First time fronting a band, need some opinions...

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Steve Henningsgard

Steve Henningsgard

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I'm always looking for ways to improve myself as an engineer/aspiring producer, and I've found that when it comes to vocalists, I'm sometimes unsure of how to help them get their best performances, as I'm not a vocalist myself. So, I figured getting some buddies together, writing some silly songs, and singing over them would be a good way to learn. We chose the name "God Damn Barbecue", and decided on a mixture of southern- and bar-rock, with the idea of playing back yards and bars a few times next summer.

Any way, here is the first half of one of our demos (we're in the process of writing/revising the lyrics, which are about steak):




Constructive criticism would be extremely helpful, as anything you notice about my vocal performance will (hopefully) give me some insight towards helping to coach other vocalists I record.

My notes: pitch could use some work in spots, sounds like I'm singing towards the upper-end of my range, overall the tone of the voice isn't as full as I might like...
 
I liked it,

I think you have the mix nailed for your style as for the vocals theres nothing evil in there just a bit more practice maybe to see what your actual range is, couple of breathing exercises but I've worked with many worse vocalists, a run through melodyne / autotune and a slight touch of reverb glue, maybe bring the forward a bit and your sorted :)
 
Thanks for taking a listen. Learning how to sing has been interesting: your mention of breathing exercises is likely right-on. It's amazing how much of a difference it makes when you have the right amount of air in the right part of your lungs (as in, the lower-half vs. the upper-half, and never fully full)!
 
*bump* I'd really like some opinions/constructive criticism if y'all have just a minute?
 
I think it sounded better than most guys who call themselves singers. Tone of your voice is interesting. Your inflection was quite good, pronunciation was quite intelligible. The latter is what I tend to work with vocalists on the most. Besides working to get past their egos, and making suggestions that in the end, they think was there idea. I will say things like "man, that was really cool! I'm hearing you could add a little more to it. Express a bit more. We are keeping that, but try something with a bit more anger this time". What I really meant is that he sang like a pussy, and didn't actually 'feel' the words he was singing. Getting a singer to do what you are asking, without insulting his ego, is something I have found to be most productive as far as enhancing a performance as a producer. If the performance is there, we can fix pitch issues. If a singer mumbles his words, because he knows what they are, it doesn't mean anyone else knows what the hell he is saying.

I wouldn't need to do this with you. In fact, it is quite impressive.Maybe you should just sing now huh? :D
 
Dude, that was pretty great. Really back to basics sound. While I hate swearing, it was really good. I'd say add more of that gravelly sound you use when you hit the lower notes, to the higher ones. You've all got real talent and seem to work well together. I didn't listen to the whole thing (the swearing made me stop) but it sounded great. I wish I could give you some constructive criticism, but nothing comes to mind. Oh, one thing, perhaps less of the Metallica/GNR-esque transitions between notes. For example, I think it was when you said "tonight" near the beginning of the song, you said it like ta-NYI-t. The extreme-ness of that transition was a little off-putting. But great work. post more!
 
You are good enough to front a band - i'd like to hear a live version
 
jimmys69 said:
I think it sounded better than most guys who call themselves singers. Tone of your voice is interesting. Your inflection was quite good, pronunciation was quite intelligible. The latter is what I tend to work with vocalists on the most. Besides working to get past their egos, and making suggestions that in the end, they think was there idea. I will say things like "man, that was really cool! I'm hearing you could add a little more to it. Express a bit more. We are keeping that, but try something with a bit more anger this time". What I really meant is that he sang like a pussy, and didn't actually 'feel' the words he was singing. Getting a singer to do what you are asking, without insulting his ego, is something I have found to be most productive as far as enhancing a performance as a producer. If the performance is there, we can fix pitch issues. If a singer mumbles his words, because he knows what they are, it doesn't mean anyone else knows what the hell he is saying.

I wouldn't need to do this with you. In fact, it is quite impressive.Maybe you should just sing now huh? :D
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Thanks jimmys69, I definitely hear you on trying to get what you want while coddling the ego. I've said some of the sentences you mentioned pretty much verbatim, on more than one occasion.

As for the tone of the (my) voice, I've actually had a bit of a hard time finding exactly the right mic. This was an SM7: last time I tried an RE20. Both gave a bit of the low-end meat I needed, but I feel like I could use a mic with a little less 3k-6k response. My voice seems pretty harsh to me, but that could just be me too. It's odd attempting to listen to your own performance from a strictly objective point of view...


tciszar said:
Dude, that was pretty great. Really back to basics sound. While I hate swearing, it was really good. I'd say add more of that gravelly sound you use when you hit the lower notes, to the higher ones. You've all got real talent and seem to work well together. I didn't listen to the whole thing (the swearing made me stop) but it sounded great. I wish I could give you some constructive criticism, but nothing comes to mind. Oh, one thing, perhaps less of the Metallica/GNR-esque transitions between notes. For example, I think it was when you said "tonight" near the beginning of the song, you said it like ta-NYI-t. The extreme-ness of that transition was a little off-putting. But great work. post more!
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Thanks for listening, tciszar! When we were tracking, we went back and forth on how much Hetfield (Metallica) to throw into the mix. Listening back, it actually came off more like Nickelback, which is a horrifying prospect and is definitely not what we were going for. I'll definitely keep that "ta-NYI-t" thing in mind: I couldn't really put my finger on what was so Metallica-ish about that line, but you hit it right on the head.

