Would have liked more screaming, but otherwise VERY comprehensive (4.5/5 Stars) - READER ALERT: If you order this, please make sure the copy you order comes with the companion CD. The DVD has the exercises, but the CD has them to fit voice ranges (tenor, baritone, and bass for men, soprano, mezzo-soprano, and contralto for women.) New copies should have it automatically, so check with the seller if you get one used.So I watched the DVD and it is very comprehensive. The first 15 or so minutes do feature a lot of musicians praising Ms. Cross and going on about why her techniques work. One you pass that, then you start getting into exercises, first the physical exercises and then the musical ones. Each follows the format of Ms. Cross demonstrating the exercise, then having a guest (either a student or a professional musician) demonstrate the exercise, and then commentary from pro musicians as to why the exercises are effective. Was there a lot of emphasis on actual screaming? No, but you have to learn to crawl before you walk, and there s way, way, way too much information on this disc to discredit it for not featuring more on screaming. I ordered the second disc so I ll let you all know if that contains more information on screaming (it was advertised that it should, so...)Otherwise, this is a must-have for any vocalist who s trying to be in ANY group where the music is amplified. I ve received classical training before, but there s a lot on this disc that I wish I would have known before. I can t wait to apply it and I hope everyone finds success in using this CD.CREDITS: Special hats-off to Randy Blythe from the band Lamb of God, who dedicated a lot of time and his own embarrassing moments for the betterment of musical education. Support LOG by seeing them live!If you live in the Southwest United States, I ordered both discs from --movieweb-- and they arrived faster than anything I ve ever ordered over the internet before. I recommend that seller to all!
The Zen of Screamng - This is a fantastic DVD. I have kids in my classroom (High School in NZ) now wanting to do singing lessons and learn more about using their voices, especially boys. Thank you Melissa Cross for your inspiration and the simple method which makes kids want to sing. Brilliant.
decent - Very good tips for vocal warm-ups and how to protect your voice, but they dont even mention the word screaming until like an hour into the video...also, i felt like a lot of it was like advertising for melissa cross, rather than instruction (i.e. videos of band saying oh melissa is the greatest!!), but overall it was helpful and i would recommend it
Buena Herramienta para todo vocalista - Definitivamente es DVD es excelente herramienta para todo vocalista de metal, no es dificil de entender con buenos concejos de los artitas que aparecen en el....... de las cosas que mas agrado fue que se preocupan en el rango de la vos del comprador ya que en Cd puedes entrenar segun tu rango por ejemplo si eres baritono, tenor, soprano etc.......Lo que si creo que le hace falta, son los sub titulos en español o lenguaje ya que solo tiene ingles, razon por la cual le doy 4 estrellas, pero en lo demas creo que es una buena herramienta para el pricipiante como para el vocalista con experiencia........estoy ansioso por comprar The Zen of Screaming: Vocal Instruction for a New Breed Vo 2......saludos desde Honduras
Homework for the Cookie Monster in you. - The only downside is that the production seems to have been executed by someone who normally does infomercials. Echoing other reviews, some of it comes off as an ad. That said...My voice would most likely be in much better shape if this had been available 10 years ago. On one hand, the natural gravel that comes with completely destroying your vocal cords does sound kind of cool at times. On the other, it would be nice to have the choice to turn it off.If you are a metal singer and you pay attention to this DVD, it will be one of those events that may not garner the significance it deserves but none the less will positively affect the musical aspect of the rest of your life.Although much damage has already been done in my case, and I d already learned many of the lessons from experience, TZOS did introduce me to some new exercises and very practical techniques that have had an immediate impact on my performance. Any metal singer would be foolish not to check it out.