hahah, yeh he's said it's one of his pet peeves when people say literally when it's not literally, so he actually had to correct himself for doing it 🤣🤣
I'm a female alto but hearing your voice, I found out that I can sing lower than my teacher thought I could. Your techniques are really cool! Thank you!
Another alto/contralto here! How low can you sing. My lowest good note is a C3. I'm so sick and tired of all the people celebrating the very high notes (I have no chance at all to hit), I started to evolve my low notes, even if nobody notice it is difficult too. So I can expand my vocal range on the other end and have the possibility to sing the tenor songs, without any strain, even if it sound somekind of weird an wrong (it's still a female voice). Because there are nearly no good songs for contraltos in musicals or films.
Another alto/contralto here! How low can you sing. My lowest good note is a C3. I'm so sick and tired of all the people celebrating the very high notes (I have no chance at all to hit), I started to evolve my low notes, even if nobody notice it is difficult too. So I can expand my vocal range on the other end and have the possibility to sing the tenor songs, without any strain, even if it sound somekind of weird an wrong (it's still a female voice). Because there are nearly no good songs for contraltos in musicals or films.
@mijalheinrich4331 My range is from about F3 to E5, but I'm in my 60s now and don't have time to practice. I know I can go lower, but I really haven't done that too often. There is a place,"musicnotes" that you will find helpful. It has all types of music and you can change keys and see the range. Cher is a great alto to listen to.
@@mijalheinrich4331 YESSS!!! I can hit a G2 comfortably without these tricks - so going into this video, I am STOKED to keep expanding my range down!! 😁 Exactly like you said, we get it - singing high is impressive. But I've been playing in the whistle tone range since I was in about 2nd grade. Singing *low* however? I didn't figure out until I turned 30!! Not to mention - how many female vocalists do you know who can sing the low registers? Not *nearly* as many as can figure out the high notes. 😁
It's like an earthquake. XD Literally. XD I can do everything else but the growl. I guess I have a good excuse for not being able to go that far, because I'm a female and I don't really want to go THAT low. I'm really proud of myself for getting this low though. Thanks Geoff! :)
His normal voice blows my mind. Forget lower. Now I have lost any ambition of being able to sing with bass. All the bass in the world is with this guy. None is left for me
@@christianhenry4173 yes, but also avi has been known to blow out speakers and he uses overtone, which i dont believe either him or tim can do. So all three are talented
Agni Das in what way? He seems to know what he’s talking about. He’s not an expert, but he doesn’t claim to be, and the points he does know he explains about as clearly as Geoff does here.
@@agnidas5816 I would not say he’s a hack. He’s a very clear lyric baritone that taught himself to sing lower through shear willpower and throwing stuff at a wall. He honestly is the best subharmonic singer in the world (not that big of a selection lol).
My father-in-law uses the "growl" to put babies to sleep. Its basically magic, he can take any crying baby, hold them to his chest and do the "growl" and they just put their head down on his shoulder and quietly fall asleep. Best party trick ever.
@@KorZen10 It really depends on the singer, some really scream and have such a low voice that it sounds like a growl (Glenn Benton), some actualy simply scream just soft enough to not hurt their throat (Tom Araya, Chuck Billy when he does extreme vocals etc.). There are so many ways to do metal vocals... Some (mostly modern metal) just use a tiny vocal fry and that sounds always the same and it's pretty terrible imho. There are also the reverse growl piggy grindcore lads 😄 (low volume too) So many different styles.
@@KorZen10 Bro the first technique he demonstrated was literally false chord activation which is the basis for one of the two most common types of metal screams. This is also what is used in Tuvan throat singing. You're so confident and for no reason lmao
I first watched this video like 3-4 days ago, and I’ve hit multiple new low notes since then. I also grew a beard, highly recommend. It does 90% of the work for you.
I am a voice coach and I am a tenor. I have a student who is a bass singer and this video has been amazingly helpful and beneficial. Truly. His range is reaching new lows that he didn't know was possible. Thanks.
