This is something I thought to myself for years! It only feels like a few months ago I started seeing people online offering Screaming Lessons for people, and I thought ‘wait…you can do that?!’

I’ve been doing metal vocals for nearly 15 years now, and I remember the good old days of learning the old fashioned way; whatever YouTube Videos I could find, and a copy of Melissa Cross’s Zen Of Screaming.

However, there were so many uncertainties with what was being described in the videos. ‘Stop if the vocal is hurting’, is a perfectly accurate sentiment…but I needed somebody to help me figure out if what I was doing was healthy and also right. I’ve came to learn that there is a big difference between ‘this hurts, I must stop’ and ‘this is uncomfortable and kinda weird. Can I get used to it?’.

Our worst enemy as metal vocalists is our own head. We thrive off assurance and belief in our own voices. If we’re second guessing ourselves, or fighting constant concern; it can sometimes lead to an unsatisfactory vocal performance and potential vocal damage.

Not to mention the surge of short form content on Instagram and TikTok. It can sometimes confuse and muddy the waters of what we’re trying to do with our vocals.

It’s my goal as an Extreme Vocal Coach to guide, offer advice/insight and hopefully inspire you as a metal vocalist to find your own voice and activate your metal scream in a safe but satisfactory way!

Water, any herbal teas like Lemon and Ginger. Also, an enthusiasm to learn!

Honestly; patience.

Everybody is different when it comes to learning a new vocal skill. I liken learning how to scream to that of adding a new tool to your metaphorical vocal belt. If you pick up a drill or piece of equipment you’ve never used before, it may take some time to learn how to perfect and even master the tool.

We often compare ourselves to vocalists who have been doing these vocals for decades, and we experience their vocals through walls of Processing, EQ, Compression and other mix effects. There is nothing wrong with this, but it can give us an unbalanced expectation of what our vocals are meant to sound like.

It takes time and perspective to gradually build up your vocal confidence, and before you know it; you’ll unlock everything you’ve been searching for!

This is one of my favourite questions to get from students!

My response is often; why do we think the vocals need to be loud?

I believe the trick is in the wording; ‘Scream Vocals’. We often see our favourite vocalists on stage pulling all sorts of ungodly faces and they always seem so angry. We liken the word ‘scream’ to that of ‘shout’.

But the truth is, the vocal comes from a place of Comfort, Control and Consistency. It isn’t volume that gives our screams power and intensity; it’s the way in which we use them. The same way that if we sing louder, does that make our vocals better or more powerful?

Powerful vocals come from the way it makes our audience feel. This can be achieved through compression, tongue placement and the given vowel shape.

On a scale of 1-10, if your speaking voice is around a 4-5, and your scream vocal is a 3 -4 if not slightly louder…you’re on the right track!

Volume comes with confidence and control. Push too much too soon, and you might develop bad habits and even hurt yourself. Remember; Comfort, Control and Consistency.

This is always a tricky one to answer.

Everybodies journey is so different when it comes to learning how to do metal screams. It is very rarely (if ever) linear.

I commonly speak to students who report ‘one day it goes well, and then the next day it doesn’t…’.

I liken the process to learning how to walk, or how to talk. We never say to ourselves ‘okay left foot, right foot…and there we go!’. It takes time and practice to understand the healthiest way to develop our metal scream.

Modern short form social media content makes it easy to believe that in a quick 30 second or 1 minute video, we will be learning how to scream. Just like picking up a guitar and learning the correct notes of a D Major arpeggio.

It takes time and consistent practice! Everybodies metal vocal journey is so different. I’ve had some students who have picked it up in 1 lesson, but others who have taken months to get fully comfortable with the process. For me personally, it took 2-3 years before I was fully happy with my metal scream.

It’s my role to encourage, guide and hopefully offer real time expectations and steps to achieving your perfect metal scream.

Consistency is everything!

If we go to the gym once a week and train for 2 hours, we’re not going to be as strong compared to if we trained 5 days a week for 10-20 minutes of the same routine.

If we’re just starting out, 5 minutes a day is absolutely perfect! There is an element of common sense with practice. We have to listen to the signs that our voice is getting tired and fatigued. Push it too much for too long, you’ll almost certainly be experiencing the after effects the following day or evening.

Listen to your voice, and know when the right time is to stop. A slightly hoarse voice, extended periods of coughing or dehydration; these might be the signs to leave it for another day.

And if on a certain day the engagement or distortion isn’t working for you; don’t worry! It will come back. But don’t force it to work in the meantime. It very rarely pays off in our favour.

Tell yourself ‘it’s not a good vocal day today, I will try again tomorrow’.

You can check out my pricing tab for a full pricing guide.

But generally, all my sessions are priced £40-50 for 1 hour or can be made available as a 4 lesson bundle with a discount attached when booked in full (See my 4 lesson vocal bundle for £140).

In person sessions outside of my home office space will incur an additional travel charge. If distance travelled is longer than 1 hour, there will be a flat £50 charge added to your booking.