How to convice band member to get rid of a terrible singer?

It sounds like the problem is that they're trying to tip-toe around him and don't want to make an enemy of him. Convince them that he's not pulling his weight, and in turn, you're all going nowhere. When you do fire him, try and convince him that this is not fueled by any personal issues, and is not a judgement of him as a person.

 

Confront the bad singer, not the band. Tell him he sucks, tactfully, and that his services will no longer be of use to the band.

 

be honest

And by honest i mean straight up tell'em "YOU SUCK MAN!"

 

I agree be honest don't beat around the bush. Tell him he's a good friend but singing is just not his thing.

 

Do you have another (better) singer to take his place?

That might be the place to start, then it’d be easier to get the band to go ahead with the switch.

 

Record your performances / rehearsals. Then sit together as a group to listen and critique where you need work. If his commitment doesn't increase, well... you know the answer

 

Problemo numero uno in a Band environment is not what's being said but usually what is not said.

If you don't discuss how well (or how poor) anyone is doing then there will be no improvement.

You can choose to spare your singer's feelings OR you can give him some constructive critisicm and hope he takes the ball and runs with it.

At one point my bandmates told me I wasn't up to par. I did not take it well and raised the fences but you know what ? They we're right, I really wasn't practicing enough between rehearsals and gigs.

So I did practice some more and got better. Learned new stuff in the process. The band sounds better, I feel good because I perform well during rehearsals and gigs. Because of that my mood is better, which in turn, influences the bands mood.

Multiply this by the number of band mates and you get an important equation. If everybody takes in constructive comments and uses them to improve their individual performances then the band will continuously sound better and band chemistry will improve.

If some of the band members don't get it and retrench in an Ego boosted sulking session, then the band will suck.

No choice but to step forward.

 

+1
I was a singer in a hard rock band back in my early 20's. I had never sung in a band before (or anywhere for that matter), yet, my friend in the band convinced me to audition and they liked me. We played around for about a year before it fell apart. The fact is, I wasn't very good, but no one wanted to tell me. A combination of having no training and rehearsing out of a 212 guitar amp (I could never hear myself) led to a lot of talk behind my back about how I was bringing the band down. The band split into two camps within a week of me even knowing anything was wrong. Probably the worst experience in a band in my life.

Point is, you gotta confront the singer and stop having meetings about him, without him. Even if he's kind of a dick to talk to, you have to lay it out there. My friend who got me to audition in the first place is the guy who got the bassist to quit with him and it all just seemed really sh***y to me. So if this guy is your friend and you want to keep it that way then you owe it to him.

 

If the singer isn't good, the band isn't going to go anywhere. About 99% of the people in an average crowd are going to be paying attention to the vocalist, not the band.

You guys need to talk to him. Explain that you like him as a friend, but he absolutely has to improve if the band is going to move forward. Having a recording would help with this as well.

 

Time to video a show and let the.band watch. If that doesn't sink in and there is no action taken to move.on from a singer who.apparently is utterly.holding the band back, then it isn't the bad singer holding the band back, it's the band that won't do anything to remedy a bad situation and you may need to move on.

You can lead a horse to water...

 

After being embarrassed many times by the grossly out of tune vocals by our lead guitar player, I told the leader "either he goes, or I go". Embarrassment sucks!

 

Hate to say it, but this says that the only way you're gonna put some distance between yourself and the singer is to quit. Or at least threaten to quit. And they may just replace you. The other guys just don't see it the way you do.