@@ДенисПетров-т4ю We had a guy in our church choir singing tenor for like years and some time ago he switched to bass. It was pretty bad in the beginning, of course, but he really improved in the span of like two hours. I definitely thought of him as just a tenor. Could be that some people just have a larger vocal scale by default, but I'm pretty sure it's about training. I am a baritone, so I've naturally had to train my voice to go all kinds of places (because of lack of songs I can comfortably sing in the proper key) and my vocal range has improved a LOT, be it bass or tenor. Please do share your opinion on the issue (you can write in Russian, I can read it).
I honestly have no clue scientifically how much ones speaking voice correlates to their singing. I'm only a 15 yr old learning bass and i speak right in between the 2st and 3rd octave which would make me more speak in an average baritone even though I know for a fact I'm a bass singer. I guess I can't say much about it until I grow much older since everyone's voice is always maturing, especially basses. But yeah, i don't know how much one's speaking voice correlates to their part. Probably has a lot to do with age
I’m a 17 year old bass baritone and I speak between G2-E2 sometimes too - my earliest recollection of my vocal range was D2-A3 and now I’m topping at A4 in full voice and I’m put in the choir’s tenor section because I can, largely thanks to mixed voice. I know a tenor only a year ahead of me who can hit C2s (and he is definitely a tenor, he’s just practiced his lows a lot and he also likes getting into vocal fry too) too. Vocal types are really broad so it’s all about your speaking voice and your natural timbre.
@@themriron2391 Same here, I talk between a E2 and G2, my lowest It's a D2, in a good day a C2, and my highest (in chest) is a G4 (I'm not saying I can belt that high everytime, normally is an E4 ), I'm 16.
What he means is that growls do hurt in the beginning and they really do, but if you continue to do it while your Throat hurts, you can seriously really fuck up your vocal chords, And what we was saying with this was to not rush it, practising stuff like this takes time, so if your throat starts to really hurt, "take a break and try again later"
I have sang bass in choir for my 76 years and never knew there was a way to develop low singing. I always thought it was the voice God gave you and did not not know you could develop or improve it. I throughly enjoy your singing. You have been given a great talent and improved on it. Keep up the good work.
It will dry your chords, both vocal and false, it you put the fry in the wrong part of your throat, so aim to make the sounds above your chords and use the throat shape to create the harmonics and resonance. And have good by breath support, as if you were preparing to belt. When you first find where to make the sound and how you are not using your main vocal chords, it is surprising as hell 😄
Thank you so much for these tips as they are concise and practical, I can now pitch down from falsetto to my lowest register in the same sustain. You are truly a rare talent and inspiration to the rest of us.
Me, after Geoff first showing the growl technique: “wow, that’s really low!” Geoff: “once you get on mic and you cue the air out of it” Geoff: “ *_seismic demon sound_* ”
I've never met an artist of any kind that gives themselves the credit they deserve. That's what makes a successful artist. They're always trying to get better at their art.
it took me 2 weeks to hit c1 with nice clear tone... we are just built differently bro. insted its been a 3 years struggle for me to hit higher notes, some progress, yes.. But i just cant go high and it dosnt matter how mutch i want it. i mean my headvoice starts at b2.. Yes im in headvoice, B2! and its F#####in impossble to hit c4 without going into falsetto.... yes, c1 sounds frikking awesome to hit, and how it resonance.. feels pritty damn good. yes. But thats also pritty mutch it.. a few awsome notes thats almost never really used.... Guess how many songs i can sing with a range from e2 and c4, maybe d4.... its like 10 songs.. i wish i could be a barritone or any other range for that matter. Yes, obviously some lower bass singer hits barritone easily. But trust me, Geoff range, and his vocal skill. Its like comparing a 100m olympic runner with a amature highschool 100m runner that is best in his school. few people can do what he can do. few! in my experience, if your talking voice isnt around f2 b2, ish. +- 3 tones.. something like that... its deffinatly not impossible, ive heard a guy with a very high speaking voice and i guess is like treble, maybe even tenor. but he hits c1d1e1f1 even subhormnic perfectly.. soo, who am i to say what can or cant be done... but if you tried for 2 years, then either there is something wrong with how you practice, idk. then something can be done. othertwise. maybe you should practice to hit notes thats more comfortable for you insted? just saying. i will never say to anyone, "you cant", all im saying, 2 years bro.. 2 years.. maybe its time to change strategy?
