Fire singer or leave band?

Or maybe THE PROBLEM is the musical cultural acceptance today? I mean if the audience is forgiving or worse 'indifferent', then the band/singer will never get called on it. Like others have stated before, if the singer is OK, then the band will probably get by. If the singer sucks, in my mind, that is bad news for the future of the band. BUT, if audiences tolerate sucky performance... then I don't know what to tell you.
 
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..
Might be, at least she doesn't have a mouthpiece -- that's just as far as I know 😁
 
Or maybe THE PROBLEM is the musical cultural acceptance today? I mean if the audience is forgiving or worse 'indifferent', then the band/singer will never get called on it. Like others have stated before, if the singer is OK, then the band will probably get by. If the singer sucks, in my mind, that is bad news for the future of the band. BUT, if audiences tolerate sucky performance... then I don't know what to tell you.
No the audience was just being polite... clap.. clap.. clap...
When I was in the samba percussion band a few years ago there was never clap clap clap. People used to dance like braindead and whenever we stopped they went noooooooo!!! that's a happy audience.

I'll tell you what the audience said, I mean a woman from the audience. She came to the singer, who was sitting next to me at that moment, and said (this won't translate accurately from French but I'll try) I think it's great how you assume your age and your shape!!
Now in French there is no difference between vous (you, politely) and vous as in you guys. So after that remark we discussed internally if the woman meant us all or just the singer. She (the singer) took it as a great compliment. Whereas I was like, what the fork, what age are you even talking about?! 👿 (I'm 50 you see) And what about shape, that's strictly a woman-to-woman compliment where I come from, but anyway 😂

No it's bad news, you're right. Pity because she's a nice person otherwise.

I'm going back to the samba band actually 😁
 
In my experience, if you don't like the way a person does music, they aren't going to change for you or anyone else. If she's the rare human that can take constructive criticism and actually improve herself it will still take too much time. Your 2 choices as I see it, are outlined in that Clash song.

My guess is that you will have to chain her to the chair and screw the chair to the floor if you want her to hear the whole thing. I can't see it going well.

Actually, that could be a way to get rid of her, embarrass her into quitting. If you all laugh and point at her, that should do it lol

Problem solved, and maybe over time she will correct herself.

HA HA HA HA just kidding.
 
In my experience, if you don't like the way a person does music, they aren't going to change for you or anyone else. If she's the rare human that can take constructive criticism and actually improve herself it will still take too much time. Your 2 choices as I see it, are outlined in that Clash song.

My guess is that you will have to chain her to the chair and screw the chair to the floor if you want her to hear the whole thing. I can't see it going well.

Actually, that could be a way to get rid of her, embarrass her into quitting. If you all laugh and point at her, that should do it lol

Problem solved, and maybe over time she will correct herself.

HA HA HA HA just kidding.
🤣🤣🤣
Naaaah I'll just quit.
I might come back 3 weeks later with a wig and a different name.
But in reality I'm going back to the samba band. I believe I remember you're not fond of those. You should try 😁
 
🤣🤣🤣
Naaaah I'll just quit.
I might come back 3 weeks later with a wig and a different name.
But in reality I'm going back to the samba band. I believe I remember you're not fond of those. You should try 😁
IMHO you shouldn't just quit without discussing with the other bandmates first. They may feel the same way and looking for a way out of the relationship with the off key singer.

I agree with @larryace - get the entire band together for the express purpose of watching and critiquing EVERYONE's performance. It should become painfully obvious to everyone watching...BUT if Ms Alicia Offkey still doesn't get it and the rest of the band is OK with it, then there's probably no hope for the situation.

Instead of "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" I'm thinking more along the lines of:

 
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Had basically the same scenario several months back. I had to be the one to make the phone call and it sucked. And now me and the singer don't talk. No hard feelings we just don't talk. Sucks either way you go man. Stay and hate it, fire a pal and hate it, or leave yourself and possibly not play at all for a while. Good luck!
 
In my experience, if you don't like the way a person does music, they aren't going to change for you or anyone else. If she's the rare human that can take constructive criticism and actually improve herself it will still take too much time.

Ok, I like this answer better than mine.
 
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 and my new bass player should get together. Im going for personal fun and artistic integrity, and he wants a souless cash grab, playing top hits to the lowest common denominator.
 
I’d be up front with your opinion to all members but you can do so it a polite way- maybe preface what you like before more critical . You can take a supportive tone that your interested in their growth helps too. Who knows they may respond positively and start addressing issues. I have in past.
 
You and my new bass player should get together. Im going for personal fun and artistic integrity, and he wants a souless cash grab, playing top hits to the lowest common denominator.
That's the spirit mate. You do you and make a killing in exposure.

I'm just a working drummer who has this whacky idea that I should be paid for my time and services.
 
