I can't seem to find the gritty co-ordination as I get higher in my range. Anyone got any tips for adding grit to notes around F4 onwards?

Every time I try to add grit to a note in *head voice* I end up using too many muscles and flipping many notes down, so I figure it's a different sensation I'm looking for?

*Head voice in sls terms.

those notes will have to be SOLID and easy to access in a clean tone before you can even begin to add grit. i find thinking of it as distortion helps. plus remember that grit involves a lot more power and distortion, it isn't going to come as easy as a clean tone. at least not in my experience anyway

I found that was the case when I first started experimenting with grit, however I can now add grit to lower notes very easily. I imagine this will be the case with higher notes too so I'm trying to add a lot of support and power to achieve it. With higher notes though, I can't even accidentally add grit so I have no idea what it's meant to feel like! Any tips on finding it in the first place?

I'm aiming to add grit to notes as I learn to comfortably hit them, Phil. So I'm increasing my full voice range as well as my grit range, if that makes sense? I'm trying to push the voice towards my face (or mask?) to add grit as thinking about placing it in the soft pallet doesn't help me much.

yeah its something thats pretty hard to explain in text. its something you have to "find". the way i found it is probably the easiest although not healthy: i used to just scream/yell instead of sing to hit higher notes back in the day before i knew how to sing. i had many sore throats, one time even coughed up blood. i was able to get grit before i was able to sing. can you actually make a grit sound in your high register (even if it hurts)? or you can't even get the sound to generate at all? for me i could only get it with huge volume until i got used to that then i could dial the volume back and still keep the grit. you may have to just work the way you are: increasing your "grit range" until it reaches those high notes.

depends how high you are trying to take this stuff, i can get a great 80's rock tone if i pull the chest up, but if i'm singing really high in the head voice the grit i generate feels different beacuse it doesn't have that nice "resistance" that you get when you pull the chest sound so the grit i generate in my head voice is "tame". i think its about getting your chest sound higher and higher but i'm not sure.

may be able to help you on skype, send me an email on jiyasa@hotmail.com

I've removed Messenger now as I barely used it! Add me on Skype instead : HuskyHarris.

Cheers Phil

Hey Phil,

You are a great teacher. I learn more from reading your posts and experiences than almost anyone on this board. Martin is a genius but speaks above my head. LOL! I think it may be your calling. Do you give lessons over skype? How much do you charge if you do? Is it possible for anyone to do grit? My voice a very lyric and lighter type naturally (think James Taylor or Jim Croce). One day I was singing along to the Doors' LA Woman and I guess I had the placement just right because I was able to get very aggressive and kind of gritty without really trying too hard. It was almost surprising to me! I have never been able to replicate that. Any ideas?

Ben, drop me an email on jiyasa@hotmail.com

This thread makes me very happy. I am pleased to see people helping each other:)

We're a happy community, Jaime! Haha. What's your say on higher grit, if you don't mind me asking?

Higher grit has always been easier for me. I still feelnitnin the palate but its focus more towards the back, at the cold spot you feel when breathing in.
I've covered it in much more detail in Extreme Scream III, which will
Be out in a few months. It's being mixed now:)

Ahh I've been trying to place it further forward toward the "mask"...I'll give it a go placing it back a bit, thanks!

Definitely looking forward to the upcoming Scream series'