@@saxrendell que? flat e1, more impressive? how? no, bruh.. just. no.. like huh`? are you serious? flat e1?`more impressive then e1on pitch? a nice clear note? bruh. no. nononononononononono.
@@phillpauley6672thats the trick.. or, i would rather say, that the key for sucess, dosnt matter in what field. everyone who is successfull has the same personal trait in them. wich is as simple as they want it more then anyone else... nothing else matter as mutch.. sure natural gifted, good suport and all that is very important. but at end of the day. the one who wants it the most will end up on top. its just a matter of time. its actually at the same time, sad. becuse to achive something great also demands a little bit crazy.. success always comes with a huge price. you have to give up to achive, and for someone to pay that price for a maybe in ten years i could be that 1% that actually makes it.. yes, its a obsession. yes its mental.. yes yes yes..
I'm so glad I found you. As a female with a natural deep voice since I was a child it's not expected of me to sound so low and most tutorials are to sing high notes. I'll be practicing. I also would love to throat sing. Thank you from the Scottish Highlands 😎🤘
He sounds like he's always singing, even when he's simply talking. It's simply amazing to me! And the fact that he's STILL learning, after already knowing so much pushes me to keep learning myself. You're amazing! Thank you for sharing!
If you'd like to know the physics behind why the subharmonics work: the pitch you want, say a G1, will have the same frequency as the intersection of its fifth, a D2, and its octave, a G2. When you relax your voice in that very specific way you allow your false cords(the ones used for fry) to resonate at the fifth while you simultaneously use your primary cords(the ones for the majority of singing and speaking) to produce the octave. A similar effect can be achieved with two separate instruments playing at the same interval. It's all just in the nature of the sound waves.
Yes essentially. Here’s some more explanation I wrote a while back with a bit of maths. Every time you go up an octave, the frequency of the note is doubled (eg. A4 = 440hz, A5 = 880hz, A2 = 110hz etc). Let’s take the note A2 (110hz). Let’s use A2 as the fundamental to produce an A1. A perfect fifth above A2 is E3 (roughly 164.814hz). We know the vocal cords during subharmonics vibrate in a 3:2 ratio. The ratio between a tonic note and a perfect fifth is about a 3:2 ratio (give or take). So the ratio of E3:A2 is 3:2 (110hz = 2, so 55 = 1, therefore 3 = 3 x 55 which is 165, so E3 = 165 (roughly). This means when doing subharmonics, your vocal cords vibrate to relax at a 3:2 ratio, meaning they’re basically vibrating a perfect 5th apart. I would assume this also means you can also hear a bit of an E3 in the the subharmonics while you’re doing this. As for why singing in a perfect 5th produces an octave undertone? I don’t know. I’d assume it’s because the vocal cords are physically in contact with each other for less time as they’re vibrating at different speeds, so I would assume the fact that they are in contact with each other less frequently, let’s say they’re only in contact with each only 55 times a second (55hz = A1) instead of the usual 110 times a second like a normal A2 is (110hz), produces that octave drop below the fundamental.
@@matthewdockray9745 The short behind why is sounds as the undertone is, as far as I understand, because our human ears are not terribly smart. Every note produces overtones in its harmonic series. So if you get a big, bass-y A1(Thanks Geoff) that note is actually sounding as an A1, 110Hz, and then decreasingly loud like an A2-220Hz, E3-330Hz, A4-440Hz, etc. Because of this natural phenomena, the brain is already accustomed to hearing the harmonic series when a note is truly produced so hearing that same series the brain helps to make it sound a bit more normal by filling in some gaps.
Minor detail you missed, it's actually your normal cords doing this, left chord and right chord... The frequencies have a triplet pattern, and our ears only really hear whenever both chords hit at the same time.
@@leopirdas6577, how could your true vocal cords produce two notes at the same time? I always hear people say that your singing two notes at the same time, to me it seems more like the vocal cords are only actually making contact half the number of times that they're supposed to and that's why the note is an octave lower. And then your brain for some reason fills in the original note so you end up hearing two notes when in reality you're just singing one Would you agree?
