Singers with bad voices

[boxofrocks]

Bob Dylan

Tom Petty

Dave Mathews

John Mayer

Tom Waits

Geddy Lee

 

Hi guys,

I usually hang in the drum forum, but I also play guitar and bass, and recently started trying to sing. I'm having a hard time here. When folks see a guy with an acoustic, singing a song, they seem to expect some kind of pretty sweet country voice or something, but my voice just isn't pretty to listen to.

My wife says I do that nasal whine thing she hates about Tom Petty. But I can't change my voice, so, all you guys that hit the notes, but may have ugly voices, how do you get over that, and just make it your own, and put it out there?

 

How do guys like Dylan get by with being so bad, yet so good, besides the great writing, I mean, people don't think twice about listening to legends with {censored}ty voices. Why then do they expect American Idol when it's a local musician, and if you're not, you suck.. Why is that?

[Jersey Jack]

Well, since you asked, singing is NOT primarily about having a good voice. Seems counter-intuitive, no? But true it is. People latch on to technical singing because that's a whole lot easier to explain/teach/learn than the kind of thing that Bob and Neil and Tom Petty do.

 

How does one do it? Desire, and deep love for the music, and massive stones.

 

And sun glasses.

 

If my wife said that I suck like Tom Petty she'd have a lot more jewelry.

[kurdy]

 

Bob Dylan How do guys like Dylan get by with being so bad, yet so good, besides the great writing, I mean, people don't think twice about listening to legends with {censored}ty voices. Why then do they expect American Idol when it's a local musician, and if you're not, you suck.. Why is that?

 

 

Familiarity. Guys like Dylan and Neil Young have gotten away with it due to years of being played on the radio and hit songs that everyone knows. People have simply gotten used to the sound of their voice.

 

Beyond that, the writing is the thing. If you're a writer/performer, the audience will generally understand that the focal point is not your voice. All of those guys would probably have never become successful through performing other people's material. You just have to write great tunes. Also being a good performer is important too, I think. Gone are the days where an unknown performer can get away with sitting alone on stage with his guitar, staring at the floor. If you can't work the crowd and keep them engaged, they aren't gonna pay attention.

[Surrealistic]

 

Familiarity. Guys like Dylan ... have gotten away with it due to years of being played on the radio and hit songs that everyone knows. People have simply gotten used to the sound of their voice.

I don't think that's it. Bob Dylan didn't make his initial impact as a songwriter; he made it as a performer of existing folk, blues, country and other traditional songs. Enough people thought he was an amazing performer on that basis that he became a rising star in the folk world. They couldn't have been used to the sound of his voice or thought he was a "bad" singer.

 

IMO he isn't and never has been a "bad" singer. He started out trying to sound like Woody Guthrie and the old Blues guys but he developed a style so distinctive that you can hear his influence on countless other singers.

[YeahDoIt]

I stopped trying to figure it out a long time ago.

[Surrealistic]

and another thing ...

 

Just wanted to add that I first heard Dylan when I was a child. Same goes for Neil Young. I didn't hear them through a critical adult's ears. I simply heard them both on the radio and just loved the sound of their voices. To me, that's what being a good singer is about. Connecting to the listener, making them want to hear more, making them want to know more about the performer, delivering the lyric in a way that makes you want to read the lyric and understand the emotion and thought behind it.

 

Technical vocal prowess hardly enters the equation for me.

[wikwox]

Over the years I have encountered more than a few performers who had "bad" voices, that being raspy, nasal or just plain uninteresting. BUT they had found a niche to sing in and made it work, sometimes with great success. I'm in the same boat, for many years my niche was as the designated screamer. The truth is "different" is frequently a good thing for rock, blues and even pop music.

[Jersey Jack]

I like the way this thread is going!

 

The most important things to possess are confidence and intense love of the music. The rest will follow.

 

But I don't want this to suggest that hard work isn't necessary. I believe that the singers we're discussing here in fact work very hard on their vocals. They just don't always work on them in a strictly technical sense.

[kurdy]

 

I don't think that's it. Bob Dylan didn't make his initial impact as a songwriter; he made it as a performer of existing folk, blues, country and other traditional songs. Enough people thought he was an amazing performer on that basis that he became a rising star in the folk world. They couldn't have been used to the sound of his voice or thought he was a "bad" singer. IMO he isn't and never has been a "bad" singer. He started out trying to sound like Woody Guthrie and the old Blues guys but he developed a style so distinctive that you can hear his influence on countless other singers.

 

 

I did read Dylan's memoir, so I'm familiar with his story. But the folk circles he came up in definitely didn't reflect mainstream America. And when he had his initial success in the mid '60s, audiences, especially young people, were much more open to accepting new and different sounds--it was just the tone of the times. Sadly, I think those times are long gone. Now everything on the radio sounds the same, and the majority of people of all ages don't want to hear anything that doesn't sound like something else they already know.

 

One might be able to find a niche in some kind of "scene" with an unusual enough style, but unfortunately, active music scenes are becoming a thing of the past as well in most parts. So that leaves mainstream audiences, and if you're going to win them over, it seems to me like you'd either need to have great songs and an entertaining stage presence (assuming you can find an audience who is still open to hearing original material), or you need to have what fits the most general definition of a "good" voice. That's just how it is nowadays.

[iudas]

I don't find Dylan's voice bad. His technique is lousy, with poor control and pitch, but I find the tone of his voice pleasant and as expressive as the best technical singers'.

