Just throw yourself in the deep end and sing a few songs. It'll do you good, give you experience and you'll learn a little about how to front a band in the process.
In all seriousness, you should make sure the club is aware of that (or find a sub or subs). If you get there and just jam for two hours, the owner might use it as an excuse to not pay you, etc.
If you don't have a reliable sub that knows your material, belt out a few tunes yourself. Crowds love a harp player who sings as well.
And owners do have a tendency to whittle their expenses down as much as they can. Unless you guys have a signed contract on the pay, better make them aware that things will be a little different than they were expecting. ---------- Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by on Nov 17, 2011 11:35 AM
Several years ago I went to see Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Well - after a mediocre support artist, the tour manager comes onstage and says Johnny is too sick to sing. We were offered the choice - full refund, tickets for a replacement show or stick around and watch a show put together by the rest of the band.
I chose to stick around and it was one of the best displays of musicianship I've seen live - Ed Manion leading a brass driven version of Zep's Rock n Roll was the highlight for me followed by some absolutely astonishing B3 magic from Jeff Kazee.
Hope you carried it off tonight the way the Jukes did!
I'm always curious about a musicians who say they don't sing. Why? If you can hit a note on the harmonica, and you can talk, doesn't that mean that you can sing too?
I don't mean to be rude--but singing ain't rocket science--it's just singing--now, like anything else, singing really well is rocket science and takes a lot of work--but come on--surely any musician can sing a melody well enough to get by??? ----------
finding my actual voice and my harmonica voice were so closely tied together. and not that i can't hold my own as a sideman on harp but i really prefer to sing along with playing. it was worth the effort and all the difficulty. ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
Nick, if you don't know the lyrics to the songs then type them out in large type on a word document and print them out...or just write them out in block capitals on a sheet of paper and leave them at your feet or on a stand or chair. The guy who runs one of the jams I go to does this and you would never know he was reading the lines. ---------- Oisin
Sorry things didn't work out. I've just decided I'm going to start bringing lyric sheets up on stage again. I forgot lyrics two straight weeks at open mic (although to be fair, this week I wasn't expecting to sing so I didn't review them- but our singer didn't make it- and last week right after spending a half hour reviewing lyrics I got some really bad news and my mind went blank. I only sing 4 of our songs (plus co-sing a 5th.) I keep thinking I should be able to memorize them, but when I'm up on stage the lyrics just aren't in my head anymore. The funny thing is, I don't think it's jitters. We've missed the last couple practices and it's different singing alone than singing with the other instruments going. It's like the part of my brain that was focusing on lyrics is suddenly occupied with trying to blend with the other instruments.
Anyway, definitely give singing a shot in the future. I think it adds a lot to a band when they can switch out singers periodically, and it's a good insurance policy against laryngitis (and bad backs). All four of us get a shot out in front, although our lead singer probably sings 2/3's of our songs, the rest of us get our chance too, and it's fun.
Sorry it didn't work out, I'm sure it would have been a challenge, but fun too! I was in a band doing a gig once and the singer got sh*tfaced and passed out in the van, he missed the whole gig, but we pressed on and I sang some. It was a great show. The one thing I think we worry about is perfection. i find that the perfect singers are the ones that I grow tired of the fastest. Sure they are great, but the singers with original peculiarities always grab my interest. I like Neil and Bob, they hit off notes all the time, but that is what makes them interesting to me. Please don't be overly concerned with not being a perfect pitch singer, I truly believe it is not what it sounds like so much as where it is coming from that makes the difference in good and bad singing, and as long as the place that it comes from is confident, secure, and really feeling the music then it will be very well received by all who listen.
@Harmonicanick "What number do you think to start? Mustang Sally??lol"
Happy Birthday to You, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...ANY song that you have heard so often that it is thoroughly ingrained in your memory, that you already know the melody so you're not hunting for the note & you're concentrating on making it sound good.