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That's the spirit mate. You do you and make a killing in exposure.

I'm just a working drummer who has this whacky idea that I should be paid for my time and services.
That's what Im saying, you should be in a band that wants to play the hits, because that's your thing. It's not mine at this point in my life. Get that money or whatever. What's up with the snide attitude? You do you, except Im not dissing you for doing you.
 
That's what Im saying, you should be in a band that wants to play the hits, because that's your thing. It's not mine at this point in my life. Get that money or whatever. What's up with the snide attitude? You do you, except Im not dissing you for doing you.
Sorry dude, you came across a bit funny in your post. With the lowest common denominator bit

Wrong end of the stick on my part!

Now don't get me wrong I've been down that road where I've locked myself away in my own little lockup and just wrote music. Alas we all got married and got boring!
 
Haha it must have been years since I last wrote here :)

So my colleague bassist and a guitarist friend of his started a band and they found a singer. They "hired" her without me present and on unclear terms, like come and play with us, like 95% of the starting bands I guess, which is OK until you find it's not a great team after all. We've played for about a year now.

She never took any lessons. She just plainly can't sing. She has no clue of rhythm either. (Neither does the guitarist -- it's hard when it's 2 out of 4). We never hear her well enough I guess. This may sound absurd but she's really very subdued in the rehearsal room or else there's terrible feedback. So we hear her only just. Until the mini concert a few weeks ago, where the sound was really crystal clear, unlike the rehearsal phone recordings. You could really hear everything. And she was awful. I was too embarrassed to listen to the video let alone to let anyone hear it. It was ridiculous.

I don't think a year of weekly singing lessons can solve this. I don't have the patience, also. Something must happen. The "problem" is that we get along really well. I must either convince the others to fire her. Or quit myself, which is probably what's going to happen because we're probably too nice to send her off.

I'm not really looking for advice. Please post stories that are much worse even, that would help :p
Have you discussed this situation with your former musicians while you were alone without the singer? Because if you guys were all together and she's the new kid on the Block then that should be a very easy decision. You don't have to be so blunt about telling her how awful she sounds but you could say you came to an unanimous decision and don't think that she's a right fit for the band something along those lines. I feel you bud.. good luck!
 
Have you discussed this situation with your former musicians while you were alone without the singer? Because if you guys were all together and she's the new kid on the Block then that should be a very easy decision. You don't have to be so blunt about telling her how awful she sounds but you could say you came to an unanimous decision and don't think that she's a right fit for the band something along those lines. I feel you bud.. good luck!
Agreed. Don't embarrass her or make fun of her to get her to quit. That sort of thing is immature unprofessional and will also do a lot of emotional damage. Just communicate and explain the situation to her.
 
Fire the singer! I just felt like saying that. Carry on.
 
Have you discussed this situation with your former musicians while you were alone without the singer? Because if you guys were all together and she's the new kid on the Block then that should be a very easy decision. You don't have to be so blunt about telling her how awful she sounds but you could say you came to an unanimous decision and don't think that she's a right fit for the band something along those lines. I feel you bud.. good luck!
It would have been an easy decision if we had taken it much earlier. Now it's been a year and it's become very difficult to fire her. I discussed with the basist yesterday and I don't think I can get the others to fire her, it's been too long now. The funny thing with recordings is, I noted people just listen to their own playing. They go on about some note they missed, I said I didn't even hear that I just listened to the drumming 😁 And so the bassist never noticed the singer sucks but he's aware now.
My wife heard it and after 2 seconds said get rid of the singer. But she always wants the girls out of any of my bands 🤣

I think Larryace is probably right, most people can't or won't change their way of making music just because I want it. My subconscience already decided, I think. But then it takes forever for the rest of the brain to agree (Libra 🙄)
 
Fire the singer! I just felt like saying that. Carry on.
You just gave me a good laugh! hahaha. Carry on.
It would have been an easy decision if we had taken it much earlier. Now it's been a year and it's become very difficult to fire her. I discussed with the basist yesterday and I don't think I can get the others to fire her, it's been too long now. The funny thing with recordings is, I noted people just listen to their own playing. They go on about some note they missed, I said I didn't even hear that I just listened to the drumming 😁 And so the bassist never noticed the singer sucks but he's aware now.
My wife heard it and after 2 seconds said get rid of the singer. But she always wants the girls out of any of my bands 🤣

I think Larryace is probably right, most people can't or won't change their way of making music just because I want it. My subconscience already decided, I think. But then it takes forever for the rest of the brain to agree (Libra 🙄)
How long have your band members been together before the singer came? You would think by now you would have a tight Bond with the guys and could easily talk with them. My suggestion is get one of the latest recordings that she sounds horrible in and have a meeting with the guys and just focus on her alone. Maybe their ears will open up. I can understand it must be very frustrating for you.
 
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