RANT: What is it with lead singers...

[Taustin Powers]

We've had a new singer in our band for a few months now. Great guy, great voice, good ideas. He wrote some good lyrics and melodies for our songs.

Problem: He now complains that the songs are at the upper limit of his range, and it's really straining his voice to sing them. So he is asking us to tune down our instrument half a step.

 

My problems with this:

 

1) Tuning down means less tension on the strings, they get floppy and don't feel/sound as tight anymore on both bass and guitar. We would have to get thicker strings which also would slightly alter the feel and the tonal characteristics of the instruments.

 

2) We play a mix of funk and rock, fairly mid-heavy, old Chili Peppers-like. I don't think the tuning-down fits out style at all. It sounds...weaker, less powerful. If we were a hard rock or metal band, I'd be all for tuning down a little....but our songs actually sounded a lot worse to me when we tried it last night. They had a lot less "kick" for lack of a better word.

 

3) The guy joins the band and writes melodies he is not capable of singing comfortably. And now we (guitar/bass) are expected to adjust to it, compromising our current instrument setup and changing the songs for the worse??

We have six songs right now: two in E, one in A, one in F, one in F Sharp, and one in D. Only TWO are in the same key. Perhaps the key/pitch of the songs is not the problem, but the singer who can't write vocal melodies that he can sing?? And if we tune down now, isn't he just gonna do the same thing with new songs from now on?

 

I know from experience that it can suck to sing continuously sing at the upper limit of your range, so I can understand his position. I just don't know if tuning down is gonna be the right solution to this problem, as to me it compromises the quality of the overall music - it simply sounds better in the current key. And yeah I know, "it's only half a step", but it actually makes a big difference to my ears.

[VengefulTikiGod]

Who says you have to tune down? Just change the key manually. E to Eb or D, A to Ab or G, etc etc.

 

And I really think you have the wrong attitude about being forced to adjust to the singer's range and complaining that he writes melodies he can't sing in higher keys. You have to look at the bigger picture--the musical integrity of the band as a whole has to take priority, even if it's a hassle for the rhythm section. The singer is the most important part of the band. If he sounds bad, you all sound bad. If putting these songs in a different key makes it easier for him to sing, thus allowing him to consistently sing better without struggling, you should do it. It's a matter of keeping your priorities straight. Your audiences don't care if it's in your favorite key or not, they care about the big picture, the sum musical integrity of the band. Back up your singer.

 

And if you must detune, you could up the guages of your strings, but really, unless your songs rely heavily on licks that don't work without open strings, there's no reason not to change key manually.

[Taustin Powers]

Most of our stuff includes the use of open strings in some form, so simply changing the key is not that easy.

 

That said, you do make some good points.

 

It's hard to balance the priorities, music vs vocals, especially since I think his singing sounds better in normal tuning keys as well. There is one song where you can hear he's at his limit and it sounds *a little* forced, but the rest of them sound awesome. But they don't FEEL awesome to him, and that is a factor as well.

 

I guess for me, the overall quality (or integrity) of the songs would be compromised if we tune down, as I think the whole package (music & vocals) sounds better in normal tuning. But it's all useless if he doesn't feel comfortable on stage, so we'll see...

[Fran da Man]

Give him a nice swift jimmy kick before going on; he'll be singing 'Vienna' style all night long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Thunderbroom]

I guess I don't see the big deal. Granted, I play in a cover band. On a few occasions over the last few years one of the singers comes into rehearsal after we've agreed to learn some new songs and says that she can't sing the song in the orignal key. No big deal. We just lower it a half step and play.

 

I'm working on a side project with one of my singers. I used a handheld recorder to record her songs and started learning them. When she was at my house this past Sunday, she said I need to lower the key a half step for this one song. I changed the key and we played on.

 

Maybe the reason I don't have a problem with doing this is that (1) I rarely use open strings (2) I detune 2.5 steps.

[Goofball Jones]

SRV and Tommy Shannon tuned half a step down...seemed to work ok for them.

[Reverend179]

I'm way more comfy in Eb, usually the singer can handle things with a little more ease, and it's not really a big enough jump that most people notice.

 

Also I really don't see how a half-step detune makes the songs less 'impactful' (sic). It's not like you're changing anything about how the song is composed. You're just changing the tuning.

 

I say suck it up and do it. If it make the whole band tighter then that's way more important. I have to be honest and wonder if your pride is getting in the way a little bit, man.

[Taustin Powers]

I'm way more comfy in Eb, usually the singer can handle things with a little more ease, and it's not really a big enough jump that most people notice. Also I really don't see how a half-step detune makes the songs less 'impactful' (sic). It's not like you're changing anything about how the song is composed. You're just changing the tuning. I say suck it up and do it. If it make the whole band tighter then that's way more important. I have to be honest and wonder if your pride is getting in the way a little bit, man.

