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#139226 by philbymon
Thu Feb 03, 2011 1:41 am
I didn't listen yet, cuz i'm low on nuggets, but i'll tell ya this - if you need to ask that question, chances are that you aren't ready yet.

#1 - you need to exude confidence, as a front man. Thus far, you don't seem very sure of yourself to me. The front man in any band should be a person who draws the attention of ppl just by walking into a room. You don't have to be gorgeous. You have to have POWER. Ppl are drawn to it.

#2 - you need to have the experience to steer the band out of a bad spot, when things falll apart, or you need to be able to think FAST on your feet, & pull the band out of a bad spot, which may occur. Can you do that? Can you introduce the band, & riff a bit, while the guitarist changes a string, or a guitar? Can you control the stage, while sharing it?

#3 - if your chops aren't EXCEPTIONAL, then you either need to play an instrument, or write some damned good songs for the band. Do you do this? From what I'm hearing so far, you haven't shown yourself to be a huge stand-out. You may want to go to a vocal coach for at least a few lessons, to acquire some tricks of the trade, like vibrato, or pitch control, & such. (I dunno cuz I haven't listened yet.) Make sure you're singing in your best register to deliver that power, or those emotions, the best you can. (Know your preferred keys!)

#4 - look at your profile page. Do you REALLY seek bagpipes? (No offense, celticpiper!) Trumpet? Cello? What kind of band ARE you looking for? You should be a bit more specific.

#5 - look at your profile again. How old are you? Have you ever applied for a job? Does THIS look like someone you would go out of your way to interview, audition, or hire? "I have decided to try." What a crap line! Look, I know I'm a brutal bastid, but dude! You're looking to be a f*cking FRONT MAN!!!! ACT LIKE ONE! A front man isn;t a guy who "has decided to try." A front man CAN do the job. Okay, you don't have experience, so you gotta play that down. Push your strong points. Whose material fits you like a glove? TELL IT TO PPL! Where do you perform your karaoke? TELL PPL! Use material that shows your power, or your ability to show those strong emotions, that MOVE ppl, when you post something for ppl to hear,.

Look at your ad as if it's your resume, cuz that is exactly what it is. You have some work to do on that profile, Ellis, & you might wanna tone down the "seeking other vocalists" bit in that list, too. Be clear in what you want, but be flexible, if someone answers your ad that doesn't fit the part perfectly. You need all the experience you can get. Another route that you may want to try, is to audition at your local theater when they're doing musicals. At least that would give you some stage time, & a bit of the experience that you need. If you're serious at all, you should be hitting every open mic in your area, & listening at first, before you jump in with both feet. Yiou should also keep your eyes open on craigslist, music stores, talk to music teachers, if you can, even instrument repairmen. Go where the music is played. Talk to the band members. You can do it, but it's gonna take a bit more dedication & drive than you're showing me at the moment. Be creative in your approach, be open to opportunity, & you can find your band, IF YOU'RE LUCKY.
#139230 by ellis379
Thu Feb 03, 2011 2:02 am
First of all, ThankYou. I am sorry about the profile, I actually did not complete it, and never expected responses quite so quickly. I will do that shortly. I did not know exactly where to post this to begin with, I did not see a place to discuss, instead I had to put it where I am actively looking for members. This advice is much more than I hoped for though. Today is the first time i have ever been on this site, it is great. As for my age I am 40. As for the songs i do best, its George jones. My voice fits there best and it is where I am comfortable. I have not had free time to be able to get out and check out bands until now. I will go and check out bands and start talking to people and get a much better idea of what i am in for, and what i need to do.

#139267 by KLUGMO
Thu Feb 03, 2011 1:41 pm
Good answer, honest and direct.