@@chrismartinez144 partly. It's like this, your right chord vibrates 220 times a second, the left goes 330 times a second, but they only hit 110 times a second, so we hear the 110 hz. However, that note doesn't technically exist (it won't really show up on those pitch graph thingy ma dolly whoopers). That make sense? My whole argument is that it's only your normal vocal folds vibrating, your false folds aren't vibrating in *this* subharmonic technique. Your false folds are engaged whenever you're doing kagyraa or throat singing/throat bass
Geoff, I've been a bass my whole life of singing (from about age 13 to now, some 58 years). I caught your performance of "Big John" on RU-vid and I loved it! So much so that I posted it on Facebook (people who know me will not be surprised). I remember this song when it was released and I was a young fellow, just starting to sing. Jimmy Dean, who released this in 1961, and also Tennessee Ernie Ford, doing Sixteen Tons, with an earlier release. These songs, and songs like them, helped inspire me to not only sing, but to sing Bass. Your arrangment was really good, too. As a composer and arranger, I understand the kind of time, dedication, and talent it takes to do this. People don't seem to understand how much the arrangment of a song truly impacts the song's efficacy. I went on to teach music at public schools and also teach privately. All these years I have been singing bass in various groups (and still do today). In all that time, I have almost always been "the" low bass singer in the group. So it is fascinating to view your instruction on this recording. You are spot on. I like how you highlighted relaxation, the "growl", "vocal fry" and working to smooth out the break in your voice. These are quite important. Some other important things I have learned about singing low over the years, which I am sure you know, but for the benefit of readers, are: a low voice must be nurtured. Some things to help achieve this are 1. Don't talk in your higher voice, but in your lower natural range in a relaxed manner. 2. When warming up to sing, don't just work the high range. Doing this just moves your tessitura (range) up. So warm up specifically doing vocal exercises low and high, so your range develops in both directions. 3. When harmonizing to music (such as CDs, what's online, XM, the radio, etc.), work on your lower range, singing the bass part or low harmonies. 4. Singing in the morning, or even exercising this range when it's early in the day, and the voice is naturally lower, helps to sustain that range as the day goes on. Pretty basic stuff, but good to reinforce for others who are interested in this. You are very talented and it's a blessing for you to share this with the rest of us. Keep it coming and THANKS!
Huh, this is very interesting. If your tessitura has moved up, is it possible to extend the lower bound to where it once was or even further? I am afraid I might have gotten "stuck up high", if you will.
And 5. when you went with your singing group to a party, greed the chef with the lowest "morning" that you ever produced( takes also 4-6 beer at the day before) ;D
Being female doesn't prevent from learning subharmonics. This tutorial is a great help for me, it introduced me to certain aspects of my voice that I wasn't aware of and I never learnt in my coaching lessons. I managed to produce my first subhamonic notes and they're insanely low for me as a woman (used to be a high soprano, but remain to be an alto after 3x Covid). And, using vocal fry, I can quite hit low bass notes just as Geoff does, instable and with little variety but nevertheless. It's incredible.
My voice is also a mile away from this stuff, but it is so interesting, and the growl thing worked so perfectly! I dunno where I would EVER use it my higher pitches though. haha
I like how he prefaces some of the points by saying "you're gonna suck." Stuff like that genuinely keeps my expectations realistic and makes me respect the teacher.
Thank you so much Geoff! I've been using this "tutorial" to expand my bass voice as well. I have been practicing for about 6 months now and I've gotten pretty good at it. I came back to this video to check my progress and I can do most of it except the "growl". I can finally hit the bottom of the scale that you sang at the beginning of the video.
As a bass singer, this is the most comprehensive bass singing lesson I’ve seen on RU-vid. I’ve been singing bass for years and I feel I’ve leveled up by 100,000 exp in 7 minutes. From all the bass singers on here, thank you Geoff. You’re a monster and a gentleman.
You forget that is pre-recorded with multiple takes most likely and definitely been through some software. This is coming from my own experience on the same stuff.
