HI again!
The first thing I can say about my way of singing is that, my natural voice is clean. Since a couple of years ago, I couldn't even think about distorting without feeling strain in my voice. I really had to work my way to it and i still am.
Distortion is basically the ability to create "noise" in the vocal tract, by activating the structures around the vocal folds, like the false chords, the arythenoid cartilages, a portion of the epyglottis...
Now in order to create this noise, A LOT OF AIR SUPPORT IS NEEDED. No support, no air flow, no noise, and this is why it is fundamental to learn to get right respiration, placement, and projection BEFORE starting to mess around with distorted sounds.
"My" way of distorting basically relies on those factors above. It doesn't have a lot of dynamic range, it's easier on high and powerful notes because of the increased air support which triggers my false chords to vibrate at a higher speed, causing the distortion.yET, you always have to have the idea of "sound projection" in your mind, and go for the right placement.
I wanna share something I just experienced while I was recording the second album with my band RHYME...we're talking about last week! : very aggressive voice needed, I knew it wouldnt have been an easy task, and I knew It would have been very very fatiguing (all distorted sounds have a "price"). I warmed up, I increased my water intake to stay more hydrated and I started. The first 3 days were the most difficult, because I wanted to give it all and I was concerned about getting it right! My voice went down, and I had to take a day off from the recordings because i felt it was too much. I tried to talk as less as I could for 36 hrs. Then, reluctant, I decided to give it another try, always warming up and everything. From day 5 till the end (day 12), my voice, to my surprise, suddently adapted to this kind of singing, and except for the fatiguing part (we use muscles, and muscles get tired no matter what, expecially if distorting), I had almost no problem singing like that for 4-5 hrs a day.On the contrary,it went better and better and by day 8-9...my distorted vocal range increased.....the day after the end of the recordings, I went teaching for 5 hrs, the day after that too, and yesterday I did the demostration you heard...and now....I'm totally fine...without "resting". That's why I must assume that there was something "right" I was doing. Fatiguing but in an healthier way, or I could have never get to the end without serious damage otherwise.
My conclusions here?.........well the concept of "adapting" and "positioning" work for me. I believe that after the initial "trauma"...my muscles, my constrictors, my false chords, my vocal chords, my diaphragm, registered the "position" of the kind of distortion I wanted to create, and adapted to that, but this was made possible by the fact that I knew I had to make some technical adjustments while supporting and placing the sound. My "down and out" air support and use of the constrictors triggered the distortion, by letting one vocal fold vibrate more than the other one, like in a asymmetrical way.
Again, this is possible because there's a solid vocal technique behind!!!thats the only way your muscles can adapt to the air pressure, the "constriction" in some cases and can stimulate enough the "distortion triggers".
the cool thing is that, once your muscles adapt to the distorted position, you discover that IT IS NOT NECESSARY to always crack it up to 11!!
What you heard in the demostration, is not "my real distortion", i consider that a pretty clean sound with hints of distorted sound...i could have distorted it a lot more, by increasing the air flow velocity, adding a lil more twang and putting my false chord to work with my real ones, but it wasnt necessary. To be honest, it had been a long time since I had sung so clean and high, expecially in the studio, so my muscle had to go through an adaptation process as well!!!! See my point on "adapting"?
In the end, I can say that, in EVERY distorted sound there's an involvement of the real vocal folds, that's why it is never 100% safe, and it's no beginner stuff to teach. Hydration, sleep, warm up and cool down, silence are key factors as well of course if your schedule is very demanding!
It has been so for me at least so far!
