Opinions on my band

[Nick the DSM]

.................................................

nevermind

[cooterbrown]

This a recording of a show that I did back in March. If you guys could, would you help me figure out how to get better, I know there's a few things we need to work on but I thought I could get some help from the gurus here. Thanks.

Not trying to build excuses but this practically our best song we did(IMO) don't hate us to fast, our singer had a cold and did a few shows before this one and the soundmen SUCKED as nothing could be heard through the monitors and the bassist and rhythm guitarist couldn't be heard or hear.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q9U4FtKIL8

:confused:

I've gotten to the point where if I see a request to "check out my band" - and the description is loaded with caveats and excuses as to why it might suck, it makes me not even want to look.

I have to wonder why anybody would even submit themselves to the inevitable thrashing they are about to recieve.

So - that being said, I am no longer listening to submissions to BWTB that include all sorts of apologies for the impending suckage. I will follow the lead of another forumite, who - instead of saying anything bad, posted a picture of a happy kitty:

http://insanecats.com/images/cute-kitten.jpg



You're really just wasting yours and everybody else's time...come back when you have something of quality worth posting...sorry.

Better to get an objective ear to look at your video in private...together you can identify your problems, then come on here and ask how the "gurus" how they would go about rectifying those problems.

Just my 2¢

[Nick the DSM]

Thanks. I'll consider that.

[Marko]

Nothing more practice/experience won’t help.

You look very young; keep at it and you’ll be fine.

Ha, I checked your profile; your drum kit is almost identical to my music-room/rehearsal kit, including some PST 3s, and some PST 5s, and some Wuhan pieces. It’s a great kit. My drummer has an old Pearl kit, but the Ludwigs really come through, and we actually use them in our recordings and they sound great.

Practice with a metronome. :)

[Marko]

:
Just my 2¢

Dude… I’m not a regular here, but they’re kids.

He’s looking for some positive feedback/encouragement, and advice; there’s no reason we can’t give some. They’re rocking and doing their best.

Maybe it’s the teacher in me, but damn, young folks need encouragement and we owe that to them.

You just shot a kid down for no good reason.

[cooterbrown]

Dude… I’m not a regular here, but they’re kids.

He’s looking for some positive feedback/encouragement, and advice; there’s no reason we can’t give some. They’re rocking and doing their best.

Maybe it’s the teacher in me, but damn, young folks need encouragement and we owe that to them.

You just shot a kid down for no good reason.

No, I didn't shoot him down...I didn't even listen to it.
I offered him some constructive advice, because really - who wants to listen to something when the set-up for it is a bunch of apologies?
He thanked me, and said he would consider that advice.
Plus, you got to look at a picture of a happy kitten...
Looks like everybody wins, here.
:wave:

[Marko]

If they were doing death metal, I would have just stfu…

but anyways, here’s the video if anyone has anything of value to offer the young man.

He's looking for advice on how to improve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q9U4FtKIL8

[Marko]

No, I didn't shoot him down...I didn't even listen to it.
I offered him some constructive advice, because really - who wants to listen to something when the set-up for it is a bunch of apologies?
He thanked me, and said he would consider that advice.
Plus, you got to look at a picture of a happy kitten...
Looks like everybody wins, here.
:wave:

If I were a kid looking for some encouragement, after working hard to put together a show, and I got your post, my heart would have been broken.

Dude, you were totally out of line.

You were as insulting as one could be, and his response showed more maturity than you did.

You should be ashamed.

[cooterbrown]

If I were a kid looking for some encouragement, after working hard to put together a show, and I got your post, my heart would have been broken.

Dude, you were totally out of line.

You were as insulting as one could be, and his response showed more maturity than you did.

You should be ashamed.

Oh geez, lighten up Francis...sometimes you gotta show the kids some tough love.

I really doubt his heart was broken.

If I was as thin-skinned as you obviously are, I would have never had any impetus to get better.

I remember playing my dad the first tape of my first band, and he was like "that was pretty awful, son...keep practicing."
Why sugar-coat stuff, and say "w00t---you guys are great!", when it sounds like a train wreck?
I didn't discourage him in any way, shape or form.