#139273 by RhythmMan
Thu Feb 03, 2011 5:10 pm
One point I want to make, which others touched upon.
When you practice at home; give yourself a rating - 1 to 100.
Every single little mistake subtracts from 100.
OK, now translate that into a Grade: A, B-, C+, D, Fail . . . whatever.
.
Got it?
Now, subtract one full grade, right off, when you perform.
If at home you gave yourself a B+ . . . then allow that you might be giving a C+ performance in public.
Remember - a grade of 'C' is considered average.
. . . . there's lots of distractions to throw you off your game.
- someone yelling
- a chair falling over.
- a friend waving at you
- the bass player went into the chorus early
- your mike feeding back
- that beautiful woman who just walked in . . .
.
Unless you are used to practicing with those kinds of distractions, then you need plan on subtracting one full grade - or two - from your performance.
.
Seasoned performers are used to those distractions.
If you want to prepare for this, then make your rehearsals more difficult, and very distracting.
Practice under crappy conditions . . .
You can start by practing your singing while the TV is going, and the stereo is playing another song.
And still grade yourself . . .

#139277 by Mike Nobody
Thu Feb 03, 2011 6:28 pm
RhythmMan wrote:One point I want to make, which others touched upon.
When you practice at home; give yourself a rating - 1 to 100.
Every single little mistake subtracts from 100.
OK, now translate that into a Grade: A, B-, C+, D, Fail . . . whatever.
.
Got it?
Now, subtract one full grade, right off, when you perform.
If at home you gave yourself a B+ . . . then allow that you might be giving a C+ performance in public.
Remember - a grade of 'C' is considered average.
. . . . there's lots of distractions to throw you off your game.
- someone yelling
- a chair falling over.
- a friend waving at you
- the bass player went into the chorus early
- your mike feeding back
- that beautiful woman who just walked in . . .
.
Unless you are used to practicing with those kinds of distractions, then you need plan on subtracting one full grade - or two - from your performance.
.
Seasoned performers are used to those distractions.
If you want to prepare for this, then make your rehearsals more difficult, and very distracting.
Practice under crappy conditions . . .
You can start by practing your singing while the TV is going, and the stereo is playing another song.
And still grade yourself . . .


I think crowd noise and TV / stereo noise are quite diffrent. Bad advice. Practice around drunk friends and / or strangers would be a closer approximation. How many different variants of "You suck!" can you tolerate?
Last edited by Mike Nobody on Thu Feb 03, 2011 6:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

#139279 by jimmydanger
Thu Feb 03, 2011 6:47 pm
I tend to agree Mike...and if you're a drinker, make sure you can still play after a few cocktails. This is a must when you're fourth on the bill and play at 1am.

#139280 by jw123
Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:04 pm
Make sure if you like Yagar or Crown to wait til the last set!

We did a 3 band deal a few new years ago and the drummer for the last band actually threw up playing after about 4 songs. One of the funniest things I had seen in a while. One of my band mates looked at me and said what do you think about that, I said "Man, that was a classic rock n roll moment!"

Back to the original poster, I finally went back and listened and Im sorry I dont see much stage presence in the couple of youtubes you had posted, nothing special to your voice that warrants getting all excited about, just looks like half the people I see at every karaoke gig i go too.

But the only way to find out is get out there somewhere and get going, I dont think you will find anyone on here that calls up and gets you going. If you want to play music it mainly takes perseverance and a very thick skin. If you have a life such as a real job and kids or golf or any other distractions then you probably dont have time to do this. Its 100% or nothing in my point of view.

MY ADVICE: STICK WITH KARAOKE

#139283 by Crip2nite
Thu Feb 03, 2011 9:58 pm
WOW! All this advice.... I just sat home, practiced, learned a buncha tunes, Craigslisted the crap out of the bands wanted section....got complete strangers together into my house after I sent them a set list....after about 5 rehearsals just called up a crappy club by me and got an opening slot and did a 45 minute set and had a freakin' blast.... I didn't give a rat's ass what anybody thought.. as long as you look like you're having fun on stage, you'll get a positive response even if you screw up a little.... Have fun with it and, for cripes sake, stop dissecting yourself... just do it....What's the worst that can happen?

#139284 by Mike Nobody
Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:03 pm
Crip2nite wrote:WOW! All this advice.... I just sat home, practiced, learned a buncha tunes, Craigslisted the crap out of the bands wanted section....got complete strangers together into my house after I sent them a set list....after about 5 rehearsals just called up a crappy club by me and got an opening slot and did a 45 minute set and had a freakin' blast.... I didn't give a rat's ass what anybody thought.. as long as you look like you're having fun on stage, you'll get a positive response even if you screw up a little.... Have fun with it and, for cripes sake, stop dissecting yourself... just do it....What's the worst that can happen?

