Backing vocals - how important?

pklima · #1 12-03-2010, 07:37 AM

How important are solid harmony vocals to a pop cover band?

One of my bands right now basically has one singer. She's good and charismatic and all that, but is one really good singer enough? The guitarist can't sing well and because I'm on DB I can do some backing vocals only where I have very simple parts to play (which is quite a bit of the time, as I like having very simple parts to play). We're thinking of adding a fourth person on violin or flute or something, and I'm wondering whether we should make it a point to find someone who can sing some good harmonies too.

Some of the stuff we do doesn't need more than one vocal, like Edith Piaf songs, but I think on a lot of other covers audiences will miss backing vocals much more than they'd miss, say, all the guitar solos. Or maybe I'm just spoiled because in another one of my bands all four of us do vocals?

lousybassplayer · #2 12-03-2010, 07:41 AM

Well, if the songs call for backup vocals, I'd say pretty important. If they do not, then obviously less so.

Dragan · #3 12-03-2010, 07:46 AM

if you're pop band how come you do edith piaff?

anyway - adding a backing vocal(s) - hopefully a good one(s) - will make serious improvements in your' band audio and visual appearance, that's for sure!

Bassdirty · #4 12-03-2010, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lousybassplayer

Well, if the songs call for backup vocals, I'd say pretty important. If they do not, then obviously less so.

+22

lousybassplayer · #5 12-03-2010, 09:48 AM

You really don't want the singer doing his own, like so:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoBBjoyFCWg

jive1 · #6 12-03-2010, 09:56 AM

I consider background vocals important for a cover band. One thing that I have noticed around here is that the bands with strong bookings tend to have multiple vocalists and have harmonies in their arrangements.

elgecko · #7 12-03-2010, 09:58 AM

I once saw a Jimi Hendrix tribute band, 3 piece. For some reason, the bass player and drummer didn't/wouldn't sing. Crosstown Traffic went something like:

You're just like
.............so hard to get through to you
.............I don't want to run over you
.............all you do is slow me down.

I found it annoying to no end!

pklima · #8 12-03-2010, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jive1

One thing that I have noticed around here is that the bands with strong bookings tend to have multiple vocalists and have harmonies in their arrangements.

Yeah, same here. That's what I was thinking starting this thread.

A lot of songs don't require harmony vocals like "Crosstown Traffic" or any Lady Antebellum or Sugarbabes or whatever, but if you're playing poppy stuff then a large chunk of your setlist will have harmony vocals on the original recordings, and sound better with them.

jive1 · #9 12-03-2010, 10:16 AM

I find that background vocalists help cue the audience to sing along. And from a stage presence point of view, there's power when 3 or more members of the band step up to the mic and sing.

plangentmusic · #10 12-03-2010, 10:20 AM

Essential.

elgecko · #11 12-03-2010, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pklima

A lot of songs don't require harmony vocals like "Crosstown Traffic" ...

These guys weren't not singing in harmony...NOBODY was singing "crosstown traffic". It was just dead air!

It's always better to have two qualified singers but if money's involved, you have to decide whether that's worth a smaller slice of pie for everybody else. Also, you have to consider how your current singer might feel about having another dedicated singer brought in. It could cause drama.

essentre · #12 12-03-2010, 10:52 AM

harmonies never hurt anybody.

BAD harmonies are killers.

bluewine · #13 12-03-2010, 10:55 AM

I watch several awesome, new Pop Rock bands on Conan this week. Awesome back ground vocals were key to their apeal.

Back ground vocals are expensive and hard to get.It's hard enough to get a decent lead singer.

Marginal bands usually don't have that level of talent and don't have the ability to recruit it either.

Bottom line most bands need background vocals and don't have them.

mpm32 · #14 12-03-2010, 10:55 AM

Get her a Boss VE-20 and learn to use it well.

Set up some user settings, with doubling, tripples and both with harmonies.

I use it and it works pretty well.

I did notice initially that the presets are very wet with reverb, you need to dial that back to almost nothing to get the effects will sound good.

HeadyVan Halen · #15 12-03-2010, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elgecko

I once saw a Jimi Hendrix tribute band, 3 piece. For some reason, the bass player and drummer didn't/wouldn't sing. Crosstown Traffic went something like:

You're just like
.............so hard to get through to you
.............I don't want to run over you
.............all you do is slow me down.

I found it annoying to no end!

NO they didn't!!!!!

Please tell me no.

If your gonna cover the greats, it HAS to be done right.
Back on topic, no backing vocals is better than bad backing vocals. If your gonna have them, make sure everyone sings THEIR part and nothing else.

Marley's Ghost · #16 12-03-2010, 11:47 AM

For a cover band playing rock/funk/R&B/country strong backing vocals are essential for most songs IME. We spend about 20% of rehearsal time with new material ensuring that harmonies are tight.

TheVoiceless · #17 12-03-2010, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jive1

I consider background vocals important for a cover band. One thing that I have noticed around here is that the bands with strong bookings tend to have multiple vocalists and have harmonies in their arrangements.

Yes, it really adds another dimension. Depending on the style of group I would hire a backup/second singer even if that's all they did.

pklima · #18 12-03-2010, 03:28 PM

Funny how even a lot of songs about being lonely sound better with more than one person singing them...

LiquidMidnight · #19 12-03-2010, 03:50 PM

Good backing vocals separate the pedestrian bar bands from the pros. I've actually been contemplating taken vocal lessons just to improve my harmony abilities.

I cringed when I read about the Crosstown Traffic cover, perhaps because I've seen bands do covers with integral backing vocals who don't do them.

Sparkdog · #20 12-03-2010, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpm32

Get her a Boss VE-20 and learn to use it well.

Set up some user settings, with doubling, tripples and both with harmonies.

I use it and it works pretty well.

I did notice initially that the presets are very wet with reverb, you need to dial that back to almost nothing to get the effects will sound good.

Don't you have to run a guitar or keyboard through the box as well as the vocal you're harmonizing to? I have yet to find one of these units that doesn't need the 3rd and 5th from a chord to generate harmonies...I would buy a unit that DIDN'T need that in a heartbeat.

I will endorse what others have already posted regarding backing vocals and second singers - It makes a huge difference in the booking potential for bands. It also makes the band much more interesting to an audience IME. Even if the singer is great, do you really want to hear the same guy/girl sing a whole show's worth of tunes?

From my own perspective as a bassist who sings lead and backing vocals, I get WAY more calls for sideman gigs than a couple of my buddies who are Berklee grads and can play circles around me! They give me a lot of crap about it, but to a bandleader, if he can get one guy to do two jobs for the same money...you get the point.