Singer Rant

You wouldn't believe how much time was wasted picking up material for the singer in my last group, that she would just ditch after we gigged the tune once or twice. They were good songs too. Also, unless SHE wanted to do the song, no one had any say in what new material was picked up but her. I wouldn't mind it if she took on the music director role, but she just wanted to sit on the sidelines while we worked out the whole arrangement ourselves. Then, as i said, 75% of it gets dropped and never played again.

I'm lucky to currently be in a group with a pretty pro singer that is always prepared, and makes a commitment and sticks to it. A dream to work with and just makes it easy for everyone else.

 

When i was a young singer, there were some items that contributed to being less than adequate
Inexperience No 1
insecurity
Selfishness
no empathy
I could sing better back then cause i was younger -but didnt really know how and never knew how to warm up. Probably still dont perfectly.
Anyhow, playing bass made me a better singer

 

Good singers are very hard to come by. Took a good minute for my band to find some decent singers. Our female singer is very good and is really cool about learning new songs. The male singer is a handful. His voice is halfway shot. He can't sing anything in upper baritone and his personality is hyper. Mic technique needs refining (he's constantly yelling in the mic instead of using natural voice). He's got good stage presence and he's all we have at the moment. I do feel if the band is going to progress, he's gonna have to be replaced at some point. He's got other issues.

 

In terms of personal issues, I don't find vocalists to be any different than other musicians. I have known guitarists, bassist, drummers, horn players, etc. that fail to learn the material, help with load-in/load out, use charts, etc. Anyone can be finicky about the material, not just vocalists. I find that I prefer singers that also play an instrument, because they tend to have a better understanding of music theory and musicianship.

Where vocalists differ is that their voice is their instrument, and it's the only one they will have. Their timbre and range will affect the songs covered, and often there's not much you can do to change it. I can always use a different instrument to get different ranges and timbres, but not so with a voice. I can play 95% of pop songs on the bass and I'm not a spectacular bassist. It would take a spectacular, once in a lifetime vocalist to cover the amount of material that an average bass player can do.

Range is important to keep in mind, because it's often the limiting factor. Even though a voice is unparalleled in phrasing, it's one of the worst in range. Even the cheapest Casio keyboard has more range than the most talented of singers. In terms of range, some very talented folks are like a guitar with 4 octaves of range. Others are like 1 string basses with only 7 frets. I have a 2 octave range with falsetto, which means that I only have 24 notes to choose from, with about 12 that are right in my wheelhouse, about 6-8 that are just OK, and 4-6 in pitch but poor in timbre. On my 4 string bass, I have 36 good sounding notes to choose from. And like any instrument, the key you choose limits the notes you can use and limit the range. F# is the key that I get 2 octaves from. If the key is moved to A, then I lose my 3 lowest notes and there's 3 notes in the 2nd octave I can't hit. So in that key, I only have 18 notes to choose from. Even a move of 1 step can make a difference. If a song was moved from F# to G, I would technically lose 2 notes, but in practical sense I would lose more. By losing the 2nd octave, my top note becomes the Maj7 which is commonly a passing tone. I can't resolve to the 2nd octave, so I'll have to drop to the 1st octave or fifth, which would alter the melody. If there's a passage that goes 6,7,Octave, in F# I can hit it at the 2nd octave. But, if it's in G, I'll have to drop it an octave down because I can't hit the higher G like I can the higher F#. But, it doesn't mean that I like all songs in F#. Some songs, I'll prefer in a different key because I can keep most of my wheelhouse notes throughout the song.

The other thing is timbre. Some singers are like violins; they have beautiful voices, but don't fit in every genre of music. Some are like theremins; weird and trippy but suitable in certain situations. A select few are like synths that can produce a variety of tones. And like instruments, timbre will affect what you can play. You can play Yakety Sax with a trombone or a banjo, but it will take on a different vibe than it would with a sax. You can play Metallica solos with a flute or oboe, but it would sit in the mix differently than a distorted guitar. I could nail the notes and phrasing of a Sam Smith or Barry White song with enough practice in a key that works for me, but it's not physically possible for my voice to sound anything like either one of them.

