Singing tips: how to achieve a "raspy" vocal sound without actually straining your voice?
The vocal cords are your instrument, and singers learn to manipulate them by “tuning” them appropriately to hit the desired note. The voice has a physical range limit which can be exercised to an extent, but doing anything that the voice is not used to and not properly warmed up for can cause damage.To me, there is a difference between a “rasp” which is relaxing the cords and letting more air through, and “growl” which is the opposite.For a rasp, pressure is released and slack in the cords causes minor “skips” in the vibration to produce a breathy rasp sound in exchange for hard tone clarity which is pleasant when done properly, and can conserve the voice on high notes by releasing tightness on the vocal cords. A rasp may develop in a singer naturally due to overworking the voice or damaging it, and may be temporary or permanent.Macy Gray’s raspy “Forgiveness”.The example video you linked of Little Richard is the opposite of a relaxed rasp. We used to call that “grind” or “growl” or “gravel”. He is essentially “screaming” on a pitch. He’s hitting the note and then squeezing it harder with more air pressure behind it vocally to cause a controlled scream or growl tone. This is also a high level modern rock singer technique. When placed correctly, it can add flavor to a song and can protect the voice on the high note. Done incorrectly it’s like a blizzard of broken glass in your throat.Here’s a very good explanation of it. She uses a lot of specific terms in her teaching technique, but make sure you understand what she’s doing before trying it.Safely adding “grit” to singing.