General Music Chat

Is it just me? Or does there often exist alot of tension between drummers and lead singers? I have been playing music in various bands since I first started at 12 years old in my mother's band. She played all over the East Coast and seemed like she went through a lot of drummers, more than any other position. Later, as an adult forming my own bands, I noticed a similar thing, and no position has turned over as much as drummers.

The theory....

I think I know the reason why this is. Drummers, like Lead Singers, have very confident and agressive personalities. I mean, you have to have some balls to bang on drums all day. It is a fairly aggressive activity. So, you have a guy (or girl. LOL) that has all the ego and aggressiveness to be a front person, but they are hidden behind a drum kit, and usually it is so large, that the kit itself is stuck in the back of the stage. When this guy knows he has all the oomph it takes to be a front man, but rarely gets the credit for his role, that the other band members get, who are more free to run around the stage.

What do you think?

I, being a drummer do have an aggressive nature and would like to be a frontman. I have the capability to be a frontman (performance wise) but not vocally. I know that I chose to be a drummer and chose to be in the back, and there are days that I wanna play guitar or bass so I can do stage performance, because that's the one thing I LOVE about concerts/shows. But, it was my choice to play the drums and confine myself to being on the back of the stage playing behind a drumset. The drummers/vocalists that clash just have an ego that they need to get over. Every vocalist that we've ever had I've gotten along with because I am also a lyricist and try to help out the vocalist in every aspect that I can. So, IMO the drummers and/or vocalists that you run into with those attitudes need to get over their ego's, grow some balls, and enjoy the music that they're playing.

drummers aggresive lol!i know a drummer that despite playing like slayer with offers for cable,cd gigs and promotors for originals thru a bff band mate wouldnt play out because his mommy said no . at 36!wow other band mate was as surprised as me.lol drummermommy itis

Oh man when the two collide....that never works.

Back in my metal days I played bass with what was then a very talented and charismatic band. We were blessed with a singer of truly star quality, and drummer of the same calibre. We're talking awesome musicians here. Problem was; they both wanted to be frontmen. At shows when the singer was doing his "connect with the audience" banter, the drummer would try to vocally interrupt him at every turn. The singer would glare back at him, to no avail. This went on and built until it became the primary reason for the break up of that band. Men and their egos.

Epilogue: The singer gradually let his insane pot habit destroy his beautiful voice. The drummer, after a couple more gigs in other acts, stopped drumming altogether and rejoined a stringent religious faith that I won't mention, that he felt for some reason prohibited his pursuit of rock music. So in the end, all that ego battle was for zippidee dooda.

My advice is, when you're putting a band together, develope a sense of where the egos lie and decide on a front person. If there is a collision, replace one. Fast.

Hey Gang,

Lets keep this discussion going,Im anxious to hear more ,I started forming opinions about musicians attitudes by the instruments they played after my first road band in 78 underwent some changes...Livin with other people for 16weeks at atime,you get to know people.... ...Anyway, when the band underwent a bassplayer change, I noticed that Doug was alot like Jimmy,kinda laid back and didnt get into the "politics" of the band,kept to himself alot..Hmmmm...Bassplayers.....The road years 78-95 I noticed that Keyboardplayers, bass, drums, guitar, lead vocal all had their own personality traits with repect to their instrument...Illl spare you all the details of my findings but Drummers and Lead Vocals (topic of discussion)stand out.....I never notice a struggle between the 2 wanting to front so much as I notice that they just have seperate issues ,some musical, that conflict....I could alway pick out the drummer of a band out doing a radio show,restaurant, mall,arcade, etc. ,it was like lookin in a mirror.What I found was Keyboards: methodical,read alot,chess players, artists (painting)good theory knowledge...Bassplayers:laid back,watch TV alot,NO DRAMA...Lead singers:Plead the 5th..dont want to offend anyone(hint..that should be a clue)...Guitarplayers :I really cant come up with anything definitive that sets them apart ...DRUMMERS: OLE MY GOD...Id be here all day writing....Ill just say major issues (hey, I resemble that remark )
Im curious if anyone else has sterotyped musicans to their intruments and what they've found...Again , these are just general findings..There have been exceptions....

John in WV.

I always thought lead guitar and vocals. Lead singer thiks it's all about them. and Lead guitarists often think there the greatest guitar player and that with out them the band couldn't exist. The drummer I know is so mellow and just loves any chance to play and the lead guitarist I know Want's to do his own solo project. One of the vocalists want's to do there own project too.

...I know that I chose to be a drummer and chose to be in the back...

See, I don't get that? I never thought of the drummer as being in the "back" for any other reason than his equipment always took up more room than everybody else's. It is -- or should be -- an equal kind of thing. As a Front Man I am no more important to the overall quality of the product than any other member. It just so happens that because I sing I'm in front all night. That in no way, shape or form makes me a more integral part of the Band, it's just the way it is.

