Singers voice betrays him after first song. What would you do?

[ambient]

I'm not a vocalist, but I know plenty of amazing ones at uni.

I was quite amazed when I started just what they do to keep themselves and their voices fit.

I was used to vocalists just turning up and singing, it's a different ball game for pro singers though, the warm up exercises and vocal warm ups that they do.

If someone keeps getting colds and bugs, it could be down to poor diet, that can lower your resistance to things.

[Weststarx]

This thread has scared me and now I want to learn our entire set vocally just in case before our gig this Friday...

[FuNkShUi]

I was scared after the first song of our friday night gig knowing we basically had 2 full gigs to do. Lesson we have learnt is, be prepared for anything. Fair play to our sax player for stepping up and doing a good job at it!

[DogHammer]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1418051433' post='2626299']
If someone keeps getting colds and bugs, it could be down to poor diet, that can lower your resistance to things.
[/quote]

Yeah that's definitely our singer. 5 redbulls and 40 fags a day is his way.

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1418051433' post='2626299']
I was used to vocalists just turning up and singing, it's a different ball game for pro singers though, the warm up exercises and vocal warm ups that they do.

If someone keeps getting colds and bugs, it could be down to poor diet, that can lower your resistance to things.
[/quote]

Yeh i think its made him realise he is going to have to go about things a little more methodically, rather than just turn up and sing.

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='DogHammer' timestamp='1418053260' post='2626319']
Yeah that's definitely our singer. 5 redbulls and 40 fags a day is his way.
[/quote]

Hahaha i cant blame his diet/well being. Hes a pretty fit guy, builder by trade so he's always active and eating well.
Just one of those things i guess

[Lozz196]

Avoiding air-conditioning helps - this drys out the throat pretty well. Difficult in many offices, but always an option in the car, swith the darn thing off.

[ubit]

Some people just have the luck to have a great voice with no tuition or care of said voice. Look at Bon Scott! I personally find I sing a lot better after a few lagers, within reason of course cos I play as well ........but it's all rock n roll innit?

[PaulWarning]

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1418055601' post='2626348']
Some people just have the luck to have a great voice with no tuition or care of said voice.
[/quote]remember an interview with Eric Burden (of the Animals for our younger readers) and he said he never does anything to protect his voice he just calls it up and it's there, who said all men are born equal? load of old bollocks

[KevB]

Although by no means the best singer in the world I have to say our guy is pretty consistent at least. Even when we have a fairly heavy schedule over December he's usually OK. Been doing it 8 years at least so iguess he's found out what he can push and what he can't through experience. He doesn't 'project' that much, PA doing all the work (doesn't use monitors) so maybe that actually helps sometimes?

[EssentialTension]

If that was in my band I'd be suggesting a few sessions with a voice coach.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1418031971' post='2626054']
I am always amazed how many singers seem to have no regime for looking after their voice..
One of the reasons why we don't/can't do more than 2 hrs...

[/quote]
The female singer in my function band went for a lesson with a vocal coach, the coach asked her
"whats you warmup regime?"
"?erm a pint of Stella and a fag?"
"No no you cant have a pint of Stella before a gig!"
"What about Carling?"

100% true story, never been back but she can knock out some blondie, pretenders, specials etc so its all good.

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1418058544' post='2626415']
If that was in my band I'd be suggesting a few sessions with a voice coach.
[/quote]

Yeh, it's being looked into. Although if anyone has some recommendations for vocal coaches in South Wales area, i'd be very grateful

[JTUK]

It isn't so much the now.. it is 20 years down the line and it is those sort of guys
you'll be wanting to use as they have experience, and range and frontman abilities.
But 20 years of hard use can kill a voice.
One of the best singers round here never used monitors and sang over a loud band
so he was straining most nights...
He has had to give up now.

I think its is something that a lot of singers just aren't aware of... so this might be a wake-up call
for some to do something about it before it is too late...??
Longevity is the reason why I don't beat the hell out of my bass..or beat my hands up doing it..same sort of thing, IMO.

[essexbasscat]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1418129301' post='2627090']
It isn't so much the now.. it is 20 years down the line and it is those sort of guys
you'll be wanting to use as they have experience, and range and frontman abilities.
But 20 years of hard use can kill a voice.
One of the best singers round here never used monitors and sang over a loud band
so he was straining most nights...
He has had to give up now.