4:53 It's called Tartini Tones. If you combine two pitches at the same time, e.g. 200Hz (base note) + 300Hz (5th), it results in an "auditory illusion": You will HEAR a 100Hz pitch (base note one octave lower), but you can't actually find it in spectral analysis. On a tenor saxophone, for example, the lowest note you can finger is "concert Ab2" - but you can simultaneosly hum a perfect 5th into the horn to produce pitches as low as "concert Ab1". Pretty advanced technique that even most pros haven't heard about, tho.
@@ethanmehta I learned it as an “inverted power chord”. One way to think about when playing, imagine you were to play the root-5th-octave chord, but then leave the root out. It actually sounds kinda as if the root was there. So if you want to play a power chord you can’t because the root is too low, you can do this trick by leaving the root out and playing the octave instead. Most famous example using these chords is Smoke on the Water. Most common example using them to sound lower than possible I think is Blind by Korn (and it sounds super low, they do it on the 2 lowest open strings of a 7-string). I like to use this to play some songs that normally require D tuning for some power chords, then I don’t need to tone down from E. I think it still works somewhat on an acoustic, but the effect is much bigger with distortion. I also think it’s more noticeable at lower frequencies. I’m not sure why. And it might work with other “chords” too, not sure.
I find this quite inspiring. Your speaking voice sounds like mine, and I always thought that singing was not really something I could ever become good at, because everything was out of my range. It's great to see you turning a particularity into an asset like this.
This man could get me to buy literally *any* audiobook, just by being the one to narrate it. Idc if it's Twilight, the Bible, or the infamous 'My Immortal', I will buy it solely because *damn* that voice is soothing.
I have it but normally i use higher notes to speak, but when it comes to imitate Elvis Presley or Leonard Cohen it becomes rly funny. But i want to hit a lot lower notes, but i have no place to train this :(
I speak also with deep voice as normal, but i love to switch my tones and notes while speaking so i can speak higher but my base voice note is much lower ;)
haha jokes on all of you i have both a deep ass voice and really long hair, and apparently i just tested i can naturally drop the register into subharmonics
The speakers on my phone couldn't produce the growl at 2:53. I literally only heard a little bit of air moving. I had to switch to my headphones to even hear it. Insane.
You know, people have always been telling me I could be a bass, but I never believed it. Then I see your videos and realize, while I have the advantage of a lower voice, getting where I want is training, and patience. Thank you for the motivation to do work towards something I've only ever considered a fantasy. Your songs are just absolutely amazing.
@Alexandria Hauser Wow that's nice of you. But did you know why I was getting it? Because a vision softly creeping, came to me while I was sleeping for 5 minutes.
My natural voice is only a little higher than yours so ever since I caught your sixteen tons cover I have been obsessed with trying to hit those notes, these tips definitely helped me get close, just less clean by far. Love your stuff.
I’ve been doing the exact same thing since I heard Sixteen Tons as well! I have a pretty deep voice naturally (I can hit about an E above low C without growling) and I’ve just practiced the growl a ton trying to hit those notes! I think my family’s a little sick of the song now… oops
After about 5 mins of growling like an idiot and making people think I am dealing with demons, I can hit all notes in Sixteen Tons but they aren't clear nor GRAINY. It's really flat. I don't think this counts as an achievement. WOuld like to get your thoughts on this
Yeah that's my problem as well. Technically hitting the notes is not hard, the problem is to make it anything more than a frog sound. My vocal fry is just that, pure fry and like 0 harmonics that actually sound like a nice singing voice. Also I can only do it in a mic, anything loud enough for accapella and I immediately loose it.
What a genuine and generous person to share his experience and knowledge this way! My holy grail for music self indulgence is to some day hear Geoff, Tim Foust and Avi Kaplin sing a trio, maybe a re-interpretation of the hall of the mountain king or to revisit the Tolkein Mountains Deep song....can you imagine!
It's not that hard but all its about is control and training. Like I can hit rly low notes but I don't control them. But someday ... oh yeah they will work as I want ;)
Honestly there's a better way to learn it. There's a different way but it's from the beatbox community. We call it "throat bass" and there's plenty of variations, such as vibration bass. The basses can warp, such as evil bass, alien bass and such, but they won't be what you're looking for if you want to do bass singing
CAUTION: if at any time you feel your ovaries descending, STOP IMMEDIATELY! Put on some Celine Dion, lie down, rest, and allow the poor girls to return to their original, upright position. Also, any hard, Adam's Apple-like growths that may develop on your neck or throat area deserve prompt medical attention.
