Screamo vocals advice?

Question:

Screamo vocals advice?

it seems when i'm playing a song I seem to gag a lot an have to spit up, any vocals advice?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: When you are severely overblowing your vocal chords, they rub against each other vigorously, and the friction causes inflammation. So your body produces a little extra mucus to lubricate them. Of course, then you probably spit it out and keep right on singing, so your body cranks out more mucus. And you keep spitting, etc. If you keep this up, over time, your vocal chords will be so chronically irritated that they develop nodules or polyps, which can drastically reduce your ability to phonate and will require surgery to remove. You hear about this surgery all the time with metal singers, and older rockers or opera singers who have pushed their voices too hard.

I am not a vocal expert, but I can tell you the trends in metal and emo/screamo singing are VERY bad for the voice. Sure, it's an intense, emotional sound, and you only live once, but you'll only be able to do it for a few years before your voice is completely shot. If you want to know the fastest way to destroy your voice, my advice is to sing like Chester Bennington of Linkin Park.

Some people's voices are more robust than others, so you might be able to tolerate the violent screaming in small doses. But if you're producing more and more mucus, if your throat/voice hurts after a rehearsal or performance, or DEFINITELY if you're ever hoarse after singing, it means your singing style is harming your voice. It's just like when your ears ring after a concert - you can put up with it once in awhile, but eventually your hearing will suffer and there's no getting it back. I'd say cultivate a cleaner sound, maybe get a vocal distortion box and kick it on at certain points or have others in the band harmonize/shout with you when you want to ratchet up the intensity.

I know that's a tough pill to swallow. If your attitude is live fast and die young, as many successful bands have, then go for it. Probably the next best thing besides adopting a healthier vocal style is to keep yourself hydrated. Drink a lot of water so that your vocal folds stay as lubricated as possible. Cheese and dairy products right before singing will also make you produce more phlegm. And if you smoke, it's worse, just like everything else when you smoke.