How To Sing With Grit: 4 Simple Steps For Complete Beginners

Step 1: Breath and Support 

The first step in creating a grit vocal sound is correctly setting the foundation of the powerful voice. To achieve this successfully I am going to break down breath and support into two simple stages. 

1. Breath

To achieve this I believe the first step is standing up and placing your hands on the sides of your body- just below the ribcage. 

Now attempt to breathe in a way that expands your lower stomach, the sides and your lower back. If you are struggling to get the sides and back to expand do not worry. The first step is getting the lower stomach to expand without overly inflating the chest. After you master the lower stomach breath you will be able to slowly control the air which expands the sides of your body and finally the lower back expansion.

2. Support

After you have taken the deep breath into the lower stomach, I want you to raise your pelvic floor. To do this I want you to pull the muscles in an upward motion. The easiest way to explain this is for you to make the same sensation as holding in your pee. Sounds strange I know, but this allows the muscles of the pelvic floor to correctly engage the diaphragmatic support which you've likely heard so many vocal teachers talk about. 

Once you get the hang of it, it is as simple as breathing deeply and engaging the pelvic floor. With some practice you can do this process in only one second! The stomach will also physically look well supported, quite firm but also not overly tight if performed correctly. 

Step 2: Singing a Clean Melody

 Try singing the song "Throne" by Bring Me The Horizon  (I used this as an example in the video lesson linked above). This is a good foundation for the voice which we will be "leaning on" to create the grit vocal tone.

Step 3: Creating an Overcompressed Voice

To create an over-compressed sound first we need to define vocal compression. Vocal compression is a sound that has a small amount of air passing through it and is usually linked to a more bold and bright vocal tone. Vocal compression is the opposite of a breathy tone. To create an over-compressed sound you first need to produce a clean COMPRESSED vocal sound- then put more weight into the sound until it begins to rasp. This is what I previously described as "leaning" into a compressed tone. 

Step 4: 1, 2, 3 Together

Finally we are ready to perform the grit vocal sound! Firstly take the deep abdominal breath (stomach, sides & back) and raise the pelvic floor. Then perform Step 2 (singing a clean melody) with Step 3 (leaning into a compressed sound) at the same time to create the grit vocal sound. Step 4 is just steps 1, 2, 3 being performed at the same time. Long story short, take a breath and sing the phrase in a very heavily compressed tone until the grit vocal starts to appear. 

Feel free to practice this in every vocal session you do, as long as it doesn't wear out your voice. If it begins to wear down your voice, give it a rest for the day and attempt to do it again when you feel like your voice is fully recovered from any incorrect rasp sounds. 

Again just a reminder, we should be viewing the voice as something we build for the rest of our lives. We need to build the musculature of the vocal cords, build control and build stamina for great consist live vocals. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day ;).