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Silent Rip
User |
Posted: 2005-12-19 04:10 CET | |
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I've been trying to growl for some time now but I just can't get that sound out. I've been doing the whole "sing at a pitch that causes interference with the reed" thing but the sound is never consistent or particularly good-sounding. It's kind of frustrating. I really want to learn this technique...any expert growlers out there have any tips for me? |
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Kevin
User |
Posted: 2005-12-19 04:45 CET | |
| I'm an expert growler, probably the best I know. Growling came naturally to me but I've taught my fair share of others the joy of growling. So what exacly is your problem with the growling? The first step toward growling is the ability to vocalize while producing a strong steady stream of air. Are you able to do that? That I have found is the hardest part for people to get a hang of. For some it comes pretty natural and others almost seem hopeless in this department. Once you've got that, it's all about playing around and finding whats best for you. I sing differnet notes for every note I play to obtain the best growl for that note. One thing to play around with is playing one note on the saxophone and scooping your voice up and down untill you find the happy note that produces the best growl. Though this you can create a full range of growling sounds. On my G for example, when i sing really low there is a really dirty growl with lots of disturbance. As I sing higher the growl gets cleaner and at specific pitches it is clean enough to sound like flutter tounging [I can't roll my Rs so this makes me happy, I actually had someone say, "I thought you couldn't roll your Rs" to me and I am like I can't, this growling. Then as you get even closer to the note, the distance between the pulses increases untill there is no more growling, this is indicative of you and the saxophone producing the same note. When you sing the same note as you play, nothing happens. My attemps to go higher than my growl are currently unsuccessful with my G but I can post my results once I find out. I'm pretty sure I sing higher than my lowest notes but I am really unsure. You play Bari correct? so chances are is that you will be singing higher than the note you are playing because I doubt you are that much of a bass singer, it's very rare to have a bass voice to start with; I have a bass voice but I believe that a bari sax can play lower than I can sing. I've never tried growling on the bari though. I did kind of teach the bari sax player in my ska band how to growl but I thought him at school and I don't pay attention to it much. I'll have to test it out for myself sometime. The tenor growls like a bitch and the alto also is a growling machine [I taught one alto player how to growl and he does it all the time, it's pretty hot but he's still not better than I] Oh and just to mess you up, I have reason to believe that set up has a key factor in growling. I tried growling on my friend's tenor the other day and I, the growling master, sounded like crap. So I think the set up has a key factor and it also might be the fact that I am soo used to my tenor that I can't play others as nicely. When me and my friend switch tenors as an experiment, we could hardly play in tune with each other when regularily on our respective horns, we could tune perfectly together in out sleep. So, I hope that helps you out. Growling is wicked awesome and I am excited to hear that you are giving it your best shot and hope that one day you can join the ranks as a fellow growler. Another key technique with growling is the ability to control it, turn it on and off in a second, fade it in and out and regulate growling intesities. These all come with practice but you should definately be able to turn growling on and off effortlessly between note without ruining the flow of the rhythm. I'm my Jazz solo at the concert on friday I growled twice bringing it in for one note at the end of a phrase and during the tequila breakdown, switching it on and off without chaning the flow of the music. Okay, I'm done. | ||
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Silent Rip
User |
Posted: 2005-12-21 02:25 CET | |
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Woah, thanks for all the info. That was probably the best response I could have gotten. Well, first of all, I mainly play tenor...it's my baby. Bari is a side thing that I do occasionally; I like it but it's not my favorite. Tenor is my main thing. Well ok, every time I try to growl the sound that comes out is really nasty...I know growling is supposed to sound nasty but it seriously sounds like the sax is broken. I try to fluctuate the pitch but that doesn't really work. Also I can't growl from note to note...every time I switch notes the growl goes away. I think I just need to practice singing the right pitches on certain notes. |
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Silent Rip
User |
Posted: 2005-12-21 02:28 CET | |
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Hmm okay I think I found the problem...I was singing too low and the resulting frequency made the wavelengths too far apart, so the sound was shitty. I raised the pitch way higher up and I got a decent sound. But then I kept singing the same pitch and played down the scale (went G, F, E, D) and the growling sound stayed. Should I be changing singing pitches as I play? I find that an incredibly hard thing to do. |
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Kevin
User |
Posted: 2005-12-21 03:02 CET | |
| I know what you mean about Tenor. Tenor is awesome, I only play other saxes occasionally for kicks and never seriously. So about the growling. Learning it can defiantely be a bitch, it takes a while before you can play if smoothly and consistantly. Just keep practicing. Try taking songs that you know and just growl the whole thing, see how that goes. Focus on getting a solid consistant growl and then you can focus on intensities and turning it on and off at will. As for the note thing, if you are getting good disturbance and it's working than it's a good thing. The alto sax player that I taught doesn't change notes while he growls and it sounds pretty good. I just started changing notes because I am inclined to do that, I started doing it without even thinking about it. It just keeps the quality of the growl more consistant and makes each note growl the way I want it too. I find my growling intensity changes with my mood and even with the song and all this happened on it's own without me conciously training my self. So just play and it'll come. You may not change notes but you can always try it out and see what comes out of it. Find what works for you. If you are not highly vocally inclined the amount that you change your note may be considerably less than amount I would change the note. I am glad that you appreciated my post and good luck. | ||
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Silent Rip
User |
Posted: 2005-12-21 05:37 CET | |
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Well I've been working at it and so far I can get a solid growl on the high C and B. All other notes are shaky. Especially the lower register...middle C and down is rough. I think if I practice this daily, I could get proficient at it in a few weeks' time. The main thing is finding that sweet pitch that gets the right amount of interference going. It feels really good when you find that pitch. |
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