What's up with singers these days?

[devilock76]

I have a very simple rule. You can use whatever cheat sheet you want as long as the audience can't see it.

Ken

 

[Muzoid]

I have a very simple rule. You can use whatever cheat sheet you want as long as the audience can't see it.

Ken

So putting it behind the monitor and staring at the floor all night is cool by you?

hahaha....just razzin', nothing more.

 

[Jazzdogg]

Cheat sheets are a minor irritant compared to singers who can't sing a simple melody beautifully and in tune, and cannot sing without a microphone.

I see far too many singers who use attitude, effects, auto-tune, vocal tricks, quirky “arrangements,” and other gimmicks in lieu of basic vocal skills; the fact that many of these same "singers" cannot remember lyrics doesn't surprise me at all.

 

[runmikeyrun]

I forget lyrics sometimes but I scream so I can just fudge it.

Last time I saw a band using a lyric sheet on stage was at a high school talent show.

 

[Kenner]

Bottom line: Only musicians care about a music stand on stage. No one in the audience will notice or care.

I care...(you don't have to)... I can't see smiley audience folk through the stands (or girls)...

and... I play to entertain them..not me...

 

[Kenner]

I forget lyrics sometimes but I scream so I can just fudge it.

Last time I saw a band using a lyric sheet on stage was at a high school talent show.

..and they were awesome, huh?

 

[VWbug]

i have never seen this and if my vocalist tried doing this he would receive a swift judo chop to the jugular...i dont like seeing people have music in front of them either, even in church. You should now your songs and be able to find your spot if you mess up or get lost. it comp-letely takes away from crowd interaction.

Lol..... What?

..."Judo chop to jugular", ...."in church" lol
Love, forgiveness and mercy/ painful death. Lol
Kind of opposite sides of the spectrum don't you think?

I think many worship team folks are better compared to Pit players for shows. Having the music in front of you is ok.

 

[Marko 1]

... bands using lyric sheet/screens. Crowd didn't seem to mind at all.

Bottom line: Only musicians care about a music stand on stage. No one in the audience will notice or care.
...

I've worked with lots of singers over the years that are "on the page". Got some comps to see Pearl Jam last night and noticed Eddie Vedder leaving the stage with his lyric book under his arm. For lot of people charts or lyric sheets are just a security blanket to remind them of the key or the first line. If it prevents flailing I'm totally ok with it.

+1. (sorry, I hope editing the posts didn’t take them out of context)


I’m not a front man, but I sing some, and if it’s something new, I have a little black flat plastic pad that clips to my mic stand, and I have the lyrics on there folded small, with the first couple words to each line highlighted. It just makes me feel better having it there.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Bottom line: Only musicians care about a music stand on stage. No one in the audience will notice or care.

I disagree with this entirely. People come out to see bands because they're expecting to see a show. They want to experience something that you simply can't experience from listening to music via iTunes, the radio, or any other 'passive' medium.

One thing I've noticed from these shows is that the crowd always reacts better to bands who don't have these cheat sheets on stage. I'd venture a guess that that's because the bands that don't use them are always more energetic on stage and often get much more involved with the crowd because they don't have to bury their face in something.

A lot of musicians, I think, mistake most crowds for being nothing more than mindless, drunk idiots who know nothing about music. I think that assumption keeps a lot of otherwise decent bands in the minor leagues because they don't respect the crowd enough to go on stage ready to put on a show and not play jukebox for a few hours.

Of course, this doesn't apply to all bands or players. I'm mostly calling out players who rely on this sort of thing in a simple bar band setting and are playing a lot of standards. I wouldn't expect pit players, church players, or subs to know everything off the top of their head.

 

[jsolberg]

I had trouble remembering lyrics for 40 tunes when I was 25! Now that I'm 57 and playing a 100 song list in a "fools on stools" trio, the lyrics to every song are in front of me on a stand, along with the key of each tune and a few bass notations here and there. It's the only way I can do it, and I'd rather have the cheats than to not play at all.

