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02-07-2009, 11:46 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: NZ | | | Any advice?
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So here's the situation:
About halfway through last year my friend (a drummer) and I started jamming with a guitarist I had met at uni. We were all keen to start a band so all we needed was a singer. The drummer met someone about 4 months ago and we took him onboard as a singer since he seemed eager, although he wasn't the best singer.
Since then we have about 7 song covers, all of which could use some work, however I'm getting frustrated with our singer because at the moment he doesn't seem to be very committed to the band as us 3 are. Sure, he wants to be in a band and he is a really nice guy, but this is what gets to me....
Last week we said we'd try to learn 2-3 covers for the next practice which was today, however the singer didn't learn any of them, saying...ohh no one sent me the songs...so we ended up just practicing a song we had already done before. I'm thinking of finishing playing with the band. Am I just too impatient + emotional, or is this reasonable? Is 7 covers in around 3 months good progress? Any advice would be well appreciated since this is my first band. |
02-07-2009, 11:48 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: NZ | | | Oh BTW, in addition to our singer not learning any of the songs planned, he brought some lyrics to a song he thought we could cover to the practice...one we had never even learned. |
02-07-2009, 11:59 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: South Boston Va. | | | i just started my first cover band and we have learned 12 songs in one month. everyone practices at home during the week and on the weekend we practice as a group. so far so good. just my personal experence, might help i don't know. |
02-08-2009, 12:25 AM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Karl Hoyt Basses | | Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: upstate NY | | | it's your first stab at it, so don't get discouraged too easily. Take the reigns if you have to, and just try to make everyone commit to being on the same page with the set list. Don't shoot the singer down for bringing material, but instead try to be proactive and learn the tune for him at the next rehearsal. Singing is the hardest job in the band, and not every one can do it, even if they have a good voice.
As a result they are ALWAYS nuts.
Good luck!
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02-08-2009, 07:09 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Halifax, NS, Canada | | Quote:
Originally Posted by bigfatbass  Singing is the hardest job in the band, | No. |
02-08-2009, 08:49 AM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by simmering_flow Last week we said we'd try to learn 2-3 covers for the next practice which was today, | At the risk of sounding Yoda'ish... Don't agree to try, agree to DO.
You all said you'd try 2-3 songs. You to a greater or lesser extent did try. Some of you tried harder and sucseeded - others didn't try so hard, and did't complete any. However technically you all did what was agreed, so giving him a hard time is a little unreasonable (even if he's not really pulling his weight).
Next time agree 1 song WILL be done for next time. No "try and learn". Agree to do it. Then if he doesn't do it you can ask him why it's not done when he said it would be.
Sure 1 song a week is slow, but better to do that than not do three. |
02-08-2009, 09:12 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Halifax, NS, Canada | | Quote:
Originally Posted by IanStephenson Sure 1 song a week is slow, but better to do that than not do three. | Good advice.
1 a week slow? Depends. This band has 4 months in & 7 songs down; 1 a week is doubling the current speed. |
02-08-2009, 06:17 PM
|  | Registered User
Endorsing: JH Audio IEMs | | Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Dallas, Texas | | | It's also a good idea to bring a CD for each band member with the songs you are to be learning for next time so that there's no excuse for a player not having the songs.
For what it's worth, in my opinion casual players should be able to learn the basics of 3 songs in a week, no problem. |
02-09-2009, 09:04 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Seattle | | Quote: |
...although he wasn't the best singer....he doesn't seem to be very committed to the band as us 3 are....
| hmmm....maybe you should find someone else, or at least get your singer to step up (and take lessons.) Many younger musicians are just relived to have somebody else doing the singing, so they can focus on their own parts and don't give things an honest listen. I know I felt this way starting out. But now days I feel that skimping on the vocals is the worst mistake a band can make. Weather on not its the hardest job in the band (and I think it is) the fact is that your band will fly or flop on the appeal of the singer, for the vast majority of a general audience.
Vocals are deceptive: not nearly as easy as we tend to imagine. Seek somebody who is practicing, taking lessons, and investing the same amount of effort and passion into their singing as you do in your bass playing.
generally speaking, If your vocals suck, your band sucks. |
02-10-2009, 12:12 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: NZ | | | thanks for the advice guys. We had a meeting recently (without the singer) and we decided that we were gonna stick with him and let things be for now. I also think us 3 were taking it too seriously, because we soon discovered that our guitarist will most probably be leaving at the end of the year for study reasons...so we're just gonna go with the flow for now, take it quite casually. | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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