"I have the hardest job!"

ericw · #1 05-10-2010, 07:34 AM

So the cover band had a gig saturday night and the singer (as usual) didn't know the words - she was making them up and/or looking off cheat sheets on the floor. She was catching some flak over this from the drummer and responded that it was only her second gig (although we've been playing together since the fall) and that she "has the hardest job here!".... ???

funk generator · #2 05-10-2010, 07:46 AM

singing can be a difficult job depending on what your singing. Im primarily a singer, and it can get tought but i wouldnt say its the hardest job at all. Sounds to me like her problem is a severe lack of caring

ericw · #3 05-10-2010, 07:51 AM

Yeh the songs are classic rock and recent country with some oddballs thrown in - lots of creedence, some pretenders, keith urban, miranda lambert, stray cats, doobie brothers, things like that...

Blake Bass · #4 05-10-2010, 07:54 AM

Depends on the gig who has the hardest job.

Do a jazz gig with a singer who has no charts and calls every tune in a non standard key..and calls 90% of tunes that you have never heard of. That's a hard gig!

aledeville · #5 05-10-2010, 07:54 AM

Not the hardest part in the meaning of difficulty, but the hardest because when you're singing you're the frontman, you're the one that is responsible for the performance of the whole band. Most people only can judge on the singing part...

He/she sings good, ergo it's a good band

Can be tough though.

PSPookie · #6 05-10-2010, 08:03 AM

It's hard to say. I can't do what the other two guys in the band do. Then again, they probably can't do what I do.

If she's just singing and not playing an instrument then there's no excuse. I'm sure you're expected to know your parts.

Yango · #7 05-10-2010, 08:29 AM

It sounds like things are off to a bad start. If you guys don't get things sorted out, you'll either be looking at getting a new singer or a new drummer... possibly both.

Not that I want to be a black cloud or anything, but if you're already scrapping on your second gig... not good.

ghoulbug · #8 05-10-2010, 08:32 AM

Absolutely love that fact that guitars didn't get a single vote haha.

Voted singer, btw. I can't sing for **** so anyone who can is a goddamn genius.

capnsandwich · #9 05-10-2010, 08:40 AM

I thought the drummer usually has it the hardest since he has to set up and break down his entire kit every gig. However, just this past Saturday I was downstairs in the rehearsal room playing my 38 lb. GK MB212, when I heard all this huffing and puffing. Then I saw the lead guitarist lugging a small 150 watt Fender Vibrolux that weighed somewhere around 100 lbs. Then I thought to myself, "Thank God for class D amplification and neo speakers!"

Qvist · #10 05-10-2010, 08:45 AM

I'd say being the singer is difficult, but that's often because the singer also is the frontman/frontwoman. It's not easy to tame a crowd, not everyone can do it.

FunkMetalBass · #11 05-10-2010, 09:30 AM

Singer.
1) You have to be personable and know exactly how to communicate with the crowd.
2) You have to be able to sing AND move around for an hour or more at a time.
3) You can't tune your voice, so you have to rely on your ear and the sound guy's ability to pump audible vocals through the monitors.

I've played bass, guitar, and done vocals on stage. Vocals are by far the hardest. I'd need to work some serious cardio before I ever attempted to be a lead vocalist for any band.

led3 · #12 05-10-2010, 09:46 AM

If being a singer is the most difficult part of being in a band, doesn't that mean that practice and preparation (reviewing and learning lyrics) are even more important?! In my band, each of us plays our own instrument as well as singing lead and backup vocals as appropriate.

anyway, it sounds like you have a bad frontwoman (not necessarily a bad singer). i've played with lead vocalists who could sing well, but it would never translate to the audience because he couldn't (or wouldn't) properly engage the audience. walking around drinking your water while not looking at the audience is not stage presence.

Steve · #13 05-10-2010, 10:03 AM

Whoever does the booking has the hardest job by far.

Haysoochreesto · #14 05-10-2010, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve

Whoever does the booking has the hardest job by far.

I was gonna say... the amount of work one has to do to produce a decent onstage product takes place not onstage, but off of it. Rehearsal, preparation for rehearsal, and networking ability to be able to book gigs in the first place are "hard" and important.

In terms of musical difficulty, some players have it easier than others depending on the song.

In terms of a singer who says she has the hardest job in the band but doesn't bother to learn the lyrics? Righty-oh! Sing me a song you're a singer.

Kromwarp · #15 05-10-2010, 10:50 AM

Lead Guitar player. With everybody else holding down the main groove, you have to know what will complement it best, which isnt always easy

funk generator · #16 05-10-2010, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qvist

I'd say being the singer is difficult, but that's often because the singer also is the frontman/frontwoman. It's not easy to tame a crowd, not everyone can do it.

Thats a good point. I guess im so used to it i never really think of it any more haha.

rutty24 · #17 05-10-2010, 11:42 AM

i voted for everything because everyone in the band has their own job because thats what they do, hell if as a bass player i have to sing thats fairly hard, and our singer can't play drums, and our drummer sure can't play guitar, and the guitarist sure can't.... o wait they can play bass

the hardest job is the one you can't do and you probably shouldn't be in a band if you can't do your job. but hey thats just my opinion.

derrico1 · #18 05-10-2010, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericw

She. . .responded . . .that she "has the hardest job here!"

Singing is just like all the other musical roles in the band: it's only hard when you've under-prepared.

megadan · #19 05-10-2010, 01:11 PM

Singer, are you kidding me? Easiest job by far.

I say drummer. The most physical work. The singer just stands there.

electracoyote · #20 05-10-2010, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by megadan

Singer, are you kidding me? Easiest job by far.

I say drummer. The most physical work. The singer just stands there.

+1 to drummer.

And not just because of the physical nature of the job, the amount of gear, etc.

EVERYONE hears the drummer, and he has a very hard time covering his mistakes. When the drummer muffs it, the whole room knows. If the drummer can't control his tempo and dynamics, the whole room knows.

Everyone else can hide their mistakes or play through them with few people realizing. Singers can fake lyrics, guitars, keys, and basses can get back on track in a heartbeat undetected, but the drummer gets busted every time.

And this is why truly good drummers are so hard to find.