See a singing teacher to help you with your posture, should only take few lessons to get you up & running. Then, when you have a better technique start learning the new songs/working on the ones you half know already.
You either know the song, or you don't...if you know it, you don't have to think about the notes, you just think about keeping everything open, pushing from the diaphragm & letting the song out.
I went for a few lessons with a local opera singer...before the first one, she gave me a brief assessment & told me to go away. I blurted out that there is no such medical condition as "tone deafness"...her reply was simply, "you're brain & your mouth are just not connected". I persuaded her to go ahead with the lesson, give me something to work on for the next one and if I was still awful I'd leave her alone...come the 2nd lesson, "OK, great, now we have something to work with!" ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
Wow! That does suck Nick. I actually have had the same kind of thing happen to me (with a twist) in my old band. We were supposed to play a Friday night gig a few summers ago that started at 6:30. I got off my day job at 5:15, ran home for a super quick change of clothes and scarf down a little sustainence...
Got there with just enough time to set up, only to find I was the only one there from the band. The bar owner had cancelled the gig because his air conditioner had failed. Band leader Mike had forgotten to call me to let me know. So that made me feel slightly idiotic.
Then, when I called Mike to give him a piece of my mind, I find out that not only had he forgotten to call me about the cancellation, but that we'd gotten rebooked for the night elsewhere...clear over on the other side of town. So I made it right as they were starting the first song. Boy did I give him a swift kick that night.
But on a sidenote to what Oisin said about if you need help with lyrics. If you have an e-reader of some kind or an iPad, those can come in very handy as well. A jazz funk troupe I know here in town, ALL their players have them (although I think they all had them prior to the band forming), and they all have things like The Real Book and whatnot loaded onto them. Kinda weird seeing a bunch of music stands without books or sheets on them, but with computer screens. LOL. But my point is that it works out very well for them. If you have one, you could think of using it for this. ---------- Hawkeye Kane
My 2 pesos... If I'm working on a song, I listen to it a bunch of times and make a point of learning the lyrics too. Keeping the lyrical phasing in mind helps we to develop harp improvisations. I also like to sing and echo what I'm singing on harp. This is my way of working out how to sing and play, figuring out my comfortable singing range/key, and singing on key. ----------
Nick - After a number of years not singing, I was coerced into doing it a couple of years ago. I am really glad that I did. I am not a good singer, but I am working on it.
Here was advice that was given to me by some good singers:
1. I don't think it really matters what tune you pick to start. Pick a song that you know the lyrics to. When you are on stage, you'll probably forget a verse. If so, repeat one that you remember. It might help trigger your memory. If it doesn't, don't sweat it. It happens all the time. If you don't flip out about it, it's likely that no one wil know.
2. Pick songs where the vocalist has a more conversational delivery. Jimmy Reed tunes or Lazy Lester tunes are good for this. The are plenty of other singers with this type of delivery, too. Listen to how they phrase stuff. Where they breathe during the verse.
3. Pick songs that you can confidently deliver. Confidence in delivery is extremely important. Losing confidence on stage is never a good thing.
4. Practice them before you get on stage. If that means you have to do play tunes in your living room solo, do it. It's worth running through stuff several times before trying to do it onstage. If you shower, sing in it.
5. Finally, the first time you do a tune, it may not go as planned. Keep doing it. Your delivery will get better with time. (See item 3).
6. Drunk people are very forgiving. They will never remember how bad you were.
7. Don't try to force your voice to sing in keys that your voice can't deliver. You don't want to hurt yourself.
Nick - RJ Mischo has a very good blues voice. If you can sing his songs comfortably then you're halfway there.
Here's my advice for what it's worth.
Find out what key the song(s) you like by RJ Mischo are in on your harp. Then turn off the song and try singing and playing them by yourself.
When you sing along with records it's a lot easier to pitch the tune than it is doing it solo. Once you feel comfortable playing and singing it solo, then get a guitarist round and try playing and singing the same song with them.
