I have actively been trying to not focus so much on getting "Grit," and it's kind of started coming naturally while I'm falsetto. A tip I have is do the Vocal Fry's and get used to that feeling. While you're singing QUIETLY in soft falsetto, try to reproduce that feeling. I can't sing constantly with grit yet, but I can bring it in on notes/words. It almost feels like a squeezing in your throat, but you're not clenching any outside muscles. I figure this is what Jamie's been talking about.

Jamie, does that sound about right?

Well, I personally do something quite similar, I get a vocal fry-like feeling, that feels like I'm gargling the sound not in but on top of the vocal chords. It's bizarre, it feels as if the feeling fills the whole throat up to the soft palette. I then focus my resonance on that sound as much as I possibly can. The quality of the sound can be changed to more piercing by changing the shape of the mouth to a smile, to focus the high harmonics (I think). It's pretty hard to really describe, it's one of those things you get one and can then just do. I make it more distorted or cleaner by focusing either the distortion of the falsetto itself. At first I could only do it loud, I now can do it at pretty much every volume over a reasonable level.

Here's an example (this is just about the most distorted I can get it to be):
http://81.96.77.103/~ezyyaat/scream.mp3

LOL, dude that's killer! The 3rd one w/ vibrato is killer!! I can't get that going yet, mine's much more subtle.

You are on the right track. I discuss all of this in great detail on an upcoming CD system that I have been producing. I go back to Nashville in a few weeks to finish the voice overs then we'll do the exercises. But yes, you can get there from a Fry and it shpuld be placed up in the soft palate kinda like you are gargling.

JV

Jaime, you're going back to nashville? Isn't that where Brett Manning is? Are you working something out with him? Just a thought, because Brett seems to like to record exercises on CD's, which I think is a great idea.

I just bought his mastering vibrato program and...wow. I didn't think it was going to work...but the exercises actually trigger your voice to produce vibrato with ease. Anyway, i'm rambling....the CD thing is a good idea

What's that vibrato program? Sometimes I find I can't get it to kick in quickly enough!

http://www.getsigned.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BMASVBCD&Category_Code=MANNING&Product_Count=0

There's Brett's program. Thomas Appell's CAN YOU SING A HIGH C WITHOUT STRAINING? has some good vibrato stuff in it as well. You can get that from Jaime's store.

jaime, i was wondering something... are the metal program, the cd series, and ryv 2, 3 separate programs??? i know you can't say much about the stuff you're working on, but can you clarify what they are and what they are geared towards?

The metal program is the CD series. RYV II is seperate.

JV

and are the both going to be completed early next year? I know your super busy with a ton of different projects, I was just curious.