We get compliments on our tightness all the time, and have never had anyone criticize the use of music stands.

 

[HeadyVan Halen]

Painfully, painfully annoying and un-professional.
Open mic, drink fest, sure.
Getting paid to perform, absolutely no.
No lead sheets, chord charts, fake books, real books, I-pad, laptop...I'll launch a music stand from the stage if I can.
This is not a 10th grade talent show.
Know your sh!t.

 

[awakefie]

I played in a band about 3 years ago the singer used a stand and lyrics sheets all the time. He sang from them regardless of how many times he had sung the song. He still messed up the lyrics. With him I think the music stand shielded him from the audience (he was painfully shy).

I don't think anyone in the audience ever commented on it.

We were not a good band. Cheat sheets were the least of our problems.

Having said that, I notice some bands playing out in Denver using them. I have been criticized by other musicians for not using them, but that is another story...

 

[The Mouse]

I know of quite a few singers that can't do a gig unless they have folders full of notes and lyrics on the stage in front of them. You would think the gig was a business meeting. There'll be powerpoint presentations between tunes next..

I ain't kiddin'..

I would have to say that yes, the audience have both commented on and frowned upon the practice.

 

[Muzoid]

I don't stare at sheets....I stare at chicks.

I even took time to learn to play without looking at my neck....I hate seeing guys stare at it constantly...sure I need to for major position changes, but I do it quick and try to make it unnoticeable....make connections with your audience, make them feel like you are playing to a 1 person audience...trust me, they respond to that bigtime.

That in itself is a good reason to memorize.

I always associate music stands with Orchestras...but sometimes those guys get very little rehearsals...so it's warranted

I remember a quote from a world renowned violinist Pinkus (sp?)

"the song was so hard...we needed a second rehearsal"

...and those who need lyric sheets for songs they wrote.....holy crap!...get a grip....can you even remember your own phone number?

 

[Sonicfrog]

Members of my band Acoustic Highway uses them. But we perform stuff with 3 to 5 part arranged vocal parts, and it's critical to get things right. I don't use em, but I also don't sing as many lead VOX as some of the others do.

That said, I think it depends on the style of music. If you're doing what we do - 60's, 70's folk / rock with harmonies, it's OK. If it's a Van Halen cover band well, there I have a problem... Although David Lee Roth couldn't remember the lyrics half the time and maybe He could have been helped by using a cheat sheet!!!

 

[Marko 1]

I could be wrong, but it seems to me the whole “no music stand” thing is dated- a carryover from years gone by (and probably alien to bar-band musicians because they never even learned how to read music).

Also, these days few gigging jobs pay anything a person can live on, and except for the many delusional musicians, they know it’s just a hobby.

Nowdays to live you’ve got to have a day job, and with families and all, who the hell is gonna bother trying to learn dozens of songs, and I can’t blame them, it’s just not worth it.

And I haven’t developed an opinion on whether or not the audience cares, I happen to KNOW they don’t care from experience and what I’ve seen.

 

[Muzoid]

Imagine if you watched a movie...and the actors we noticeably reading scripts.

On SNL I see them looking at cue cards all the time...and it (personally) ruins the moment for me.

Maybe general audience won't care, but the musicians might.....so why not try to impress all of your audience, instead of just the non-musician ones.

 

[Marko 1]

Ah, the musician…

in the audience.

 

[anonymous122511]

Imagine if you watched a movie...and the actors we noticeably reading scripts.

Something you hear pretty often on set is the actor saying "LINE!" at which point the script supervisor reads the line and the scene continues. If some of these people had to work in real time you would see them looking at a script. Being able to have as many tries as you need is a proven alternative to having yer shyte together.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Something you hear pretty often on set is the actor saying "LINE!" at which point the script supervisor reads the line and the scene continues. If some of these people had to work in real time you would see them looking at a script. Being able to have as many tries as you need is a proven alternative to having yer shyte together.

So let's compare it to something more similar, like stand up comedians.