 

+1 I have had many similar encounters and even worse. I am a singer as well but usually keep a low profile about it and stick to harmonies. If the lead singer syndrome gets real bad, I sometimes have to step up and put things back in perspective by showing them that I can sing just as good as they can....and play an instrument They usually settle down.

 

I don't understand why singers think they are all that necessary. Most jazz without vocals is better (IMO) anyway since it means the instrumentalists have more freedom. Meh...singers.... who needs em? I have never been happier than I am playing in a trio with no vocals or guitars.

 

a GOOD lead singer who also is easy to work with is like a unicorn - hard to find.

 

I recognize everything said here. Still I do understand that lead singing is different from being a bassist. If I don't like a specific song or style I can still play it and anticipate the next song that I'm going to enjoy more.

I've worked with many singers and even the most flexible had songs they just couldn't do. Not because they were technically unable, but because it was too 'unfitting' for them or their voice. The trick is to understand when it's just diva behaviour and when it's honest discomfort.
But I think it's unfair to expect the same flexibility from singers as you expect from the rest of the band. They are the ones that have to step to the front and the audience is watching them first. I understand how that requires more confidence then I need for standing in the back with my bass.

 

Keeping it simple - singing is like tuning your bass, it's mainly muscle control/muscle memory both in tightening and loosening your vocal chords for each and every note for pitch but also your chest for breath control for timbre, attack, vibrato ect. When a vocalist hits a note they're going on muscle memory of how much to tighten they're vocal chords to hit that particular note.

Every singer will have areas of their range that are comfortable and some that aren't, and also their voice "muscle" is use to and comfortable moving between the note intervals they've worked with and practiced
and have muscle memory for. Give them a different interval they've never done or even sometimes one they have done but in a different key and it's anything from uncomfortable to actually hurting until they get it dialled in.

Doesn't mean they shouldn't try and push themselves to improve : )

Maurie.

 

when singers are being conceived the Almighty adds 1 drop Essence of Control Freak and 2 drops of Loopy to the mix.

 

No I don't understand that either. Did you ask what's going on? Because having a band prepare songs that you choose for you and then refuse to sing them (if that's what happened) is not normal behaviour, even for singers.

 

Pau it sounds like you might be better suited finding a true professional for this particular project. Possibly a trained vocalist/musician that has similar expectations as you do with respect to the business end. That might require higher pay.

What you've described in the leads you've gotten for vocalists seems like par for the course, specifically for us weekend warrior types. @jive1 explained it perfectly with respect to how inflexible singers can be due to their instrument. It's also been my experience that musicians who have been doing pop/rock cover stuff for a long time have a very limited skill set. They might be fantastic at what they do, but unwilling to step outside of their comfort zone. I find this to be especially true with singers, again for the reasons jive1 mentioned.

You might have a steep hill to climb finding the right fit, with the right attitude.

 

A lot of Divas out there....

 

I'm glad you set out the expectations in that way. As a pro singer, I understand where yours is coming from, but she had to come to grips with the fact that it is business.

I'm sure she's concerned about putting her best foot forward and the band putting the best feet forward--it isn't always (or even often) for selfish reasons.

 

Vocalists/front-persons tend to be tough:

1. By their very nature, they tend to have egos.
2. Sometimes they are not "musicians" and have not gone through what other musicians have in dealing with groups of people.
3. They don't understand that most musicians look at gigs as playing for free, getting paid to haul their gear. They think if they show up with their microphone, it is the same thing as a drummer showing up with a car filled with their kit.

Nature of the beast. Explain to them that they are members of the band, and are treated that way.

 

I think we're agreeing, you're just putting it into a long form. What a lot of us here are trying to say nicely is that lead singers (especially weekend warriors) turn out to be flakes quite often. Flakes with egos. There's a reason they can't keep a gig. All of the cockamamie behavior you've experienced with them probably has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with them being flakey, egotistical, etc.

The times I've learned a bunch of material, then showed up for a rehearsal where the BL decides to scrap the plan for whatever is going on his head that day.....well those dudes always turn out to be head cases - 100% of the time.

That is why I suggested that maybe you target real professionals, given the business like approach you take. You provide the set material, let them pick what keys work for them, and then pick a date for them to audition.