#63038 by
Shredd6
Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:58 pm
I'm not exactly sure about the BS you guys are talking about.
I've been screaming since the early 90's myself. I know how to do it very well, even did some last night at practice just for fun. Sometimes the guys get a kick out of it.
Whether you use vocal fry, false chord, or death techniques, your voice will deteriorate. It's an anatomical fact that's not even arguable. The only thing you can try to protect yourself from is whether you develop a node from it or not.
By the way, your voice naturally deteriorates simply with age. It happens to every single human in existence. So unless you're Jesus, your voice is gonna deteriorate.
As far as the Screamo/Metal thing.. Fine, I stand corrected. Either way, they both employ the same vocal techniques. As you can tell from Ryan's reaction, screamo is already becoming a word people don't want to be tagged with.
Although Metal has been around since the 80's ( I was around for the birth of it and remember it very well) it's only been a popular resurgence for around 5-7 years. In the 90's it was almost left for dead. The popularity of guitar solos themselves was almost non existent for close to a decade. Since it's mainly kids who are the trend setters when it comes to these "x-genres", they have been known to flip-flop every decade or so. (Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter.) So while Metal may be flourishing and possibly at it's highest peak right now, it's not expected to hang around as popular as it is right now for very much longer before trends flip-flop again.
In the 90's kids had to have baggy-as-hell pants and the mainstream was Nu-Metal and Grunge. Now they're wearing tight-as-hell girls pants and it's Screamo and Metal.
There's only so many ways a scream can be done, so you basically have to rely heavily on stage presence, looks, and have extremely skilled guitars, drums, Bass, basically the whole package. You can be the baddest screamer in the world, but if your band isn't considered extremely educated in all areas of theories whether it guitars, drums, bass, or all of the above, then good luck. This genre requires that to reach any level of big or mainstream success. I didn't make those rules, it's the fans themselves that do.
I was knee-deep in the middle of this trend myself until last year, when the over saturation of the resurgence just started making me bored of it. I've done Heavy Metal, Glam (yes i said it, Glam), Nu metal, Metal, Hard-core, punk. I understand the attraction, I've done the Death Metal thing before. But the false, and vocal fry at high pitches just bores me to no end. It annoys me. I'm sorry, but it does. And history tells us the kids will eventually get bored of it too, and the trend will be dormant (not gone completely. Those who are considered the Metal masters of this decade will still hang around) for x amount of years.
Taking my boredom aside though. (because this isn't just about me) I also understand that the wave is rolling, and to get noticed in this overly saturated market takes quite a bit. We're caught up in the mid to later stages of a "resurgent" trend, not a new one, and historically they usually have a decline as fast as they came in. When the decline happens is anyone's guess.
What will be the 2010 and beyond trend?
If I knew that I'd be a rich motherf**ker. Not sure what it will be, but history as far back as the 60's tells us it's coming. Whatever it is.
I'm not saying Ryan should quit doing what he likes doing. I've done it myself, and had a lot of fun with it, by all means ride the wave for what it means to you. All power to you, and good luck Ryan. I certainly hope you reach your dreams.
I still listen to some of my past Metal recordings. But I just reflect on the stepping stone it was on my musical journey. Nothing more. If my advice to Ryan to realize that a change in trend is coming, and to be prepared for it, and be careful of his voice makes me a dick, then I guess it does. But it's certainly not BS.
Peace.