I think its is something that a lot of singers just aren't aware of... so this might be a wake-up call
for some to do something about it before it is too late...??
Longevity is the reason why I don't beat the hell out of my bass..or beat my hands up doing it..same sort of thing, IMO.
[/quote]

JTUK raises a very good point here. Is the foldback doing the job properly ? if not, is the singer straining the voice to compensate ?
Don't overlook this one, it's very important

[PaulWarning]

on the subject of monitors, according to Rod Stewart in ear monitors saved his career as his voice was giving him trouble because of straining with normal monitors, tried to tell our singer that but he won't listen just like he wouldn't about ear plugs, he's now got tinnitus, and guess what, he now wears ear plugs, just the same as me

[KevB]

Our singer doesn't use them but I don't really think it's a great idea. He stands a good way in front of the PA speakers (small PA, loud enough for pubs etc but would never fill a big hall) so he is hearing his own (and the bvox) fine but through the main PA speakers rather than a dedicated monitor. The main problem is he finds it supposedly 'offputting' for anyone else to bring in their own monitor so the the rest of us (behind the PA) are always struggling to actually hear our bvox. Incidentally we played somewhere on Sat that provide a powered wedge monitor and he acually used it! and the rest of us could just about hear it too, thought it was the best balance of lead/bvox we've had in ages. I actually have a decent wedge monitor at home with a slave unit but he won't let us use it. Bizarre.

[stingrayPete1977]

That's just crazy and also not going to work if you get a gig that requires volume because of the feed back from his mic, bizarre as you say!

[ubit]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1418197157' post='2627778']
That's just crazy and also not going to work if you get a gig that requires volume because of the feed back from his mic, bizarre as you say!
[/quote]

Tell him the whole band matters more than him and if you can't hear, that's no use. I can't stand control freaks!

[FuNkShUi]

Yeh that does seem a bit strange. Why would he turn something away that will only help him??

[KevB]

It's his band, his rules. After having my offer of wedges knocked back I assumed he thought it was maybe acting as a barrier between him and audience. Spent a decent amount of money on a new Behringer205D which I could then have unobtrusively next to me and at least I'd be able ot hear my bvox OK. Lasted 3 gigs in which he whined about being able to hear it and it putting him off (as he was so far forward and the monitor was at my side it was basically pointing directly away from him most of the time) before it became clear I shouldn't bring it in future. It's now sitting at home waiting until I join another band.

[skej21]

In our band, three of us are confident and (just!) able enough to cover the singing for the entire set (split between us)... If the singer comes down with something with advance warning (a few days), we get a dep. if we don't have much notice (48 hours or less!) we just drop a harmony and take lead on the ones we find easiest. We've rehearsed this as preparation for such a situation so we don't have to cancel and let anyone down. Never had to cancel a gig because of a pesky cold and hopefully never will :-)

Edited December 10, 2014 by skej21

[51m0n]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1418220731' post='2628084']
It's his band, his rules. After having my offer of wedges knocked back I assumed he thought it was maybe acting as a barrier between him and audience. Spent a decent amount of money on a new Behringer205D which I could then have unobtrusively next to me and at least I'd be able ot hear my bvox OK. Lasted 3 gigs in which he whined about being able to hear it and it putting him off (as he was so far forward and the monitor was at my side it was basically pointing directly away from him most of the time) before it became clear I shouldn't bring it in future. It's now sitting at home waiting until I [b]join another band[/b].
[/quote]

There's you answer, this chap is a bit of a knob frankly, and will never be able to play anywhere bigger than the dog and duck.

[KevB]

Been looking on and off for about 8 months but nothing's come together that ticks enough boxes yet. Actually he has played much bigger venues (eg Rock City) than pubs before I joined the band but for those they would have had PA and sound engineer provided. I bumped into someone at a jam night who was at one of these bigger gigs and said in all fairness he was actually pretty good on the night. I keep trying to subtly suggest that to get to better gigs or make a better impression on the wedding gigs we do it would pay to invest in some better gear but it falls on deaf ears. I'm beginning to wonder if he's just accepted that its as much as he's wiling to put in and when the old PA he's always hauled around from day 1 (from the impression I get from previous band members) finally falls over he might just fold the whole operation.

Edited December 10, 2014 by KevB

[police squad]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1418076174' post='2626724']
The female singer in my function band went for a lesson with a vocal coach, the coach asked her
"whats you warmup regime?"
"?erm a pint of Stella and a fag?"
"No no you cant have a pint of Stella before a gig!"
"What about Carling?"

100% true story, never been back but she can knock out some blondie, pretenders, specials etc so its all good.
[/quote]


Brilliant.
I've been singing for over 25 years and have only ever completely lost my voice ( at a gig) once. It was about 15 mins before the end of the 2nd set.

And these days if I get a heavy cold I am at risk of losing my voice but luckily I don't get many colds. I have no special regime or tricks. I stay hydrated. This is very important. If you dehydrate, you can lose your voice. It's was from a book called the rock n roll singers survival manual (something like that).
I don't smoke.
I'm 46 and have no idea whether I will be able to sing when I'm 60 but I'll carry on trying.

These days, though, I do use a monitor but I don't know if that really helps with the straining.