Training

[Gary in NJ]

First time post in the Vocal Forum.

 

A few weeks ago I posted a thread in the "Backstage" forum regarding "how to fire a singer". There was a lot of advice on how and how soon, but there were a few posts questioning if I was making the right decision. That leads me here.

 

Here's the background story.

 

Last summer we picked up a new female co-singer (I'm the other singer). We wanted a singer that had a great stage presence. Someone who could bring the party. And we found a singer that had that in spades. Her stage presence was so good in fact, that we never noticed during the audition process that she couldn't sing that well.

 

Soon after joining I realized there was a problem and starting working with her one-on-one to improve her singing. I contributed her frequent departures from the correct key as nerves, or lack of familiarity with the song. I was sure it would get better.

 

We started gigging with her in September. Everyone who came out to hear our new singer thought she was great; just loved her stage presence. By now I was fully aware that she took frequent excursions from the correct key, but thought "hey if they don't notice, all is good".

 

And it was good, until one-by-one they started to listen. And the feedback wasn't pretty. After the holidays we found it difficult to book gigs. In fact, the only gigs we have booked are gigs that she has booked.

 

At first no one in the band wanted to make a change thinking "as long as people are dancing, who cares". I don't want to be fussy, but the quality of our music matters to me, probably more then anything. So a few weeks ago I pressed the issue with the band members and they finally relented, and agreed that it was time to make a change. So I've started the process of looking for a new singer.

 

We played a gig last weekend. At the end of the gig, the band decided that maybe a better action plan would be to try to improve her singing. We really like her, and don't want to let her go without giving her a fair chance to improve.

 

I think she may have a hearing problem. When we play acoustically, she has much better pitch control. During louder songs she begins to scream, which results in her going way off key - not to mention that the screaming is just terrible. I also notice that when she sings harmony, she HAS TO oversing the melody. I find this annoying, but now I'm thinking that it's the only way she can hear herself. It seems as though the problem is directly proportional to the ambient noise level.

 

We do not use in-ear monitors, and I'm sure these might help. But before I drop a grand or more on IEM's, I want to make sure that the problem is fixable. Can anyone suggest some exercises or other vocal work we can do to try to isolate the issue?

 

Anybody else ever go through this? What worked for you?

[b_f_c_99]

I can tell you that I have the same problem, if i'm playing and singing something at a low volume level I can get a passable performance in a recording situation.

Crank it up to stage volume and I can't find the key if the lock was the size of the golden gate bridge. I just literally cannot get the music and my voice to blend. So I think I just go way off pitch so i can actually hear myself. Very very frustrating. If you find and answer let me know!

[Jersey Jack]

This question has been raised a few times recently on the forum, and it bears repeating: Improving any singer's ability to hear him/herself may well produce a huge improvement. This is especially true for less gifted singers--among whom, alas, I number myself. If you don't yet want to invest in IEMs, you should try to set up a floor monitor right in her face, with the volume as high as it can be without feeding back. This may work wonders.

 

I noticed that you don't have any recordings on your myspace site. An easy way to begin to address the problem would be to record a gig or reghearsal and then invite her to listen to the recording. If she doesn't appear to notice on the recording that she's off-key, then she's probably not going to improve very much without dedicated practice and regular lessons with a good teacher.

 

The screaming could be a reaction to not hearing herself properly. If so, the monitor should help. If not, the recording should make her aware of the problem.

 

In the worst-case scenario, getting rid of her is easy. We specialize in this business here in Jersey.

[Gary in NJ]

Each of us (singers and non-singers) has a monitor. But she often complains about not hearing. I use a Feedback Ferret, and lately turn the Aux Bus up until the Ferret can not longer do it's job. As a result, stage volume is becoming an issue.

 

You can find a 5 minute clip of her (and me) singing on our website (see signature).

[Dthraco]

Oddly enough, I have found that my musicians plugs help at loud volumes.

 

Not only are they lowering the volume and making it safer, but they also do something else. I would compare it to plugging your ear so you can hear the notes ressonate in your head. After I got used to it, I noticed that I can 'hear' my pitch when I can't hear it in the monitor. Now I'm so used to it, I can *almost* get away with no monitors, but that is an extreme case.

 

You can get hearos for $15.

 

But the best bet is making sure she can hear herself clearly. Get her monitor up to her head level so it points directly at her.

[Bajazz]

That's what you get for going for a nice ass!!

 

I'm sorry, but she needs to do a lot of work like the others of us. Looking at hours of singing every day.

[SevenString]

I've never looked into this myself, but maybe you can you rent the IEMs for a few rehearsals?

 

If her singing improves significantly, then you have a good idea it's worth dropping the coin if you want to keep her around.

[AzraelsWings]

I would also suggest a good set of musicians' plugs. I recommend Etymotic Research. (I'm not sure if I'm spelling it right.)