Working With Singers, Part I

It's an old joke, I know... How do you know a lead singer's at the front door? They can't find the key and don't know when to come in.

Insulting? Yes. Partially true? Unfortunately. I've worked with singers large and small, from nightclubs with three tables of people to arenas. Many of them have things in common both good and bad, like any type of musician. When you're a guitar player in a commercial band, whether it be a touring act, a production show, or a simple nightclub band, the nature of our instrument requires us very often to become a sort-of second frontman. It's really comfortable for a singer to know that they can lean on their guitarist for not only lead and rhythm guitar duties, but also some auxiliary background and lead singing. Plus, the all-too-important guitar solo is often the singer's only chance to take a breather in the tune.

The best singers I know, male or female, also happen to be great musicians in their own right, whether that includes playing one or more instruments, writing their own charts, or just all around great bandleading and engaging entertainer-type stuff. And of course, many singers are phenomenal writers and producers too.

I don't trust a singer who can't accompany themselves at least in some minimal way as much as I trust one who does. Some can't even tell you what key they're in, and this is why jokes like the one above were created, long before any of us stepped onto the bandstand. Bottom line, our job as guitarists is to accompany these people, to support them, be the proper sideman, and do the JOB. Nothing more. Now that job may include many things, like taking on bandleading or musical director duties, copyist duties, arranging duties, and as mentioned earlier, auziliary fronting duties on the gig. There are a few things you can do when working with a new singer to help you both ease into the gig, get the job done, and minimize rehearsal time.

If it's an established artists with records out and tour dates, it's the MD's job to do this for you, that's why they get paid more and have more painful headaches. But, the rest of us, when we're not headlining the Garden and trying to ignore Madonna's knocks at the front door bugging us to play on her next record, we have to do things like play in cover bands. Corporate events, public ticketed concerts, weddings, bar mitvahs, first holy communion parties, casino showrooms, lounges, nightclubs, backyard BBQs, new year's, Xmas, Easter, valentine's, memorial day, labor day, and the list goes on. I've even played funerals and the opening of a new Pepboy's with a cover band.

So when you get called for one of these jobs, it is often times by the leader/singer themselves. They give you a list of songs, you buy/download them, and begin your work. First lesson you'll learn? Upon arriving to the job thinking you're king shit guitar sideman, all of a sudden they call the first three tunes and tune 1 is up a minor 3rd, tune 2 is down a whole step, and tune 3 is down a half step. "How come they didn't tell me?" You think as you panic to relearn "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" in Drop-D and "China Grove" in F#. Well, because you didn't ask, that's why. Many singers are famous for not advertising this crucial information.

Simple solution. Ask one question when you get the call, "So... all record keys then?" You should get a yes or no, or a yes-and-no answer after that. Then comes the process of going through at least 30-40 tunes on a list and itemizing the key for each one if it's different from the original recording. This may require you to do things like: Bring another guitar or two in a trnasposed or alternated tuning, say open D for "Black Water" or Eb (down a half step) for the frequent case where said singer can't hit the highest note on the record, or if you're playing a lot of 80s hair band stuff or anything by Jimi or SRV.

Then there are the ones who don't know exactly what key they're in. Sometimes they even think they know, and they're SOOO sure they know, but they're still wrong. Diplomacy is the key here guys, but that's another post. It never hurts to get together with the singer, apart from the rehearsal (if you're lucky enough to even GET one), and just bring a small acoustic axe for the sole purpose of getting your keys straight. Bring any charts you made/have, the master song list, and your pencil. As soon as you've got all your keys straight, get the hell outta there.

Lastly, I thought it not necessarily relevant, but at least relatively funny, to include a term coined by one of my heroes, Eddie Van Halen. Ed and his brother invented the term "L.S.D." Not the drug mind you, but Lead Singer's Disease. I'll let my fellow experienced pickers come up with their own definition of this, as I have, but I am choosing not to expand upon it now. I didn't invent the term guys, I just read it in a book. I hope you laguhed as much as I did.