Drumming AND singing??

[Almuric]

How many of you sing in your bands? Lead or back-up?

I never used to sing because it was so confusing to me to drum and sing at the same time. I've only started seriously approacing this recently. I’ve been doing it more and more and its getting comfortable. Now I find myself looking forward to figuring out the harmonies as much as the drum parts (well, almost as much). It is a bit more work but damn, its fun to add to the musicianship of the band! I used to think I didn’t need to be at the vocal rehearsals or if I couldn’t make it to practice the rest of the guys could work out the vocals. Now I can’t think like that. Every practice is a vocal practice! YIKES!

I pay much more attention to the vocals now, and I have more respect for singers, too. I used to joke, "I get paid more to not sing." Now I even have a folder of lyrics printed from the web with my back-up parts highlighted. Whats happening to me?!! lol I find myself singing in the car while practicing stick twirls! (Maybe I should concentrate on driving... Naaa!)

I don’t have the pipes to get out front. Our frontman even suggested it and he plays a little drums so it would be cool… Maybe someday. I’ve seen bands that did this and it really adds to the show. Do any of you sing out front?

How do you approach singing and drumming? Do you switch off with other bandmates? Any advice, experiences, or helpful hints? Been drumming forty years, but I’m really a noob at singing. Thanks in advance.

Cheers!

[Afrolicious]

I'd love to sing while drumming and I try sometimes, but I end up confusing the rythm of what I'm playing. For me it only works with very very simple beats that don't need any concentration to be played. Still I think singing drummers are a cool thing.

[Wavelength]

I sing all the time! Well, grunt and moan actually, but that's just semantics... I approach the voice as just another limb which can be coordinated interdependently with all the other limbs. This works quite well for backing vocals, and you can practice this by playing some beats and singing the melodies from Syncopation.

[Wegadrummer]

I sing am backvokal, and main vocal in another band.. It takes some practise but its fun when you can do it...

[drummerchick435]

Check out Roger Taylor of Queen...he sings and drums! I'd rate my singing ability on a scale of 1 to 10 a 5.5. I can sing while I drum on easy parts.

[Class A Drummer]

I have never been nor will ever be a singer, especially while drumming. Check out Steve Gadd's Page on the Vic Firth site. His intro, he starts singing.

[bighaibigdrums]

I sing and drum, trust me, get a headset.

[georgeman]

I sing back up, or screamo for my band, but our main singer is a girl so it's kinda hard to hormonisize with her.

But i can do that cool high hat thing where i cand make the sound without using my hands, so i also play some keyboard

-george

[Alex H]

I sing lead and play drums. It's a task to say the least. It was funny starting out because even simple stuff you've been doing since you started just throws you for a loop. Now I've been doing it for about two years and it's a good deal easier. Sometimes I screw up because I'm thinking about too many things, but I'm cutting those moments down. It's a really great way to get better actually, because if you can do it it'll help your playing because of the added factor. Like someone else said, it's like a fifth limb.

[jollymosher]

i sing back up.. very simple lyrics during course other people to verses. my favorite is:

And tonight the worlds so cold we’re ever alone forever alone
Setting fire to the world never go home we’ll never go home
For our lives we stand tall all on our own all on our own
Setting fire to the world never come home never come


I find it very easy to sing and play at the same time. How ever, there may come a time i give up singing back up in favor of a floor tom left of the hats.

People that use a set set get kind of fixed on it. i use a straight stand and i dont have a problem with it. i dont sing very much and i have have plenty of freedom to be crazy.

The only thing about having a microphone, is i let out battle crys some times, the mic will pick it up.

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

I can't sing lead and play drums although I do sing and play guitar. I would like to do back up vocals with my band while I'm drumming, but haven't worked on it yet. I think I can pull that off.

[georgeman]

When you sing you just gotta get in the grove. or else your hands will do what ur singing.


-george

[Pete Stoltman]

I do some background vocals and have been doing that since early in my career. Wish I had the pipes to sing lead sometimes but alas I make Ringo sound like an American Idol star.

[hauk]

props to all you guys that can do both. i'm pretty much restricted to yelling like Animal

[nate]

props to all you guys that can do both. i'm pretty much restricted to yelling like Animal


nothing wrong with that


check out 'skeleton with hair' on my myspace.

yelps are fun

[rendezvous_drummer]

I can do both alright. I sing backups in my band, but it took me a while to be able to do so. I don't want the lead vocal part though.

[gmrakich]

Just depends on the material. I sing lead sometimes, but it is 4/4 stuff...nothing I have to think about to play. On harder stuff, I will do BGV...if not counting 11/8 or something else that requires attention. It IS fun and does add to the overall sound of the band. I didn't start singing back up until I was 30, and lead untill I was about 40.

[Skynman]

OK singing drummers Phil Collins, Don Henley, Grand Funk RR, Mickey Dolenz, there are a lot of pro singing drummers and ones who sing back up or harmony! I personally try not to sing to much but i do sing some songs the slow ones! It takes a lot of mental concentration to play and sing at the same time whether you are on the drums or another instrument!! Welcome to the more difficult things in music!