Image

#139286 by jsantos
Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:07 pm
Hello Ellis! If you enjoy singing and want to take the chance, GO FOR IT! Some people are naturally musically gifted and others, not so much. If you are like me who is not naturally musically gifted, it will be a lot of work, practice, and patience. I practice 3 hours a day with a metronome just to maintain the chops that I have. I was lucky enough to meet musicians while trying out with bands to give me advice and direction. When I started (8 years ago), I was mediocre at best but some musicians saw that I had the heart and determination, and they gave me a shot. I am still trying to get better at my instrument and I have a feeling it will be a lifelong goal. Give it a shot my friend! Try open mics and go to LIVE shows to see how singers in the bands do it. Learn what to do and not what to do.

Good luck!

#139291 by Cajundaddy
Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:49 pm
Crip2nite wrote:WOW! All this advice.... I just sat home, practiced, learned a buncha tunes, Craigslisted the crap out of the bands wanted section....got complete strangers together into my house after I sent them a set list....after about 5 rehearsals just called up a crappy club by me and got an opening slot and did a 45 minute set and had a freakin' blast.... I didn't give a rat's ass what anybody thought.. as long as you look like you're having fun on stage, you'll get a positive response even if you screw up a little.... Have fun with it and, for cripes sake, stop dissecting yourself... just do it....What's the worst that can happen?


Bingo!
If you want it, just do it. You will figure out the rest as you go. Don't forget to enjoy the ride.

#139314 by neanderpaul
Fri Feb 04, 2011 3:04 am
Yes you need to be singing. You can do it. This coming from a singer. Absolutely pursue it. Sure karaoke is different as has been mentioned. Vocal stamina is a huge factor. It's muscular. Build it up through long band practices and let her rip live. Good luck finding a band.

The first few notes came out and I said "of course!" With singers there is pitch, timing, and tone ... AND another intangible thing. In my opinion you have it too.

Keep us posted!

Oh yeah, welcome!

#139368 by Krul
Fri Feb 04, 2011 4:42 pm
I didn't listen yet, but I will. I can give you an answer without listening though.

In my opinion, if it's in your heart, and one of your great desires to play music in a band, then that's what you should do, and strive to be your best. You just might be surprised. :wink:

#139375 by AirViking
Fri Feb 04, 2011 6:24 pm
A band works best with like minded people ellis.
Be specific in what you are looking for, to avoid unnecessary gnashing of teeth when you either audition for something you dont like, or audition someone that does fit the bill.
Have songs ready to go as well.
And if not full songs as a vocalist, at least have lyrics.
Those are start up tips, as for you question.
The real question is: Are you ready for a band?

#139377 by Prevost82
Fri Feb 04, 2011 6:31 pm
jw123 wrote:Ellis trust me singing at home and at karaoke is a whole different world than playing with a group of people.

As I said just get out there and do it with some live people even if its only an acoustic guitar or a piano, just do it if you think you can.

Good Luck


About 15 yrs ago I put a band together and we would find 4 of the best karaoke singers each month and get them to learn 6 songs each (they pick the songs). So each month the band learned 24 new songs and the singers would get 4 reheasals with the band (1 a week) and at the end of the month we played at a venue in town ... all their friend would come out and pack the place to see them sing with a band.

As John stated having karaoke singer sing with a band was very challenging for the band, so it doesn't end up as a trainwreck. One of the biggest challenge was their vocal phrasing .. coming in to early or to late and not knowing how to get back to where they had to be ... then the band would have to adjust to where the singer was ... and if we didn't have good players it would have been a wreck. We did this for a year then finally quit ... it was just too much work for the band.

The best thing you could do is learn a couple of simple songs really well and go out to some open mics and see how you do with a band .. as other have stated. There's a big difference sing live in a dynamic setting and singing along with a record that is fixed.

On a side note .. while doing this we did find one singer that was a natural. She can sing anybody any style .. country ... smoky blues ... jazz, R&B. Sing harmonies 2 - 3 - 4 part ... she's a marval to work with. I still do a piano duo with her every now and again.

Ron

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