General Music Chat

Change any member of a band, & the band changes...or it SHOULD change.

The band is the sum total of its members. When one is replaced, the entire dynamic should change. Otherwise, you have a carbom copy of a previous member, & they are never as good as the original.

Yeah, if you change your singer, you will need to be changing up some material. Same goes for the bass, the drums, the guitars, or keys. You need to reinvent yourselves & get better than you were before the change, if that's at all possible. If it isn't, then you replaced the former member with the wrong person.

Depends on how far your into ur material and what came first ? the chicken or the singer LOL

Great job with that ZEP jvjino.
Thats not easy to pull off.

Do you believe that even an originals band should
write to the singers strengths?

I do exactly that...even though I hate it. I have to dumb everything and I mean EVERYTHING down so the other guys can even follow. Which also means taking a brilliant song which is already arranged and phrased perfectly all apart because the singer (or in our case, vocalist) can't comprehend anything outside of his own as$hole. Which in this case...is also his mouth...hahahahahahahahaha!!!

Do you believe that even an originals band should
write to the singers strengths?

Again for us it's a non issue. We develop the songs together.
So it is just a natural occurrence of our music creative process.

sounds like you need a stronger singer Metal

Klugmo I love how you quote parts of what I said to twist my words into something negetive! What I meant is that if you want the singer in your band, you will learn his better songs (the singers). If you are a singer that wants in a particular band you had better be able to sing there songs or at least some of them otherwise don't waste your or their time by auditioning. Thats all I meant Bro!

Heh, heh, first time for everything. The bottom line is that the band is a backup for the singer; the singer has a specific range and style, and must have a band that compliments his or her vocal style.

Which is why learning to do your own vocals means less hassle with another person.

sounds like you need a stronger singer Metal

I hear ya my friend. More like one that actually sings, rather than just screams all the time. One of the more recent tunes (that I didn't mean for the band), I wrote in "G" and was meant for a "SINGER" and no screaming. I made the mistake of warming up with it before practice and he was in the other room. He freaked out about how "cool" it was and wanted to work on it. I said "it's not meant for scream vocals, so you have to sing it kind of like Don Dokken." Well...I started playing...he started screaming...and the same old argument arose.


I'm jaded to it anymore, so I just keep writing more and more material for the band that I wished I had. Until then...this one is good enough for what it is to play a bunch of shows and also make some pretty good money. I make $75 for an hour-and-a-half show (headlining). Not much...but better than nothing right now.

I agree with Jimmy and Phil...Like it or not, musicians ARE sidemen for the vocalist...the days of a band finding a large amount of success based on the talent of their guitarist are long over. I believe that:

1). You can have a great band with a mediocre vocalist, and people won't give a crap about you.

2). You can have a mediocre band with a good-great vocalist, and people will pay to see you time and time again.

Vocals are "the money channel". Simple as that. I don't care if you are talking about covers OR originals.

Knowing that most of us have come here looking to fill a spot or spots in our band, it's important to realize that each individual brings something different to the party.
I believe that, in a cover band, it is NECESSARY to have a singer that can pull off the songs you play. THen again, as I've stated many times before, I'm a purist. If you're band is playing a Journey cover tune, and your singer don't sound much like Steve Perry, you won't be getting my money.
As far as originals go, there is much more room for interpretation (IMO). However, you have to be realistic. If you're doing metal, you probably don't want a folk singer type, and vice-versa. Someone else stated earlier that it depended on how established the band is, and I agree. If you've done one style for years, and you have to replace your singer, then the next guy probably outta be close to the first guy. On the other hand, if you're just getting the band started, it is no more reasonable for you to expect your singer to have a certain sound than it is for he or she to expect you to whip out specific songs.
Recently had an experience with a band like this. They were just coming together, and yet, I was being given a list of songs that they expected to do. They had already bumped two singers by the time I joined-because they wanted a certain sound. Those guys are STILL trying to put something together...maybe they should learn to be a little more flexible.

SRY JH. just trying to make my point. I'm glad you Loved it though.

For me when I'm singing, the lead guitar is critical. His timing
and acuracy is what I rely on for triggers. I need him to be
on time and consistant. Same thing goes for keys in certain songs.

Metal, A secondary band would do you good.

Here's a perfect example of what i'm talking about - Deep Purple.

Their 1st singer, Rod Evans, was quite good. He was the one who sang the cover, "Hush," that was such a classic hit.

When Ian Gillian replaced Evans, they had a totally new sound, one that many ppl think was better.

When Gillian quit, & they hired David Coverdale, they went from being the top-selling rock act to nowheresville in a flash.

Since then Richie Blackmore was replaced, which only shoved them further into obscurity, & after losing Roger Glover & Jon Lord, no one seems to know if they are still an act anymore.

Each incarnation was a unique one, however. They didn't seem to try to find clones for the absent members. Each had its own unique sound.

I was in a cover band once and we had a killer singer. The 2 guys running the band insisted that he do "their" list - Journey and such which was hard for him. Needless to say we both quit the band!
They had a real gem and F'd it up.; A 300 lb black man and former Cincinnati Bengal that did the splits that could absolutely wail on Black Crows and other Rockin vocals. He was a performer at Howl At The Moon (a dueling piano bar on the waterfront in Cinci) and wound up winning "the sexiest man in America" contest on Jerry Springer.
These putzes of course wound up going back to their jobs because nobody could work with them..... Adaptation is key in a group setting!

Great job with that ZEP jvjino.
Thats not easy to pull off.

Thank you very much I appreciate the compliment