[Pankot]

My wife really likes Geddy Lee's voice.... in fact it's what initially got her into Rush.

[boxofrocks]

Thanks for all the replies guys..

I personally love their voices, but in general, they aren't "singers" they just sing.. They make do with what they got, and own it.. I love that about them, and wish I could do the same is all.

Mascis from Dino Jr. perfect example.. He really has an acquired taste kind of voice, but he owns it..

[Gomer Pyle]

Rush wouldn't be Rush without Geddy's voice, I think he's pretty intense. Here's Rush doing Anthem live.

[phoniclab]

 

My wife says I do that nasal whine thing she hates about Tom Petty. But I can't change my voice...

 

 

Actually you can change your voice in some respects. A nasal whine usually comes from placing the note too far forward in your head. With training you could learn to place the note further back and get a more natural tone. If that's what you want.

 

I had developed a bit of a "country" voice myself. Even though I grew up listening to classic rock, the first songs I learned to sing were country and thus I got a country voice. I started taking voice lessons and learned about note placement and have gotten somewhat less of a country voice.

[Justef]

I think that that the worst voice have a soloist of Nickelblack

[rhat]

 

I did read Dylan's memoir, so I'm familiar with his story. But the folk circles he came up in definitely didn't reflect mainstream America. And when he had his initial success in the mid '60s, audiences, especially young people, were much more open to accepting new and different sounds-- it was just the tone of the times. Sadly, I think those times are long gone. Now everything on the radio sounds the same, and the majority of people of all ages don't want to hear anything that doesn't sound like something else they already know. One might be able to find a niche in some kind of "scene" with an unusual enough style, but unfortunately, active music scenes are becoming a thing of the past as well in most parts. So that leaves mainstream audiences, and if you're going to win them over, it seems to me like you'd either need to have great songs and an entertaining stage presence (assuming you can find an audience who is still open to hearing original material), or you need to have what fits the most general definition of a "good" voice. That's just how it is nowadays.

 

 

 

Na we were just high as hell...

[The Bard Rocks]

There are relatively few professionals with great voices, compared to what you might expect. The common thread in successful singers can be summed up in one word: entertainment. If the audience feels there were well entertained, then they are satisfied.

 

Roland, "The Bard Rocks"

[boxofrocks]

^^ I guess that pretty much sums it all up doesn't it.. Thanks Bard..

[kurdy]

Na we were just high as hell...

 

haha...well, that was probably a big part of it.

[CountRobula]

 

Thanks for all the replies guys.. I personally love their voices, but in general, they aren't "singers" they just sing.. They make do with what they got, and own it.. I love that about them, and wish I could do the same is all. Mascis from Dino Jr. perfect example.. He really has an acquired taste kind of voice, but he owns it..

 

 

I don't think there's anything even wrong with his voice, it's unique, but is it really unpleasant? It's just got that kind of lazy drawl, which I like, fits with their innocent, laid back grooves.

 

I don't think that Neil Young even sounds unpleasant, J Mascis is similar to him, but he has a more nasal tone. I wouldn't say it's really that unpleasant, though.

 

Tom Waits sounds like a bad ass, too. At first I didn't hear anything I really liked, but Waits has a great sounding voice to me. Very bluesy.

[SingerDude]

passion, and believing in your songs. If you're passionate about your own songs, you don't have to have a technically perfect voice. People will enjoy your songs and singing if they're decent songs that mean something and come from the heart.

 

Anyway, that's been the case for me.....I hear passion when I hear Dylan, Petty, Springsteen, and others.

 

I like Roger from the Who too....And his voice is pretty "bad" these days....But I can listen to him all day because of his passion for his art.

 

Hope this helps.

[JDRock]

Bob Dylan Tom Petty Dave Mathews John Mayer Tom Waits Geddy Lee Hi guys, I usually hang in the drum forum, but I also play guitar and bass, and recently started trying to sing. I'm having a hard time here. When folks see a guy with an acoustic, singing a song, they seem to expect some kind of pretty sweet country voice or something, but my voice just isn't pretty to listen to. My wife says I do that nasal whine thing she hates about Tom Petty. But I can't change my voice, so, all you guys that hit the notes, but may have ugly voices, how do you get over that, and just make it your own, and put it out there? How do guys like Dylan get by with being so bad, yet so good, besides the great writing, I mean, people don't think twice about listening to legends with shitty voices. Why then do they expect American Idol when it's a local musician, and if you're not, you suck.. Why is that?

 

haahaa...what does it mean that i cover 4 of those guys ?

[boxofrocks]

Be honest.. How bad is it... Well don't be brutal, I'm trying to gain confidence here lol. But honestly. Could I pull it off with practice?

 

[YOUTUBE]B1OCIpu_92c[/YOUTUBE]

[Jersey Jack]

How bad is it?!? Really, dude, you need to reevaluate! I thought that was really, really good. Practice always makes us better, of course, so by all means keep practicing. But if you're practicing with the idea of someday getting out and doing gigs, I'm here to say that someday is now. Get out there and share that mojo with the world!

 

The camera placement thing reminded me of the time I saw Miles Davis in the late 70s. For the entire show he played with his back to the audience, blowing that trumpet down at the bass drum behind him. Odd, yes, but it worked! And if it's cool for Miles.....

[Guvnor]

Sounds REALLY good... I'm no expert but the timing of some of the phrasing rubs me a little wrong but you could be great with the right songs under that voice... very distinctive yet familiar..