xgsjx Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 As some might know, I'm putting together a band. It's the first time I've done this as prevous bands have been me joining them. I put a couple of ads up for various musicians, got a guitarist, a drummer (got rid of one that was stoned), and a control surface player, but one thing that struck me is vocalists. Every one so far has had no experience with a mic, don't know any basic music theory (what's a chord?) or play any instruments & then when they get in front of a mic, they struggle. The first singer I had did have a good voice, but as he hadn't used a mic before, he hated the sound of his voice & doesn't want to sing through a mic again. I've now got more singers interested, but again, no experience with a band or a mic & no writing skills either. I don't mind them having no experience if they're a good singer, but there's a lot of bedroom singers that can barely sing any better than me! I suppose I'm used to my last band's singer being an excellent songwriter & musician all round & finding someone with just a part of his skill is a task. So how do you guys go about getting a singer that has some skill & weeding out the bedroom singers? Do I have to have 5 turn up to an audition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Ask for a guitar player who can sing. Or do it yourself (singing and bass playing is hard I know). The less people in a band the better (unless it's a big band of course ) so multi instrumentalists are the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 You do need people who are on the same level musically as yourself so people who just sing (generally speaking) can be real trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 I think you could be right. The guitarist & the surface player can both sing, but neither want to be a lead singer. I can't sing worth a jube, thaough I sounded OK when I was full of the cold & recorded myself for the December composition compo. I'd like a frontman/woman singer that can ideally play an instrument, but doesn't play guitar on stage other than for the odd song. I'm not wanting a guitar band, so 1 guitarist is enough, though the drummer is also a guitarist (might even make musician status one day!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 wtf is a "control surface player"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmaxblues Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I was going to ask that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 I feel your pain We have auditoned a few singers recently one of them was simply dreadful and could not sing at all. A few others were just guff or didn`t turn up. I think the problem is they see the x factor and their mate/girlfriend/relation says that they are a great singer after singing at a kareoke bar and they decide to join a band. Sometimes you can be lucky but the only way to find out is give them some songs to learn and get them down for a play. It is frustrating. We have ended up with a guy who has only ever sung in a country and western set up but we got him down, the guy can wail and is willing to give the rock thing a shot. Even better, he has a really good pa Only time will tell if it works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alyctes Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Ours has no idea about instruments (she was gobsmacked when I hammered-on a note, she didn't know you could do notes with only one hand...). But she can sing. I think people who can sing are worth training how to use the kit. Good voices are rare. That's probably no help at all. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 "Only people who can actually sing need apply" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 They need to have some basic musical ability. There are some reasonable singers about but they all seem to be X-Factor wannabee Karaoki singers. In fact I blame X-Factor for everything that is wrong with the world. They probably won't have any concept of their range, they'll never of heard of keys never mind change to a different one. With one exception, all the useful singers I have known also play an instrument. And the one exception was mental Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 Good points. I'm trying to figure out what questions to ask in the initial emails when they reply to the ad. So far I'm asking what experience they have, what their vocal style is (not sure if I'm asking the right Q there), if they play any instruments & if they write lyrics. [quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1359071755' post='1949635'] wtf is a "control surface player"? [/quote] Someone who plays control surfaces. Control surfaces (in this instance) are for controlling sounds. Things like the Akai MPC, Korg Kaoss Pad, Roland SP & the Elektron Octatrack are synth/samplers with control surfaces instead of keys. There's also surfaces that look like mixers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oggiesnr Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Be more specific in your ad as to what type of music they will be singing and what you expect (ie basic musical knowledge and/or an instrument). May weed out some of the wannabees. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 no screamers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 The ad does say that the music is a mix of "Acid Jazz, Funk, Breakbeat, House & anything with a good groove, so hopefully that says "No screamers or grunters". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneknob Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Ask for some evidence of their ability via youtube clips, soundcloud, mp3s etc. And ask what their previous experience in other bands is. No demo = no audition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 [quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1359102404' post='1949782'] Ask for some evidence of their ability via youtube clips, soundcloud, mp3s etc. And ask what their previous experience in other bands is. No demo = no audition. [/quote] ask other local muso friends - you may be lucky enough to find a noob who has no previous experience/exposure of music scene (therefore no demo clips) but has a good voice and pitch etc etc and said muso friends might recommend them to you as worth offering an audition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 In a kind of arse-clenching-at-the-time-but-hilarious-later way, some of the most fun I've had in bands has been auditioning singers. The Irish bloke who wanted to audition with 'Moikel Jackson's Triller' was a standout, and yes, it really was 'Triller!' the way he sang-wailed it. This was well before the X-Factor-type programmes, though, so I'd imagine the bar for self-delusion is set a lot lower these days, and the ratio of ambition to talent is a lot higher... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TorturedSaints Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 [quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1359072469' post='1949652'] We have auditoned a few singers recently one of them was simply dreadful and could not sing at all. A few others were just guff or didn`t turn up. I think the problem is they see the x factor and their mate/girlfriend/relation says that they are a great singer after singing at a kareoke bar and they decide to join a band. [/quote] I think we have probably auditioned the same singers! There are a lot of timewasters in Glasgow, it seems. I remember one 'audition' where 4 singers definitely confirmed that they would be coming to try out - none of them turned up or even had the decency to text to say they weren't coming. +1 for requiring a demo on soundcloud or some evidence that they've sung with bands before, although that's always open to a bit of 'interpretation' in my experience. It probably helps if you have some of your ideas/demos posted online, at least prospective singers can't then say that they don't like your music. Good luck in your search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Whenever anyone applies for position of singer, ask for details of previous bands/recordings. Then do an internet search re the band, see if they`ve gigged or not. Obviously any recordings will give a good idea if you want to proceed with them. I`d also ask what gear they have - mics/pa etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 DIY. Go and get a couple of lessons to help make the most of your voice, then go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Vader Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1359107514' post='1949874'] Whenever anyone applies for position of singer, ask for details of previous bands/recordings. Then do an internet search re the band, see if they`ve gigged or not. Obviously any recordings will give a good idea if you want to proceed with them. I`d also ask what gear they have - mics/pa etc? [/quote] This, definitely, I don't have the time to help people with no experience anymore, and if they're made it to any age over 25 without having sung through a microphone before, they probably aren't going to be much cop. Maybe a bit sweeping and mean, but will save you a lot of hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 The Demo idea is a good call! I don't know many people here in Perth (I'm not a Perthaloid). I do know 3 guitarists (one that also plays drums, so he's in the band) but they don't know of any other musicians or singers that are any good. The previous singer & drummer had just moved to Perth, so they know less people than me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oggiesnr Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 From memory (it's a while since I last passed through) doesn't The Green Room do Open Mike Nights? Might get some live leads from there. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Karaoke bars might be worth checking out. The singer in one of my bands is good, can play guitar (but so far we haven't actually made any use of this), but hadn't sung in any bands before. He had done a fair amount of karaoke though. There seem to be a reasonable number of people who can sing to a reasonable standard out there. The problem comes when you try to find a reasonable singer who hasn't got an unreasonable attitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 I don't ask but I expect them to know the notes they can hit and get them when they go for it. It helps if they are a writer so can comp on gtr and keys so we can have a musical 'conversation'. If they are just starting, go learn on another gig... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.gif.9ad672bb8b84505709f76b39c8c256ec.gif)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.