Bloody Singers!!

hi.
i recently started a band with a singer, guitar, bass, drums set up and things were going fine...
but under my nose the singer has been playing more and more lead stuff and is sticking me on rhythm (which i find really boring). now it turns out (according to the bassist) that he plans to play lead as well as sing. :mad:
i'm very annoyed!!! now i get the feeling i'm gonna be stuck playing chords and being bored out of my mind the whole time :( .
has this happened to anyone else?
what should i do (short of whacking him over the head with my guitar)?

Well you have three options:

1 do nothing

2 start your own band with different people or

3 try working with each other

Nothing to say that if one is up at the 12 fret the other has to be down at the nut.

Experiment !

But remember you got to all be pulling in the same direction !

Sounds to me like your a victim of his subterfuge. He's probably a glory-seeker. If it bothers you too much, confront him. If not, learn them chords!

I play lead and sing...it's just easier on the singer if he doesn't have to play the rhythm while he sings. However, sometimes I switch to rhythm and let my other guitarist take a solo in a few of our songs. Perhaps you should try this!

In my band, Me and our other guitarist go back and forth with playing leads, so basically we are both lead and rhythem players. That's how we work out our songs, the 2 guitars work together, we experiment. Kind of like Slayer, but not Thrash metal. Singers alway's seem to have the biggest ego.....you just have to shoot it down, unless he has the skills to back up the ego..

it depends really. if he's a really good singer as well as lead guitarist, then just ask him if if it's okay for him not to play leads in every song. the majority of two gutarists in a band often alternate to keep their own playing entertaining. if he still is adament on doing both parts, then you could try composing intricate rhythms. or if he isn't that good of a singer, kick him out or find your own band. for me, when i'm in a band, the whole band needs to be on the same page, with simliar end goals in song writing. every one has to be enjoying what they are playing, and if any member isn't then that needs to be discussed and resolved. if however there are still problems, then a personel change may be needed, or as you said, hit him with your guitar!! lol!!

Psh don't hit him with you're guitar, you could scratch it... or something worse. Hit him with like... a large brown burlaps bag filled with giant brass door knobs!

yeah I think you're best bet is to talk to the dude and both of you can alternate between lead and rythm, if you have to have it so for half of the song he is playing lead with you as rythm but for the other half of the song you could be playing lead and he could be rythm... besides if you play lead for every song and he plays rythm for every song then there won't be much variety in your music and you'll both probably get bored before long.

Originally Posted by: iihollyPsh don't hit him with you're guitar, you could scratch it... or something worse. Hit him with like... a large brown burlaps bag filled with giant brass door knobs!

i second that.

you should be confronting him about this, if anything at all.

Originally Posted by: iihollyPsh don't hit him with you're guitar, you could scratch it... or something worse. Hit him with like... a large brown burlaps bag filled with giant brass door knobs!

does any one know where i can get a good deal on doorknobs?

Originally Posted by: killerqueendoes any one know where i can get a good deal on doorknobs?

B&Q usually have good deals on, so try them!! :p

i've decided to fill my guitar case with bricks and whack him with that... i like the element of surprise :p

Whats his name? Axl Rose?

If the band isn't exploiting everyones musical abilitys then its time for a new band. If both of you can play lead then you probabily should do that. But if hes just doing this out of spite or insecurity or whatever then you need a new band.

Originally Posted by: Jolly McJollysonI play lead and sing...it's just easier on the singer if he doesn't have to play the rhythm while he sings. However, sometimes I switch to rhythm and let my other guitarist take a solo in a few of our songs. Perhaps you should try this!

Thats interesting that you do it that way. Usually the singer wants to play the rhythm guitar for a few of reasons off the top of my head.

- the drums and bass guitar are more related to the vocals then the lead guitar

- the singer usually writes the songs since he can write the lyrics and the music at the same time, and then finds someone who can play them better or make them cooler then he can.

- its easier to write a cool melody then a cool rhythm with guitar alone, being a great rhythm guitar player seems as if it would counter this problem

Nobody said that rythmn guitar had to be boring. In my band you can't really classify which parts are rythmn and which are lead. Just try to find riffs that go well together and that both of you enjoy playing. They could both be considered rythmn or lead parts but it doesn't really matter as long as it sounds good together. So if your bored playing the riffs just change them so they aren't boring.

Bro... All you gotta do is slip the sound guy a 20 and tell him to make the singer's guitar sound as bad as humanly possible... The gig will go bad, and piss off the rest of the guys in the band... Then all you got to do is stand in the back, raise your hand, clear your throat and say " Hey guys... I can play lead.... "
:)

Seriously... If it's an ego trip you want... Sounds like you are going to have one hell of a ride with him... If he is good at both, then hell sit in the back, hit those chords and collect that paycheck, all the time reminding the singer that it doesn't matter how much $hit he is doing in the band, the fee gets split EVENLY....

the thing is, he's really not a very good guitarist... he only started about 6 months ago! i appreciate that he wants to play, but he just cant do the stuff we're doing, he's just not good enough to play lead, and (trying not to sound too bigheaded) i CAN do all the solos and had the songs worked out for playing live with 1 guitar, so we dont even really need a second guitar!!!
V frustrating!
its more annoying that he's gone behind my back and decided a load of stuff without even mentioning it to me. i'm really p*ssed but i dont know what to do... i dont really want to break up the band (which will probs happen if i tell him he cant do what he wants), but at the same time i dont want to be stuck in a crap band because we have to accomodate him (which will probs happen if i dont say anything). :(

suggestions??
only other thing i can think of:
any bassists, drummers, singers or guitarists WHO CAN PLAY and live in the south of england pm me!lol! :rolleyes:

failing that, lets get some pledges of doorknob donations! :D

If he can really sing, but can't play good guitar.explainto him that he can really sing but can't play guitar. So just sing and play tamborine or something. If he wants to be in the band he'll understand. Remind him of Mick, Morrison etc. If he cops an attitude, put an ad in the paper for another singer. Maybe the next one will play rhythm.
We had to tell our singer not to play guitar; now he sings much better because he dosen't have to concentrate on playing guitar.

Guitars save lives!!!

PS mAYBE YOU SHOULD SING!!

Dude, a singer that has his hands free and can jump around really does make a better front man.