Apparently I've been doing the growl for a while. I did it when I impersonated smaug as a little kid. It's gotten deeper, and it still uses a lot of air, but it's a fun party trick for the super deep notes
For me, it was Smeagol imitations that opened up my voice range. Smeagol has a high and reedy nasal voice for casual talking, which drops down to a low, raspy, barking voice when he's annoyed or surprised. Oscillating between an innocent and airy voice to a violent and explosive voice was how I practiced. Essentially, I'd do the whole "my precious" bit, but my spin was to include the sudden angry "gollum cough" afterwards to startle people -- and at first, that's literally what I was doing, clearing my throat to produce that *gollum* sound, and then extending it into speech... ... which ironically is kinda what Geoff is talking about at 1:45ish in. Edit: Also, can't go wrong with emulating the "Cave of Wonders" tiger from Aladdin. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dARFQmEEg8Q.html *Who disturbs my slumber?*
Okay so I'm constantly singing up there with like Ariana, underwood, and Adele and that last technique he showed helped me get crazy lower than I ever could just after watching it once. I'm definitely gonna be practicing that quite often. This man has given the key to have a sick range. Thanks man
Bro I’m a baritone in a middle school choir (8th grade). There are only 3 of us guys who’s voices have dropped. I’ve always envied those who had epic high pitched voices, because I used to have a beautiful high voice. Now the more and more I mature the more I can accept it, and I’m learning to appreciate my voice the more matured it gets
Hey man, I’m a bass II in a high school choir and the best advice I’ve ever been given was own it! Deep voices are just as unique as high voices! Sing out and be proud!
Many guys say, "I can't sing" because they compare their voices to the voices of pop singers, who are tenors. But choirs are starving for bass singers.
@@hellomate639 thanks bro, I’ve grown a lot since I posted this last year and I’m a full bass now, I’m high school and preforming with my towns symphony.
The most helpful part of this ironically was how to connect my head voice to my chest voice through vocal fry, and it works better than any other practice or technique to learn how to do that. So thanks Geoff!!! (Huge fan btw)
"Apparently moving your hands helps too" I've been growling since I was younger than I can remember, but moving my hands helps. I have no idea how I figured out I could growl. But within the past year, I've started to actually be able to sing with it. I didnt know anyone else could even do it but me until I found Tim Foust. Very cool!
All my brothers and me can do it. We found it out by doing monster voices and whatnot, tbh I thought it was really natural for people to do it. My lowest is a D1
Would you ever consider doing more teaching videos like this. Although this was a short intro into these topics I still found it useful and would love to learn more from you.
That last piece of advice has really been the key insight in my own singing journey. I find that as I've gotten better at using the middle parts of my voice, the extremes have likewise gotten easier to manage, without even focusing on them.
Thank you for the tutorial!! Ive had a lot of luck with the vocal fry and I'm so close to hitting that super low note from your cover the misty mountains cold and I couldn't be more excited about it. I can't wait to see the looks of shock on people's face when that super deep note comes out of a girl who ain't even 5ft tall. Thank you so much!!! I can't wait for more tutorials!
@G With The Headphones hey i ran out to my shed so I could record a quick video of my attempt at the subharmonics if you want to give it a listen, man. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3C1as5WM350.html
Don't let anyone discourage you!! When I was actively singing I could hit some fairly low notes for a "girl" and surprised a lot of people. I haven't sang more than occasionally in years so I'm not even going to try now. He does inspire me to start practices and singing again though. I am absolutely AMAZED at his range.
Thanks SO much for this. I've always played a lot with those kind of weird sounds throughout my life. And also really liked bass singing, although my natural voice starts losing a lot of power and clarity below G2. Now I suddenly am able to touch an octave lower using this! Will need some training to be more accurate and stable, but super excited about the possibilites. Will definitely subscribe to your channel and sweep through all of it.
Hi Geoff, best greetings from Italy! I play bass guitar and your advices are helping me to play better bass lines and really feel the notes I play; your tutorials are also useful to improve my English!
