What to do when your lead singer complains

[Lava]

Are there any similar tunes that you can have him listen to that can give him a better idea of how to make his vocals work over your "difficult to sing over" bass lines. This might help. Or compromise with him and see what the simplified bass lines sound like. Unless it's a solo project, then it's all you man.

 

[obimark]

Hey guys,
I am new to the forum, but i have some questions and maybe others have the same.
I joined two guys who wanted to start a ska punk band, one is a drummer the other one is a singer with no band experience.
after making some songs we found a keyboard player and we where ready to gig and such, after the first gig we got a guitar player joining us. the new guys really get the feel and ideas we want to get trough. They follow my fills and ask a lot what to do.
But now, the singer is saying that my bass lines are to difficult to sing on, also he said that it is unfair for the other members. I wrote the music and instructed the new guys so they can play along and i do give them space to have a certain lead/percussive role. What can i do/say?


for a little bit of background information, he likes the new generation party ska punk and pop country whereas i listen to older generations rocksteady ska & 2tone. Also he is a virgin and i get all the chicks, is that a factor?

So you are the bandleader who will book the gigs, writes the music and pay your members. He is a hired gun, bringing nothing but his limited singing ability to the table.
In this case, find a new singer who will work for what you are paying. If that pay is nothing you MAY have a problem.

 

[Rabidhamster]

Did you drink the singers Zima?

 

[shadven]

Ignore. You could steer him towards examples of songs that contradict his opinion..... the dumbass noobie.

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

some of that ska punk stuff has fantastic bass lines!
you should be all over that stuff, and tell him the band needs to practice more so he can comfortable with it.
you can also tell him he is welcome to write a song and present it the band that he feels is easier to sing.

 

[Nevada Pete]

Well, to be fair, I haven't heard the guy sing and I haven't heard the music he's working with. But I've been a singer for a long time, and I've worked with a lot of other singers, and there are basically two types. There are people who can hear what needs to be done and people who can't. The ones who can't sometimes get by because they can parrot a melody, but they aren't able to hear a harmony and they aren't able to construct anything harmonious around a set of chord changes. On the other hand, if the music itself is really bad, it could just be hard to work with. But I'll assume for the benefit of the OP that this isn't the case.

I'm going on the basis that the singer is "inexperienced" according to the OP. Just exactly what this means, though, is unclear. Ordinarily, I prescribe a voice coach if somebody wants to sing. To get started, anyway. There are always exceptions, of course, and some very highly paid ones. But ordinarily, it takes a lot of work to develop your voice, and like a professional athlete, coaching is essential. I wonder, has the OP's "singer" actually worked with a voice coach? Or did they just "decide" they were going to be a singer in a band? Exceptions noted, FWIW, I am just skeptical of anyone who claims to be a vocalist yet hasn't formerly worked with a voice coach and / or studied voice. Just my opinion. I'm always happy to be proven wrong when I hear somebody who can actually sing, no matter how they went about learning how!

 

[thetragichero]

just keep playing the baseline to "Lincoln highway dub" over and over and over until he stops talking

 

[4001]

Play instrumental music.

 

[Bubble]

OR how about holding a vacuum hose end to one ear and complain into the other end ?

 

[Groove Doctor]

Sounds like the singer has a crappy ear for music. A good singer can weave a melody around anything.

Could be as simple as he wants more guitar in his mix to pitch himself off. Many singers are like this.

 

[ForestFriend]

Sounds like you've got 4 players who want to go in one direction, and a singer who wants to go in a different direction - unless you want to compromise, sounds like you might want to part ways.

Another thing you might consider is make some rough recordings without the bass, or perhaps a simplified bass line - then the singer can figure out what to sing over that and hopefully he'll be able to follow along once you're playing the part you've written (assuming this is one of those bands where the singer is responsible for writing all of their vocal melodies - if you've written melodies already, he just needs get good). Maybe you'll have to adjust your part to fit the new vocals when they're in... you are playing to serve the song, right? Unless it's your bass shredding that gets you all the girls (I mean, that should be your highest priority).

 

[Ellery]

This guy likes punk AND country? Sounds like he's confused. Default action: fire the drummer.

 

[Pork_Chop]

What do I do when the singer complains? I tell them they're pitchy.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hey guys,
I am new to the forum, but i have some questions and maybe others have the same.
I joined two guys who wanted to start a ska punk band, one is a drummer the other one is a singer with no band experience.
after making some songs we found a keyboard player and we where ready to gig and such, after the first gig we got a guitar player joining us. the new guys really get the feel and ideas we want to get trough. They follow my fills and ask a lot what to do.
But now, the singer is saying that my bass lines are to difficult to sing on, also he said that it is unfair for the other members. I wrote the music and instructed the new guys so they can play along and i do give them space to have a certain lead/percussive role. What can i do/say?


for a little bit of background information, he likes the new generation party ska punk and pop country whereas i listen to older generations rocksteady ska & 2tone. Also he is a virgin and i get all the chicks, is that a factor?

I’ll answer your question with a question. When do singers NOT complain? The answer is recording. A recording is worth a thousand words. It could be this guy is not the guy for this project. Of course it could be your bass work as well, but listening to the recording together and respectfully discussing it afterwards will go a long way.

 

[denhou1974]

Hey guys,
I am new to the forum, but i have some questions and maybe others have the same.
I joined two guys who wanted to start a ska punk band, one is a drummer the other one is a singer with no band experience.
after making some songs we found a keyboard player and we where ready to gig and such, after the first gig we got a guitar player joining us. the new guys really get the feel and ideas we want to get trough. They follow my fills and ask a lot what to do.
But now, the singer is saying that my bass lines are to difficult to sing on, also he said that it is unfair for the other members. I wrote the music and instructed the new guys so they can play along and i do give them space to have a certain lead/percussive role. What can i do/say?


for a little bit of background information, he likes the new generation party ska punk and pop country whereas i listen to older generations rocksteady ska & 2tone. Also he is a virgin and i get all the chicks, is that a factor?

Well you [we] play bass so I believe you.

 

[lat]

It gets the hose again.