Cold Sweat" by James Brown. I was reading the words and messed up haha

https://app.box.com/s/dvoav9dpo498achbzz0p1yd2xiikua03

My question is what are defining as a mix. Because in my book there must be a mix happening to hit a high C like that.

@ Adam : yup. I am thinking about at least sending an audio each time i point out something because it can be easier to figure out this way instead of trying to describe what is going on. The hardest part for me is to add it on mixed voice, but as you are more Advanced than i am, you will be able to nail that grit more effctively than i do.

One last thing i have noticed is that i tend to lose distorsion when i have not practised it for a long time. I have to exercice my voice for a couple of days before i can do it again effectively and throughout my whole range.

@phil: thank you. That one didn't hurt for tickle in my throat which I'm pretty proud of.

@quentin: was that you in the video? Yeah getting into the emotion for all technique with singing can fix many issues that come up.

@tommythehat: yeah I am at the stage right now where I don't do much vocalizing anymore. I use songs to warm up my voice

Ca se dit comment "yoghurt singing" en Français?

As for me I can only make a distorted sound in my higher range: Bb4 and above. My approach is kind of like Quentin's: I just pretend I'm a witch. I might post a clip later...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN8B-3DM9pw&feature=youtu.be

Here is what i found the best to train distorsion. I am normally a technique oriented singer, but with distorsion, i always had better results leaning more on the emotional way to find it and sustain it healthily. I often do "yoghurt singing" as we say in French. I will try to impersonate random singers while singing nonsensical lyrics with the intent to get the distorsion. For me it really helps thinking "singing agressive", even putting the agressive or emotional face instead of thinking "engage the false chords, compress more, support more etc". I usually don't proceed like that but i found out it was the best way for me to get distorsion.

Also, what worked for me is to train the area where distorsion is the less tasking or fatiguing and extend it gradually. For me, it is the E4-G4 area. You then can add it to your higher belts and finally to your mixed voice. The latter is quite hard but the sound is quite funny. Adding grit on mixed voice requires quite a good load of support, and also not chasing the grit too much, otherwise it will go out constricted.

Hope it helps!

Adam Mishan said

Awesome guys thanks for the tips. @Dan: I had already seen your videos, which are awesome btw, but the refresher was helpful, combined with phil's comment of just pushing a bit past a belt to get the distortion gave me this ----> https://app.box.com/s/ikuuoht4rdk4v62e6ujsio5c7bp690zk

Sounded awesome. How did it feel? Any tickling or pain?

Either way. I don't involve my throat. I'm not a "technical" guy so I can't really explain how I am doing it but it is higher more toward my pharyngeal area where the sound is created for me when I add some distortion. Way at the back of the roof of my mouth. The soft palate? Then leading upward toward a more nasal area. For some songs (depending) especially when the sound leans toward a soft scream (I do it on Ray Charles "Drown In My Own Tears") it is really up in the nose....very nasal. So no throat issues. I don't use it.

However, yesterday morning I was out early in the morning and no warmup, and fridged winter weather and Bruce Springstein came on the car radio. "Born In The USA." I started to sing it and it got to me. Yikes. Like I said, the need to warm up for some songs. Actually that was the first time ever singing that song so I'd have to work out where to place the sound. Not to mention I haven't been singing and this was probably the first real attempt at singing anything in months. So, like I mentioned. Prep, practice and warm up for this type of thing. And know your limits.

Placement. That's the key for me for avoiding issues.

But we are each different. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for the next.

It should naturally start coming out the more you get used to just belting a lot while using high levels of compression. Do a lot of belting and you will start hearing it come out as a layer on top of your voice when you are really warmed up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnuixvfUAwg&list=PL851170229CD80783&index=2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBP8rBReSwg&list=PLoWcfXjHDXqhdL_N_0yO5o-6HqCFX32on&index=7 5:43

you could also by my download its about the cost of a lesson. im not pushing you to buy it but it gives you ideas.