 

Not so much pride, I don't think. When he asked if we would consider trying it, I was all "sure, let's see how it sounds". Really not opposed to the concept in general. But then when we did try it, the songs just didn't sound right me. Of course they weren't ruined and unbearable, but I thought it was a change for the worse overall.

 

Nothing's decided yet, we will try it a few more times, maybe I will just get used to it (probably). It's just where I stand right now, after hearing the songs 1/2 step down last night.

 

What does kind of irk me a little though, is that if he had just written stuff he can actually comfortably sing in the first place, we wouldn't even have to deal with this right now. I don't write impossible bass lines and then later say "hey let's slow the songs down a little so I can play them."

[guitargod0dmw]

What does kind of irk me a little though, is that if he had just written stuff he can actually comfortably sing in the first place, we wouldn't even have to deal with this right now. I don't write impossible bass lines and then later say "hey let's slow the songs down a little so I can play them."

 

Maybe the melody wouldn't have sounded as cool or something. He can compromise by changing notes to make it more comfortable for him to sing...possibly at the expense on the vocal melody. Or...you guys can compromise with him and give his voice a break...

 

I see both sides on th coin, but if it were me...I'd probably down tune. My guitards on the other hand...they would bitch and complain about it...

[Perfessor]

I'd be happier changing keys. I think tuning down is an exception most people avoid.

[bholder]

He should write stuff he can sing. Playing in another key is an option, if it works. So is detuning, if it works for the rest of the band, but a half step really shouldn't make much difference to his voice - if he's pushing it that hard that a half step down helps him, then he's really writing things way out of his proper range.

 

I'd say stick to your guns and tell him to write stuff he can sing, or else learn how to transpose the tunes to a different key (without the open strings).

[GRANKOR]

a half step? quit yer bitchin'

[walkerci]

SRV and Tommy Shannon tuned half a step down...seemed to work ok for them.

 

Interesting. I play SRV all the time and always tune BEADG.

[JacieFB]

First cut at this, I say a half-step? What's the big deal? I actually mean that to both you and your singer.

 

Second cut, if it is more of a way for your singer to be "lazy" about singing, then I think you are totally in the right. Especially if you're playing originals.

I really can't think of too many instances where you're playing for longer than a half-hour to 45 minutes as an up-and-coming original band. If your singer has had the chops and now is backing off of them, then he simply needs to practice more. If you say he's sounded good before in standard, then he's doing something wrong or he's being lazy about keeping up his voice. It's not that damned hard to sing in standard tuning. Also, if he suggests you drop-C, send him packing.

 

Digging a little deeper, it might help to look at the songs. How dynamic are your tunes pitch-wise? If you're just playing a song like, say, for an ultra-easy example, "Blitzkreig Bop" from The Ramones. The progression is basic and doesn't swing much. A to D to E. The 2nd part goes from D to A then B to D to E. Not very dynamic with regards to pitch. Are your songs like this? If so, then what's the big deal for either party? Pick a key that's comfortable.

 

If your songs go from very high to very low, then I'd say yes, by all means, that 1/2 step can mean a lot. As a singer, I've pretty well figured out that a high G is about the top of my range. First off, to the other folks' points, I wouldn't write songs that keep me topped out all the time. But using that dynamic of going from a lower note to that higher note can really build a song. On the other end of things, I know my voice isn't that strong on the low side of things. So if the song involved a low E, I'd be weaker on that side. So it's helpful for me to stay above it.

Conversely, if your singer is belting it out down low...at low E, and he's still got range on the lower side of things, but tops out at, say, high F#, but has this ultra cool and catchy melody that travels from low E up to high G...why not cheat it that one note lower so that that dynamic melody is kept? He's solid low and solid up high?

 

My point is...serve the melody. While the melody and words can't survive without a solid foundation, a song, traditioinally, is not a song without melody.

[isaac42]

I can't help thinking of Queen. Freddy was a baritone, but sang way the hell up there in the studio. Live, he'd almost always cheat, change the melody, or go an octave lower. Fortunately for him, he had Roger Taylor to hit the high notes live.

[baracuda2004]

Well if that is your only problem with your singer then consider yourself lucky. Our singer was bringing random girls to the band room while we weren't there and {censored}ing them then leaving thier underwear and used condoms laying around the practice space. Our guitarist came in one day and found a USED condom laying on top of his XXX... he went {censored}ing ballistic and I though he was gonna kill Jeremy i'd have wanted to do the same if it'd been my amp though. Oh and he'd call us and say "I can't make it to practice i'm sick." so we'd get through practicing and all go catch a movie or hit the music shops and we'd see him either running the mall with a girl or running the roads.. then he'd appologize and say he'd been really sick until "????" called then he felt better but thought it'd be too late to show up for practice by then. Let's see what else... he'd also hookup all our gear and play with our {censored} without asking first and we'd come in next practice and {censored} would be everywhere.