Members dert_stylus Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Trying out a couple of singers in a week to 10 days.... the majority of them are also guitarist as we asked them to be in the add we posted. Each of them has said that they have written material. here is the problem.... My drummer want the singer to do a cover song (we as a band have never done any covers...we must learn a song in a couple of days) I (the bassist) say the people Auditioning should just plug in or sing acapella the best song they have (written by them or someone else) , and try to blow us out of the water !!! what do you guys think? thanks for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hammer744 Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Why not both - 1 cover that you pick, and one of their original work. If they sing their own original only, it will probably be the one most suited to their voice, and you may not get a true indication of their range, tone, etc. By including a cover that you pick, you can have a little more control what you're going to hear from the singer, and hopefully a more complete audition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Melville Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Originally posted by hammer744 Why not both - 1 cover that you pick, and one of their original work. If they sing their own original only, it will probably be the one most suited to their voice, and you may not get a true indication of their range, tone, etc.By including a cover that you pick, you can have a little more control what you're going to hear from the singer, and hopefully a more complete audition. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zachoff Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Unless you're a cover band, don't make him/her sing a cover song that they might not know. I'd say let them pick a couple songs to sing/play in front of you. Chances are they'll pick songs they know and like and if you guys are on the same page, musically, the folks in your band will like the songs as well. If not, then try out someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DanTolen Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Uh oh, Derek you had better come look at those results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 +1 for cover song and original. That will give you and your drummer a better chance to assess how the singer fits into the mix, and also fits into your vision of how the band should sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dert_stylus Posted October 19, 2005 Author Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 thanks guys !!! 1 and 1 it is..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bonscottvocals Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 I don't know if it's too late to ring in, but a cover tune that is not his/her choice probably won't work. Just because a singer can nail For Those About to Rock doesn't mean he get get his hands around You Shook me All Night Long. Regardless of whether you think you'll judge the vocals against the original, you will subconsciously, and so will the rest of the band. It's more important that if you're an originals band that the song writing skills are good, and that the vocal style meets your band's goals for a vocalist. As you can see by my username, someone will call me and say that they want to do this Bon Scott era AC/DC tune only to pull out something like Thunderstruck, and then they wonder why I don't sound like the recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dert_stylus Posted October 19, 2005 Author Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Originally posted by bonscottvocals I don't know if it's too late to ring in, but a cover tune that is not his/her choice probably won't work. Just because a singer can nail For Those About to Rock doesn't mean he get get his hands around You Shook me All Night Long. Regardless of whether you think you'll judge the vocals against the original, you will subconsciously, and so will the rest of the band. It's more important that if you're an originals band that the song writing skills are good, and that the vocal style meets your band's goals for a vocalist.As you can see by my username, someone will call me and say that they want to do this Bon Scott era AC/DC tune only to pull out something like Thunderstruck, and then they wonder why I don't sound like the recording. That is what I figured. The People auditioning will be doing a TOOL/APC/STP and we will be comparing them regardless of what they sound like.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fastplant Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 This is interesting. I'm actually auditioning with a few bands that are looking for singers. The thing I'm most worried about is that they're going to spring something on me that I don't have enough time to learn well enough. It's not that I can't sing well, but I have a hard time singing something if I'm not 100% sure how the song even goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bonscottvocals Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 FastPlant, I always ask for a cd or mp3 before I have to show up completely cold. I can read, but if I don't know the melody in my head? It's one thing to walk in and play bass over a piece that you don't know, but to sing it can be pretty daunting. I tried out for this funk band once, and the audition went well, except I was so clean that I wasn't funky enough for them. They were looking for a James Brown sound and I was in the Stevie Wonder thing. There are also little details to timing that can't be ignored. I've done sit-in gigs where a singer gets sick and I jump in to sing anything from a Rush tribute to all around heavy rock covers. You should familiarize yourself with a lot of music across the board. I might be singing Barry Gibb one minute, Boston the next, then have to break into White Snake. The important thing is that no gig is worth blowing your voice to do. Get the songs, realistically evaluate your own voice against them, then decide whether you can sing them night after night. It's one thing for a karaoke king or queen to nail their favorite tune once a week in front of a tv screen and quite another to wail away at the top of your range for 4 hours sandwiched between the screaming amps of the band and a hundred or more bar patrons. Here's what I sound like after doing it for over 20 years. I've been in everything from hair metal bands to Bee Gees tributes, but I was always smart enough to say no when I was pushed too hard. dert_stylus, you'll be looking for someone who can fit into the sound that inspires you to write. I think the choice of tune will probably weed out the losers and let you look closely at the winners. Remember this though, going back to my point above, staying power is key. It's like trying to audition a marathon runner by having them sprint the 440. Not much different? If the guy or gal can't sing/play for an hour, what makes you think they can carry the band when you've got a Fri and Sat gig opening for Mudvayne? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fastplant Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Originally posted by bonscottvocals FastPlant, I always ask for a cd or mp3 before I have to show up completely cold. I can read, but if I don't know the melody in my head? It's one thing to walk in and play bass over a piece that you don't know, but to sing it can be pretty daunting. Yeah, I agree, and I did that. But the thing that worries me is that these bands are all original bands. So I'm auditioning on their material, which is tough because you don't exactly hear their songs on the radio often, so it's a little tough to get the sequences in my head. So I'm most nervous about them putting me on the spot after I try out with one or two tunes. And I've been singing for a long time too, I wish I had some mp3's of myself though, that'd make things alot easier, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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