Remember it's just like anything else. The more you practice it, the better you'll get.
Nick - You're going to have to experiment with it and see where your voice lies. You shouldn't strain your voice.
I would take Kingley's advice. Pick a CD where you know what key the singer is singing in and have at it.
RJ Mischo is as good as anyone. However, he is also a lot like Junior Wells. Some of his stuff is deceptively simple. RJ is a very good singer with a ton of experience as a singer and bandleader. He also plays some guitar and drums. He knows how to direct a band.
The advice of singing it solo is good, too. It'll force you to fit the song to the groove you have to carry by yourself. Which is harder than it seems.
Don't expect to be Tyrone Davis anytime soon. You've probably been playing harp much longer than singing. Just keep at it. It gets much easier the more you do it. Record it and listen to it critically. Learn from it and adjust. Sometimes, you'll have to slow down the song, so you can deliver it.
I don't recommend singing along with records.
One more thing worth mentioning. If you don't have a lot of experience leading a band, here is some advice:
1. You should pick tunes that are simple shuffles or slow blues. Preferably well known tunes. (Not Mustang Sally. That song is hard to sing well.)
2. Simplicity is the order of the day. Nothing, but 1-4-5. No breaks. No fancy changes. It's far easier. My experience has shown, if I have to explain it in too much detail, it's going to get screwed up. Maybe, your experience will be different.
3. Confidence is everything. Nothing will screw with your confidence more than the first tune getting messed up. Pick tunes with no more than three verses.
4. Learn a few ways to start tunes and end them. Mix them up for variety.
You want to be able to deliver solo stuff like this video. He was a master at it, probably from playing on the streets for years.
Hey Nick - sorry your gig didn't go - I believe every harmonica player should sing, even if they think they can't. I can remember my wife being so embarrassed that I had started singing, but I perservered and just kept at it, took a few lessons and kept going. My inspiration was - If Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Chris Kristoferson, Willie Nelson, etc, etc, are getting paid big bucks - then there is room for me!!! And YOU!!! BTW - now my wife points out all the pro's that she thinks I sound better than!! Go figure!! So just pick a key you like, a song you know the words to, get out in the middle of nowhere and have at it!!! ---------- If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
Not for nothing, but you have got to learn to sing. Really, singing is just something all harp players, all musicians need to learn to do, even if it is background vocals. I have had numerous events like yours happen over the years and the only way to combat it is to sing yourself. The idea of canceling a gig because the singer can't show up is a terrible situation to be in and its even worst the way it ended for you. If nothing else, learn one song with your band that you and the vocalist can sing, like any Jimmy Reed song, then maybe a slow 12 bar song. Practice, do it.
This thread is a big help to me as i have been asked to stand in for a singer next saturday to do a 40 min spot at a 3 day battle of the bands thing so i need all the advice i can get!
For figuring out the key - get some software like "Amazing slowDowner" that lets you change the pitch of a song without changing the tempo. (It also does the reverse.) Try the song in the original key. Can't hit the high notes? Try moving it down a whole step, etc. (This sw is great for lots of things, but this is one of them.) ---------- /Greg
"My inspiration was - If Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Chris Kristoferson, Willie Nelson, etc, etc, are getting paid big bucks - then there is room for me!!! And YOU!!!"
jawbone...don't look now but these guys don't (or didn't) make the big bucks for their singing.
Remembering lyrics aside, the tripping point for us has been the singer and I have been a band longer than the rest of us and he also is the main guitar player. He hasn't taught the other guitar player all the tunes yet. We've focused on getting his songs ready to perform, and that's left the rest of us (bass/uke/harp) not knowing the same songs except on the ones he sings. He's out of town. I think it's a good time to get some songs worked out with the three of us.
Hi clyde - not sure what you mean - but my point was that those guys seem to be doing OK, so, if someone considered them singers, then I or anyone else can sing. ---------- If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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