Sorry the swearing put you off. We were attempting to convey the pure psychotic rage that one experiences when accidentally over-cooking a steak, and perhaps got a little carried away. ;)


ido1957 said:
You are good enough to front a band - i'd like to hear a live version
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Oh man, part of me is really looking forward to live shows, and part of me dreads it! A large part of why I started this side-project was to get more experience & practice with both recorded & live vocals, which can really be two different monsters. Once we start playing, I'll definitely be doing some audio/video recording which I will post.



Thanks for listening/critiquing, guys!
 
My only recommendation.


NEVER SING SOMETHING YOU CAN'T SING NIGHT AFTER NIGHT AFTER NIGHT ON STAGE.


Really! That's it! Don't try to sing (or even record, for that matter) something that you can't bring to the stage over and over. If you can't do it live, don't do it.

So know your comfortable range. Know what will be exhausting to try on stage live. Yes, everyone wants to be able to wail away. But don't sacrifice the performance for the stage show.


As for your actual voice and technique, that's all you, son! Yes, a vocal coach teaching you what you're doing right and wrong is always going to pay off. So if you know a good vocal coach in the area, talk to him about doing 6 months worth of lessons, to teach you good and proper warmup techniques, helping you understand your voice's mechanics, and you'll definitely improve in all departments.
 
Bryan316 said:
...NEVER SING SOMETHING YOU CAN'T SING NIGHT AFTER NIGHT AFTER NIGHT ON STAGE... ...a vocal coach teaching you what you're doing right and wrong is always going to pay off...
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Good advice, to be sure. Perhaps it would be worth it to find a good local coach, both for myself and for clients if they so desire (or if I think it would help). It'd probably be best for me to go first, both for my own technique (which could certainly use some work), and to help my clients. Being proficient at guitar has really helped me quickly narrow down any issues with clients' techniques: most people leave the studio with better guitar technique than when they arrived, and thank me for it. I'd imagine vocalists would be the same. Assuming the client is open to suggestions, of course (and not all are; definitely a feel thing).
 
Your voice sounds good in the context of the song. It's aggressive, a little harsh at times and you're blowing sacks full of air in & out. All of which suits the song. Getting some tuition re breathing is a good idea beacuse you're working at the lungs full/loud level of things BUT don't go after delivery & tone tuition unless you want to become an "all 'round entertainer". There's a reason why, after a coupe of years, Idol contestants end up in the deletion bins: they don't belong to a type of music - they're tutored to be all things except original/real to themselves.
Learning how to preserve your resources whilst using them is good conservation afterall.
 
We've demoed another song. There's a high note in it that I really struggle to hit, but this being demos, I'd bet I will be able to hit it with enough practice. Like Bryan316 said, I need to be able to do it night after night, so practice practice practice practice....



I've started experimenting with some rock-style screaming (think the singer from Jet). Not sure if I'm doing it right. Also, the fart noise at the end was my detailed review of my first take.
 
Ouch man. My personal opinion here; Why? You have a good voice.......
 
jimmys69 said:
Ouch man. My personal opinion here; Why? You have a good voice.......
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In reference to the screaming? Or in reference to the dying cat high note? Haha

The grunged-up yelling/screaming/whatever you want to call it is just something I'm messing around with 'cause it's something I can't do, which makes me want to try it. If it ends up hurting my voice, I won't be doing it!

The semi-wretched high note thing is just to see how high I can go, again without hurting myself. Singing mostly songs in E or lower, a fifth above it is just about as high as I'd ever need to go, but if I could truly *sing* the note (instead of the painful-sounding bellow on this demo), it would be pretty fun is all.
 
Good classic rock and roll voice in that latest tune. Sounds like you were getting tired in the latter stages (going slightly flat on the ends of phrase) but in a live scenario no one would probably notice or care as it rocks so well...:D

Just the same old advice here - warm up and make sure you can do a whole night otherwise you'll blow your voice. This is not your grandmother's rock and roll - this is tough upper range stuff and can easily tire out your voice as I'm sure you know.

That high note was pretty close - I think with some exercise you could pull that off - damn high note :-).
 
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