Get a Rough Voice Like Bruce Springsteen

Edited by Jerry Rivers, Eng, Lynn, Doug Collins and 5 others

Many famous blues, rock and country singers have a rough voice. Their songs have a seductive tone that is captivating. Artists such as the late Robert Palmer, Jim Morrison, Joe Cocker, and Janice Joplin all developed that rough, gravely voice. The ways in which they developed their signature gravely voices, are not recommended, as very often there were also severe consequences to their health. Others, like the great late James Brown and Ray Charles had that raspy voice naturally, and you could hear it even in their speaking voice. Bryan Adams, Michael Bolton, Bonnie Tyler, Stevie Nicks and Bruce Springsteen are several greats born with such a voice. Here is how you can develop a raspy singing voice that you can turn "off" or "on" as you desire.

Your voice can begin to sound rough from smoking and/or drinking alcohol, but there is a heavy price to pay. You will not only lose the high end of your vocal range, but you can develop any number of diseases. The best drink for singing with a rough voice is water. By following the procedure below, you will learn to have a rough voice like Bruce Springsteen and still preserve your precious vocal cords.

Steps to Make Your Singing Voice Bruce Springsteen Style Rough

  1. 1
    Sing from your diaphragm and your stomach muscles
    .
    You should not slouch, and must slightly tighten you stomach muscles as you prepare to sing with a raspy tone.
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  2. 2
    A rougher voice is deeper and more breathy than the typical voice, so strive for a breathy, lower timber of voice.
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  3. 3
    To sing with the breathy voice, force more air through the vocal cords as you sing
    .
    To find the right level of aspiration, first sing a single note and then change to a complete breathy sound. The degree of breathiness will change as you gradually approach your full sound.
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  4. 4
    Relax all the muscles from your shoulders up, including those in your face, neck and jaw
    .
    This will enhance your vocal tone, and assist in giving you a rough voice.
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  5. 5
    Notice how you make a raspy sound from down in your throat when you cough
    ?
    This sound can be duplicated to some degree when making that raspy sound when you're singing. You are, to some degree, making a glottal stop by closing off the vocal cords, such as when you say, "Uh-Oh" or "Uh-uh". While your vocal chords are restricted and you sing through them, you are creating a rough voice. If you growl with this voice, do it rarely in the song. If you go to the extreme of a growl, and do it while singing more than a riff, you will damage your vocal cords.
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  6. 6
    As you grow older, your voice will not only deepen, but you will find it easier to make a rough voice like the "Boss" Springsteen
    .
    This is because your vocal cords become less elastic as you age.
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  7. 7
    Warm up your vocal cords by singing a few easy notes prior to singing with a raspy voice.
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  8. 8
    Stay hydrated to preserve that voice box, and do not overexert your voice
    .
    Drink lots of water, and little of any other kind of beverage.
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  9. 9
    If your throat hurts, or feels dry or fatigued, take a break from the singing to preserve your voice.
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Use Studio Technology to Achieve a Rough Voice While Singing

  1. 1
    An easy way to make your voice sound rough is to get into a studio and let the audio engineer alter your vocals to sound rougher and edgier voice.
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  2. 2
    If you sing using the steps above, do not sing loudly
    .
    Let the audio engineer just turn up your microphone's amplitude from the control room. Any strain on your vocal cords for a long period must be avoided so that you save your voice, which is the most important thing.
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  3. 3
    You can also sing with your normal voice, and have the audio engineer distort your voice by sending the signal through a flange or a voice distortion tube.
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  4. 4
    Jerry - Bruce.jpg
    There are several other ways to distort your normal voice to sound very raspy with the help of the audio engineer's "tricks of the trade".
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  5. 5
    So, follow either of these two procedures to make your voice sound like Bruce Springsteen's sensuous raspy voice
    .
    By following either the "restricted vocal cord" or studio technology procedure, you will develop that desired style of voice. With the first method, it is recommended to only sing with that way a few minutes at a time. With the second method, thanks to your audio engineer, you can perform for a longer studio session.
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  6. 6
    Vocals & Tips
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Questions and Answers

How to get a Bruce Springsteen like deep voice?

There is nothing you can really do to 'get' a deep voice. It all depends on your genes. If your voice does not deepen significantly by the time you reach puberty then it's likely it won't deepen in the future.

How to get that rough blues voice?

What you can do is sing through your throat and close it a bit. Try mimic Kurt Cobain, but do your own version of it. Smoking does help make your voice raspy but it will make your voice weak. The best way to sing the blues is by singing with your heart and soul and that little technique I mentioned above.

I need to make my voice rough, deeper, husky rough and manly?

I am 25. My voice sounds okay but I want to make it deeper, husky rough and manly. How can I do this?

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If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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Article Info

Categories : Voice Lessons & Tips

Recent edits by: Maria Quinney, savonne, Alma

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