[remnantdrummer]

The only song I sing and play on is Hotel California

[bonzolead]

I sing and drum, trust me, get a headset.

you can't. get dynamic(backing away from the mic) with a headset.the headset is always on.if all you do is lead sing then I recommend it but if you do lead & backup singing then I suggest a mic & boom stand.I sing & drum also.

Keep Swatting,
Bonzolead

[drumbandit]

taylor hawkins sings lead vocals whilst on the drums iv heard.

[groovemaster_flex]

taylor hawkins sings lead vocals whilst on the drums iv heard.

Yeah, for his band "Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders".
Personally, I like his voice more than Dave Grohl's.

Oh, and I sing lead and play drums =]
Sometimes I switch with the bassist, and he plays drums, while I play bass and sing.
It's good fun, and people seem to like it at shows.

[TheGroceryman]

I wouldnt have a chance to sing and drum at the same time.

Personally, I have a lot of trouble memorizing lyrics on their own. And to have to think about the lyrics to sing, the beat to play, and keep the time all at the same time seems very tedious and challenging. I congradulate anyone who can do that.

[georgeman]

Yeah, for his band "Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders".
Personally, I like his voice more than Dave Grohl's.

Oh, and I sing lead and play drums =]
Sometimes I switch with the bassist, and he plays drums, while I play bass and sing.
It's good fun, and people seem to like it at shows.

Switching out...been there done that...never again

george

[Geoff Tipps]

you can't. get dynamic(backing away from the mic) with a headset.the headset is always on.if all you do is lead sing then I recommend it but if you do lead & backup singing then I suggest a mic & boom stand.I sing & drum also.

Keep Swatting,
Bonzolead

I agree.Much more play in backup parts.you need to get into the mic for low harmonies and back away for higher ones.It is a skill to be learned just like rudiments .

[lisasworld]

I'm the lead singer & drummer in my band. Keeping perfect time is hard. But my girlfriends tell me I do a good job!

[Tomtom123]

Singing and drumming at the same time is probably not much different than singing and playing guitar at the same time......but I have to give props to those who can sing lead and play bass at the same time......for some reason that just seems too confusing at times to do both at the same time and do each well.

[oikroitnik]

[QUOTE=georgeman;284858]I sing back up, or screamo for my band, but our main singer is a girl so it's kinda hard to hormonisize with her........

When you sing lead you`ll be able to "hormonize" with lotsa chicks....

[mrchattr]

I sing background vocals sometimes. It never was hard...the first time I tried to do it while drumming, I just did it, and haven't looked back since.

[Cypriss]

[QUOTE=georgeman;285343]When you sing you just gotta get in the grove. or else your hands will do what ur singing.

Thats my problem. My main singer just asked me to start practicing doing back up vocals as we have three way backing bits in some song (bassist sings to).But good god i'm finding it hard, its like george says my hands try to do what my mouth is suppose to be doing. I guess i'll just keep practicing. Any tips?

[timmdrum]

I'm blessed and cursed. From the first time I ever tried singing in a rhythm other than what I was playing, I could do it pretty well. Then I tried some Collins, Henley, etc, and then some lead vocal parts from bands whose singers weren't drummers, and I could to all those too. The curse is that my singing ability is nearly nonexistant! haha! How odd to be blessed with the independence to sing & drum simultaneously, but with a voice that no one wants to hear... *sigh*

[oops]

I love singing while I play. I find it makes my drum parts calm down a little bit, and I can't really do fills while trying to sing, but I'm always humming or doing backing on choruses.

Playing a 3-piece folk trio, so its great to have another voice to fill out the sound a bit.

The other thing is in a jazz context, trying to sing your parts to yourself as (or before) you play them.

I watched one of the better Jazz drummers in Melbourne last night in a small club setting. It was great, because you could hear him scatting his parts to himself. Adds another depth to independence.

[Royal]

I sing backing harmonies.......but prefer wearing a headset to do it. Seems like I'm not as confident about singing the right notes as I am hitting the right drums...:-)
I have sung without a h/set, just relying on monitors & everyone says it's good.
I'd rather spend my Precious time practicing drums than vocals.....
Maybe I should re-think?

[Bruce M. Thomson]

I love singing but like you prefer to concentrate on the drumming but lately in a few pick up jams I have done some singing because there was no one else to do. My advice? Work it like Levon Helm, check out the Last Waltz if you can and you can see that he sort of leans into the singing and lets the drumming flow in with it. Mind you, if you ere required to do complicated patterns on your kit it can be very difficult to do both. Any way singing feels good and it's good for you too, so why not sing away while you play.

P.S. I am not to crazy about headphones myself so I prefer monitors.

[Royal]

Carmine Appice has played some busy drumming while singing...........

I don't have problems singing regarding timing/independence....but my cymbal sound puts me off, just the cymbals?..... Go figure.......????
Hence the head phones, which I'm ok with.......up to about 30 min then I want my ears back in the world. :-))