Hell, I've gone to see Bands were the drummer literally stole the show. If you can truly "bring it", then it doesn't matter where you're located on the stage, IMHO.

I agree Front-Man. I also have seen drummers with great stage presence. Yes it takes everybody in the band together as one, to do the job well. In our band we practice 2 times every week, everyone is to busy doing their job for any ego- trips. besides, we're all over 40yrs.old so...... Its all for the fun.

I've been in several situations with musicians where the 'ego' on stage is basically the personality of that person, on or off stage. I like where I'm usually sitting - behind the drums. I don't want to be the one out front because it's not my style. And I don't go to parties or other social gatherings and try to be the center of attention. Some people do.

You also have characters that are entertaining no matter where you put 'em. If you have a lead singer that can pull this off, it's cool as long as the group is united and knows, just KNOWS, that to be really good it's going to take everyone pulling in the same direction.

I haven't been in any bands where there was a lead singer. Everyone played at least one instrument, sometimes switching off, and the singer who had the best pipes for the particular song was that song's lead. I love playing the drums because I can drive the tempo if needed, and I can eyeball others to catch signals if I need to tame it or tear it. Bass players and drummers seem to work very closely together, in my experience. But the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts when you catch that moment when everything just 'clicks' and everyone ends up playing off each other.

Usually a really nasty battle for dominance ends the band, and a lot of it is, don't shoot me for saying this, due to lack of experience in a younger member.

Been a bass player/lead singer for 25 years. I've always been a metronomic bass player, that is I play within the style of whatever drummer I'm with. The lead vocals are a separate issue. Thank God I've had a harmonious relationship with just about every drummer I've played with. My current drummer is actually one of my best friends. A drummer who really wants to be a front man should get off the drums ad either just sing, or play another instrument and sing. It's not a good thing to have an unhappy camper in the band, whether it's a drummer or someone else. A drummer's job is first and foremost to keep good time and drive the rhythm of the band. If he or she can't do that without upsetting the band you need to get another drummer. Later...fisherman bob

30 years playing lead & rythm guitar, and I have a brother with the same years playing drums. He seems to be more in demand, by far. Guitar players are 'a-dime-a-dozen' while talented drummers are much more rare. I'm also convinced the drummer is definitely the hardest working member of the band in all aspects.

The last band I was in began as a 'no-front-man' project; everyone just played and sang. We tried to split the singing up pretty evenly, which I think avoids the ego problems that seem to come with just about every 'front man' I've ever worked with... But the project never got off the ground, and we finally had to give up after 4 drummers just came and went.

A good drummer IMO is absolutely essential; a critical foundation for a good band. Front men are optional at best, and I personally prefer not to have one. Nor do I want to be one. I think the best sounds are made with everybody singing, rather than laying it on one or two members... Ego conflicts (the #1 killer of successful bands) tend to get checked at the door.

BTW, here's my favorite musician joke:

What's it mean when drool comes out of both corners of the drummer's mouth? The stage is perfectly level.

heeheeheeheeheee My brother the drummer told me that one....

You also have characters that are entertaining no matter where you put 'em. If you have a lead singer that can pull this off, it's cool as long as the group is united and knows, just KNOWS, that to be really good it's going to take everyone pulling in the same direction.

The conflicts I've had with drummers is with stage volume. We play classic rock covers in some pretty small places to where as the night goes on, or if the drummer gets exited watchin' asses on the dance floor, his volume and speed increases. This causes the dreaded "volume wars" yet a vocalist can only turn up to the point of feedback and no further. On the board, there is an un-godly amount of headroom where the drummer is not taking advantage of.
Electronic drums in small clubs seems to be the route to go, but it seems no drummer wants to "belittle himself" to play on them. I'm always getting complaints that my vocal monitor is "rippin' heads off" though I would drop it's volume if it wasn't getting washed out throughout the night with over played cymbals and a shotgun snare. Our guitar player isn't your ordinary "full stack/balls to the wall" Marshall player either, his stage volume is at a minimum, and the PA does all the work. So the drummer has no excuse of playin' loud to match guitar volume, it's quite the opposite.
I agree with unity, where the music comes first and formost, image will follow. Where and what we are playin' doesn't call for elaborite lighting and flair and flash, but well executed music for the patrons enjoyment.
http://jamwave.com/thefirstcauseband

i'm in band with no drummer and no "lead player" or frontaman.

just a really heavy, weird sounding guitarist/vocalist and a weird sounding bassist/vocalist (me). if i want to sing, i sing. if he wants to sing, he sings.

i have nothing against drummers, i also play drums. and i have nothing against singers/frontmen. i mean, Iggy Pop kicks a--, right?

it's just nice not worrying about some guy yelling/singing/hollering over a guitar/bass intro or a drummer taking a solo just because "he/she was feeling it".