Jazzman Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 Well I've tried this a long time ago.......I just can't do it. I end up singing with the rhythm, or the drum patterns become very simple, so I don't have to think about it. I envy those that can chew gum and walk at the same time. Phil Collins can do it real good. Can you do this? Just curious my friends.......... Jazzman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwarf Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 I do it all the time. I find that out of necessity the drum patterns go on autopilot while I'm actually singing. I don't necessarily think they get much simpler, I just don't think as much about them. -- Rob I have the mind of a criminal genius.....I keep it in the freezer next to mother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 I find that for me, singing and playing came naturally! I do back-up vocals as well as some lead stuff. I think that for some, this comes more naturally than for others. It helps for starters ... IF YOU CAN SING! For those that can sing, but just cannot seem to get the hang of playing drums, and singing at the same time, try working out of independence books (Jim Chapin's or Gary Chester). Treat your voice as another limb ... just as you do an arm or foot. This will help to slowly develop the talents of singing and playing. Hope this helps. DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve LeBlanc Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 I love to sing and play drums...it actually helps my groove A LOT. Of course I was a singer before drummer so I guess it makes sense. http://www.youtube.com/notesleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k1neta Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 Have done that for years. I almost find it harder to just sing, without playing an instrument at the same time. While playing in a band aeons ago, our lead vocalist quit the band - I was the only one left who could sing at the time, so I had to give it a try. Anyone who has heard me play in a live setting, knows I never go on autopilot while singing During the first couple of years that would occasionally lead to some very interesting train wrecks...ahhemmmm..... Kenneth Gag Watchers On The Storm Elegie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted March 15, 2002 Share Posted March 15, 2002 Our drummer sings while playing pretty much any kind of complex drum part. I dunno how he does it. He's a STRONG singer too - we call him the "human megaphone". How he keeps control of his voice and does lovely high harmonies even in the middle of long fills and drastic dynamic changes, I don't know. But it sure makes a great secret weapon to have in a band! --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djarrett Posted March 23, 2002 Share Posted March 23, 2002 Lee you bring up a good point. To have a great drummer is a great thing to a band. To have a great singing drummer ... is an even BETTER asset to the band. (not to take anything away from those of you non-singing drummers) It is kinda like having a drummer with all the options. DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted March 25, 2002 Share Posted March 25, 2002 It's gotten to the point for me where if I'm NOT singing, I get lost in certain songs. The real bitch is when big drum fills come at the start of a harmony part. But more often I'm just grooving as I sing a harmony. In those situations, I just think of singing and drumming as two parts that make up "performing." Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
where02190 Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 No offense to all you great singing drummers out there, but from and engineers standpoint in the live situation a singing drummer makes getting a decent drum sound extremely difficult. So much phasing and bleed into the vocal mic...Yet it is a shame to just let all those voices go to waste. good mic technique is a must, as is a good hypercardiod mic. Please no headsets, almost all of them have terrible rejection!!!!!!!! It also makes a world of difference if you have good drum dynamics. Just my 2 francs worth.... Hope this is helpful. NP Recording Studios Analog approach to digital recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwarf Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 Hey Where02190, I agree with you but at the same time I don't I'm a singing drummer and also a sound tech. At most small gigs you aren't going to have drum overheads, so my headset mic kinda doubles as one. Yeah, it would be nice of the thing was hypercardiod but it isn't. We just have to use the tools available. I've sung into mics on booms, and it works well, but it's a pain in the ass (and the back) to keep my head centred on it. -- Rob I have the mind of a criminal genius.....I keep it in the freezer next to mother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 Yeah I don't have a problem with our drummer's headset and I've never heard a sound man at a club complain about it either, or have problems getting a good drum sound. I've even recorded him live on a multitrack and it's not been a problem. --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1007 Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 In regards to headset mikes being a pain for the sound man. Check out a Crown 311 wired headset. You'll love it, as long as the drummer is a strong singer and you don't have to crank the gain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwarf Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 Lee, the only complaint I've heard about my mic (AKG C-410) is about the sound. It's got a bit of a midrange issue that has to be dealt with or else the voice sounds honky. A 3db cut at 500Hz and a 3db cut between 1KHz and 2KHz cleans it right up. I've never been confronted with the phase issue, but most sound techs tend to leave the drum vocal really low in the mix so maybe that's why. -- Rob I have the mind of a criminal genius.....I keep it in the freezer next to mother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted March 27, 2002 Share Posted March 27, 2002 Use an expander/gate to cut out the bleed and help with feedback issues. And if you're the singing drummer, sing strongly enough to bypass the gate. Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted March 27, 2002 Share Posted March 27, 2002 Originally posted by Dwarf: Lee, the only complaint I've heard about my mic (AKG C-410) is about the sound. It's got a bit of a midrange issue that has to be dealt with or else the voice sounds honky. A 3db cut at 500Hz and a 3db cut between 1KHz and 2KHz cleans it right up.Heh... that's the exact same mic our drummer has. And yes, it can get honky, especially when he's really belting it out. So yes, you definitely have to cut the mids! I've never been confronted with the phase issue, but most sound techs tend to leave the drum vocal really low in the mix so maybe that's why. Well with our drummer they don't have any choice, they can TRY to turn it low in the mix if they want, but he's still going to be loud as hell. I'm surprised sometimes that he even needs a mic. He just left here actually, I just got done tracking him on some vocals in the studio. He has to stand several feet away from the mic at times... LOL. --Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAT9DRUMS Posted April 1, 2002 Share Posted April 1, 2002 Thanks for the info about the AKG headset, I just purchased one...To me the best thing to do is have an alert soundman that knows your tunes, and will mute the headset when you're not singing... As far as singing and drumming, I realized when I first started drumming I was always singing the vocal lines while I was playing the song, so all I really needed to do was stick a mic in my face, sing in key, adn keep the beat! Keith www.cat9.info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedly Nightshade Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 Sonny Greer was billed as the singing drummer seventy years ago. Now who did he play with? I seem to have five independent limbs when needed for singing. I'm a very very quiet drummer, so no troubles so far, we'll see on stage. The issues for singing are the usual ones for me- tapping into whatever character/spirit source does the singing. I mean I can sing, but certain entities can really lay it down, so I prefer to have them do it. I see a face floating in front of me, the spirit face. Also necessary for transcendent singing without the drums... Ted A WOP BOP A LU BOP, A LOP BAM BOOM! "There is nothing I regret so much as my good behavior. What demon possessed me that I behaved so well?" -Henry David Thoreau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidereal Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 Originally posted by CAT9DRUMS: Thanks for the info about the AKG headset, I just purchased one...To me the best thing to do is have an alert soundman that knows your tunes, and will mute the headset when you're not singing... As far as singing and drumming, I realized when I first started drumming I was always singing the vocal lines while I was playing the song, so all I really needed to do was stick a mic in my face, sing in key, adn keep the beat! Keith www.cat9.info Funny... I didn't realize until I started recording, how much I sing along to the melody while playing. I had to break myself of that habit since my humming would start bleeding into the overheads. Just for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
where02190 Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 The afore mentioned AKG is IMHO the best of all the ehadset mics out there by far. the problem with the headset is when the drummer moves his/her head the sound of the enitre kit changes as the mic placement changes. gating the mic is not an option, as typically the snare is louder than the voice. Muting changes the kit sound as it removes the added characteristics of the headset... Bottom line is there is no perfect solution, and it is just a bear with it situation. I am most likely the only one in the audience that even hears the bleed and phasing, as joe and jane average are more interested in having a good time anyway. A singing drummer with really good dynamics makes the job way easier though, that's for sure. Not pounding away with everything you have, singling properly, are all aids to a better end result. Hope this is helpful. NP Recording Studios Analog approach to digital recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzman Posted April 15, 2002 Author Share Posted April 15, 2002 That is interesting, I used to mum to myself when no music was playing, but the tune matched up with the beat. I didn't have a problem then, and no one could tell me that I was off.HAHA Jazzman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ionic Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 Only if I don't have to play a fill... " I ain't no phisikist, but I know what matters..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larraga Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 I couldn't do this at all until I started fronting a band playing keyboards. I play keys like I play drums anyway - really percussively. But after a long stint doing mostly that I found that I could actually sing from behind a kit against a groove. Weird, but I guess it makes sense. I had the AKG C410 and some older Shure models and I have to report that the Crown CM-311A worked out to be the absolutely best headset for me in terms of sound quality (that C410 midrange honk was completely unacceptable) and feedback rejection. Crown's Differoid technology that rejects ambient sound gives the highest gain before feedback of any headset I tried. I think the AKG stays on your head better if you're flailing a lot, but I couldn't stand the way it sounded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowly Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 I play keys. But I find the only way I can do both is by practicing the keys part, about thirty or forty times, until I can play it and watch T.V. at the same time. In other words, play the part without thinking. Then I can do both. But I still have to think about what I`m doing. Kcbass "Let It Be!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.