Singers who don't play an instrument?

[Gaius46]

A competent professional singer does play an instrument- their voice. But sadly, I have met only a few pro-competent singers in my life. The rest (including me) were just people who liked to sing and thought it would be neat to sing onstage, which is not enough in a pro context.

sorry. you made the same point. I really should read the entire thread before answering......

 

[tZer]

The singer in my band doesn't play anything. He just sings. His instrument is his voice. There was a bit of internal band strife when we hired him for this very reason, but I much prefer an awesome singer that doesn't play an instrument over an awesome guitar player that has a mediocre voice. (For lead singer material.)

DING! I agree 100%.

I find the line of logic that insists a singer also play an instrument is 100% economic and has nothing to do with putting on a great show or making great music.

Bands trying to minimize head-count and maximize profit. And that's legit - but it's got nothing to do with making good music or putting on a great show.

I have been playing with the same lead singer for about 6 years now and he and I are trying to assemble a band to do some covers and have some fun. I am constantly amazed at how everyone we meet wants him to 'do more' - as if singing at a very high level all night long and upholding the responsibility of being the focal point, charisma and personality of the band is not enough.

A guitar player/singer friend of mine does both VERY well. He has an amazing voice and can play anything - and because of this, he does both in his projects. Thing is - when you watch him, he is mostly expressionless - puts little to no emotion into his performance on either front. Yes, he sounds GREAT on both fronts, but his show is all but non-existent. It's not that he's struggling - it's just that in spite of the fact that he can do both roles very well, he's not a frontman and in my opinion, makes the band just look like a band who is collecting a paycheck - not putting on a show.

Not my cup 'o meat. Give me a charismatic frontman with a great voice any day over a 'jack of all trades' utility player.

 

[spewing]

How about the one's who think they're learning guitar but just blow through power chords and don't know anything about music. Everything is about tempo and timbre...so when the beat changes that's a tempo change. Notes are things they leave to tell you they're "thinking about" getting an instructor. If you're gonna expect people to listen to you you better know your **** IMO, lazy people man.

rofl

noted

 

[charlie monroe]

I agree to a certain extent, but look what happened to the Tragically Hip after they taught Gordie to play guitar.

Be careful what you wish for.

 

[carlthegroover]

The way I see it, humbly, is that one of a singer's priorities should be to at least be mildly proficient in a piano or keyboard. The scales, visually, are easier to remember than, say, a guitar's or a bass's. He or she should know at least the basic of theory, and of course, know how each note sounds. Ergo, a piano/ keyboard would inmensely help in that regard.

Besides, if a singer wants to be considered a pro musician, why wouldn't he/she learn an instrument, even if not on a mastery level? Ok, vocals can be tough to master, but I guess diversity in this world is the name of the game.

 

[lowfreq33]

IME singers who play an instrument, even if it's just at home as a hobby, tend to be much easier to work with. They just seem to respect the instrumentalists a little more.

 

[kraigo]

I suppose I'd prefer they could play an instrument, but in the end a good front person is hard to find. If someone can sing well and keep a crowd going I'm happy to work with them regardless. "Front Person Charisma" can not be taught and is a lot harder to find than a guitarist, bassist, drummer or keyboard player.

KO

 

[carlthegroover]

Also, I agree with some that the singer shouldn't play an instrument while performing, IMHO. For instance, my singer is good, but needs to hone his vocal skills a bit. When he tries to play rhythm guitar and sing, he becomes sloppier. And I'm happier when it is just three instrumentalist and him as vocals. But I do like the fact that he knows how to play basic guitar chords and scales. That's good for him AND for the band.

 

[spewing]

lmfao @ the replies since i bumped this thread

songwriting has next to nothing to do with musical proficiency or knowledge

how hard is that to understand?

gauging by some of the replies sum of you will never have the capacity to understand that - youse seemingly can't even understand yr mother tongue:

... song writing is crucial...

... it's more or less for his songwriting...

... our true fear is... [he] can't write new material.

sorry

just sounding it out exactly how it feels

 

[Biggbass]

One word:


Sinatra

 

[klokker]

A singer who couldn't play an instrument wouldn't work in our band. We pass our vocals around, although our drummer is the main singer.

They wouldn't have anything to do half the time. Plus, we'd all get less pay.

 

[lmfreeman9]

A pro singer who can front a band is a rare commodity.
If you find a good one, don't be picky.

 

[jaywa]

Depends on how adept the singer is on the instrument(s).

If his/her chops on guitar, keys or whatever aren't up to the rest of the musicians' then it's better that he/she not play. At that point it's just sonic clutter and more of a distraction than an asset.

Believe me, if your lead singer has that "special something" to work the crowd and keep them engaged, that will carry your band a lot farther than another instrument in the mix.

 

[XtheDeadPawn]

I must be shallow I just see singers who don't play instruments as just wastes of space on stage.

Thats why whenever we sing covers I still have my bass on eventhough our 2nd guitarist is playing bass for those songs. I just see those vocalists as douches.


BEFORE anyone says anything about Slipknot or Corey Taylor he does play guitar in his other band Stone Sour.

 

[RexNFX79]

I'm not a fan and find that many of them are just dudes who have been told that they can sing and even if that's true, in my experience, they tend to have little in the way of musical equipment and have been very little help when it comes time to set up ect. My experiences with these types have been negative but that doesn't mean that they are all bad. I always thought it was funny to meet a guy who touts himself as a singer but doesn't even own a mic. That's like me saying, "oh yeah, I'm a bass player but I don't have any basses". I guess that is kind of the root of my experiences, they guys I've dealt with tend to bring little to the table.....

 

[spewing]

fmd

can any of u lot pinpoint the motiff of this thread

u seem to mostly be talking about yrselves

 

[lowfreq33]

lmfao @ the replies since i bumped this thread

songwriting has next to nothing to do with musical proficiency or knowledge

Um... Yes, it does. The more you know about music theory the more options you have available. Sure, there have been great songs written by people with little to no musical knowledge, but imagine what they could have done if they had half a clue?

 

[MarkA]

Spewing? Aptly named.
Your frustration
At not finding validation
Is evident
And I feel your pain.

I started to type something longer in a spirit of charitable dialogue, but I figure I'll make my effort commensurate with your manners and YOUR effort to actually say or accomplish anything constructive. Try harder to do better and I'll do the same.
-Mark

 

[spewing]

k

i just went down the beach an the surf is closing out

i couldnt help but chuckle at the monkeys still calling "mine" for a wave

despite the misleading title, the intent of the thread starter was clearly centred around songwriting

but you lot keep searching for the rose

dont spew when it sticks you

hth

 

[JohnMCA72]

There's a lot more to singing than just singing.

It can be useful sometimes (but not essential) to have a singer "play" an instrument, even if it's basically only a prop.