Fire singer or leave band?

Gosh how that resonates with me. Previous band fell apart over covid. Bass player I knew suggested getting together so along with guitarist from previous band we approached a girl singer I know. She has a voice similar to Janis Joplin. So a 4 piece doing mainly rock.

Bass player starts to get critical with Jayn over mic technique: she does growl a bit. She's had lessons but does get carried away. He also likes to mico-manage. Rehearsals start to get fractious & the 3 of us fire the bass player. He's an excellent musician but life's too short to put up with someone so controlling.

I approach another bass player & we immediately gel. He introduces his friend who plays keys. We start to fly! 1st gig this Wednesday!
 
Gosh how that resonates with me. Previous band fell apart over covid. Bass player I knew suggested getting together so along with guitarist from previous band we approached a girl singer I know. She has a voice similar to Janis Joplin. So a 4 piece doing mainly rock.

Bass player starts to get critical with Jayn over mic technique: she does growl a bit. She's had lessons but does get carried away. He also likes to mico-manage. Rehearsals start to get fractious & the 3 of us fire the bass player. He's an excellent musician but life's too short to put up with someone so controlling.

I approach another bass player & we immediately gel. He introduces his friend who plays keys. We start to fly! 1st gig this Wednesday!
Yes there is a fine line between coaching and micro managing the others. It has to be fun, not look too much like being back in school...

I don't control a lot but when singer and guitarist put ROX on the 4 and ANNE one the 1, I just stop playing, I can't let that happen, it just ruins the song. As if you order a hamburger and they replaced the steak by a banana.
 
You could suggest that she maybe like get an autotune er like one of those vocal resynthesis vsts or just learn to play the synth.
 
The problem is your singer is the focal point of what your average Joe sees and hears. A bad singer can ruin a band.

If half the band haven't got timing that's schoolboy stuff. I'd be on my bike.

I'm in the opposite boat with one little project. Good players that have the potential to make a lot of money but won't play the money making songs. It's frustrating!
 
You could suggest that she maybe like get an autotune er like one of those vocal resynthesis vsts or just learn to play the synth.
Haha no it's not a matter of pitch -- or yes it is but that's not the biggsst problem. She seems to feel unsure so she sings softly, and the sound guy at the concert must have thought OK she sings softly, I'll just turn her up to 11 and there she was: singing very softly and hesitantly but very audibly and crystal clear 🫣
A singer must just BE THERE AND SING. In tune or not is a secondary issue, but not trying not to be there, that's just embarrassing.
 
The problem is your singer is the focal point of what your average Joe sees and hears. A bad singer can ruin a band.

If half the band haven't got timing that's schoolboy stuff. I'd be on my bike.

I'm in the opposite boat with one little project. Good players that have the potential to make a lot of money but won't play the money making songs. It's frustrating!
They're too good for Roxanne?
 
They're too good for Roxanne?
You have no idea. Female fronted 8 piece band that includes a 3 piece brass section. They keep trying to do either songs folk have never heard of or quirky arrangements of shit songs.

They've got a bit of an elitist attitude but that gets you a hot ticket to nowhere in my experience. It's a shame because the three of us in the rhythm section can see what we should be doing.
 
You have no idea. Female fronted 8 piece band that includes a 3 piece brass section. They keep trying to do either songs folk have never heard of or quirky arrangements of shit songs.

They've got a bit of an elitist attitude but that gets you a hot ticket to nowhere in my experience. It's a shame because the three of us in the rhythm section can see what we should be doing.
Maaaan you have gold in your hands....
A brass section is my wet dream.
Something like
 
Haha no it's not a matter of pitch -- or yes it is but that's not the biggsst problem. She seems to feel unsure so she sings softly, and the sound guy at the concert must have thought OK she sings softly, I'll just turn her up to 11 and there she was: singing very softly and hesitantly but very audibly and crystal clear 🫣
A singer must just BE THERE AND SING. In tune or not is a secondary issue, but not trying not to be there, that's just embarrassing.
Just another tool in the big bag of diplomacy. Though, on second thought it is pretty good advice to play with effects to gain confidence especially some of the relooping effects. You know when people hear themselves...
 
They've got a bit of an elitist attitude but that gets you a hot ticket to nowhere in my experience. It's a shame because the three of us in the rhythm section can see what we should be doing.
I can relate to this - rest of my lot have much the same attitude. Settle for playing for little money to do 'musicians 'tunes when we could be doing functions for much more if we just played the right songs. I get the enjoyment factor, but you can't pay bills with 'enjoyment' ..........
 
I can relate to this - rest of my lot have much the same attitude. Settle for playing for little money to do 'musicians 'tunes when we could be doing functions for much more if we just played the right songs. I get the enjoyment factor, but you can't pay bills with 'enjoyment' ..........
There's nothing wrong with doing that at all if that's all you want to do, these guys I'm with advertise as a party band. As someone who does this as my bread and butter well paid gig you think they'd listen.

You can take a horse to water............
 
Record yourselves and listen to the playback as a band.

When you are listening as band, she will either hear her foul notes or not. If she can hear them and wants to work on them, stick around. If she's all "Sounds good to me!" then leave.
 
If the band can get tight that can make the difference for me. If I heard Hey, your singer is weak but the band is good. it'd be good enough for a while.
Patience isn't my friend, but I've learned some things.
 
Spent a lifetime trying to figure this one. Some singers who are a bit off have charisma so it dont matter what they sound like...Boy George is a good eg of this....and there are others too but some people just sound outta tune and awful.
Was in a band years ago, grt rocking tunes, good guitarist, drums. Singer was guitars girlfriend...yep the usual outcome haha...she looked grt, wrote some real good tunes but sounded terrible. I split.
 
Yes there is a fine line between coaching and micro managing the others. It has to be fun, not look too much like being back in school...

I don't control a lot but when singer and guitarist put ROX on the 4 and ANNE one the 1, I just stop playing, I can't let that happen, it just ruins the song. As if you order a hamburger and they replaced the steak by a banana.
And all along I thought Rox on 4 was ok!🫢
 
This thread reminds me of this Ryan Reynolds movie.
 
Laughing with, not at.

I've seen some weird shit over the years. There's no business like show business.
At this gig especially, the crowd'll be showin' their business...! :oops::LOL:
 
Autotune sounds like autotune.. synthetic and fake.. people will snicker. Sounds like you need to set up some auditions. Otherwise you will waste time and hinder progress. Case in point - a long long time ago I played in a 7 piece funk band with a sax player. I always thought he played quietly and 'kind of' sounded okay.. but I couldn't hear him half the time... It was only after several gigs and hearing from audience members that ''the band sounds great but the sax player always sounds out of tune'. The light went on..
I approached him and told him the reports from the audience about his intonation. He said 'Yeah my mouthpiece is cracked and needs to be replaced and it's really expensive for a good mouthpiece' but then he admitted that his technique probably wasn't helping either!
Fortunately he saved us all the trouble as he got a new job and quit the band..
So he knew he sucked.. and was literally just playing along until we called him on it!
I suspect your singer might be in the same boat..
 
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