Bluestrat said it best when he compared the posting of anything and everything that these beginner bands do to hanging fingerpaints and doodles on the refrigerator door, where their parents can say "oh...what a great job you did!"

So anyway...I went and watched the video....here's the suggestions:

The singer is awful - total fail...can't sing in anything close to pitch, forgets the words, and has no redeeming qualities to his voice. Maybe when puberty sets in, he'll get better....but probably not. Using "Zombie" as a nickname is totally silly.

Tempo is frenetic, bordering on train wreck. "Warp-speed Megadeth-version", or not...the kid can barely get the words out in time, and it's just a wash of buzzy noise.

To much gain on the guitars...sounds like bees in a can. The solo was okay.
Bass player is glued to the stage, like he's got an anchor on his ankle.

Move around a bit more...those kids on the front row were just standing there...not head-banging, throwing the horns, or anything....that should have been your first clue it wasn't connecting.

Lastly...don't blame the soundman for lack of vocal talent...we've seen / heard a lot worse, on here.

There's my constructive criticism.

[Marko]

I’m not even going to argue with you; I guess you were a pro from day-one.

I’m just glad (hope) you’re not a teacher of any kind.

I hope others respond appropriately; maybe the young man will come back and get some valuable advice.


Okay… post-your-edit: Good advice; could have been more nicely worded, the “tough” part was unnecessary, but good advice.

Jmho.

[LightingPimp]

you would have done yourself more justice posting a link to this one ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghLHo6g-6-w

more redeeming to the singer as hes actually singing not talking fast like the other song.


now not sure what the guitarist is playing but it sounds like a chicken under the tractor tire in the solo at 2 min mark . and not the needed solo


keep working as mentioned your all young and have lots of time to practice up and work on it like all bands do

id give the band a 4 on 1 -10 overall but with that ill say in honesty i have seen some paid bands that i think you could compete with & with practice could easily be better than.

be careful asking questions you might not want to hear the truth to , friends & family will most of the time tell you what you wanna hear , strangers will tell you the truth and not hold back. as cooter said it would be better for you to sit down as a band and watch these videos and then askyourself what YOU sing wrong , pull up the videos on youtube of the originals and listen to the songs your playing and make sure everyone knows the parts they do and ESP solos .. its one thing to fumble a string o na famous solo but to totally play something you think is it can be a FAIL

have fun and remember practice will make things better in time

drum solo was nice but ya lost that punching ending but good ( better then i could i would sound like the duracell monkey ):wave:

[Nick the DSM]

Thanks, Marko, but Cooter is right, I shouldn't have posted it.

@ThrowdownJones, that isn't the band I played in, same singer but different lineup.

[6StringSling]

Dude… I’m not a regular here, but they’re kids.

He’s looking for some positive feedback/encouragement, and advice; there’s no reason we can’t give some. They’re rocking and doing their best.

Maybe it’s the teacher in me, but damn, young folks need encouragement and we owe that to them.

You just shot a kid down for no good reason.
Teachers like you are why so many kids have problems later in life - you shield them from reality for so long that when it hits, they're completely unprepared for it.

[Nobody Told Me]

Teachers like you are why so many kids have problems later in life - you shield them from reality for so long that when it hits, they're completely unprepared for it.

That was uncalled for. 6SS fails this round.

[Hegmatronicon]

My biggest piece of adive would be - Listen to each other!
You are each playing your part of the song - without any idea what the other is doing.
And you are playing it WAY too fast for your abilities.
But if you dont listen to each other while you are playing - you wont ever really "gel" as a band.
It's especially noticeable in a song like paranoid where the guitar and bass REALLY have to be dead on otherwise it gets messy - and the drummer has to drive the whole thing.

[Marko]

Teachers like you are why so many kids have problems later in life - you shield them from reality for so long that when it hits, they're completely unprepared for it.

Okay, next time a student bring me a project and

*asks me how to improve it*

If you guys could, would you help me figure out how to get better, I know there's a few things we need to work on but I thought I could get some help from the gurus here. Thanks.

instead of “shielding him from reality” by telling him how to improve it, I’ll tell him his project looks like shit, I’m fed up with giving advice, come back when you have something better to show me. :thu:

Btw, I may have been bit testy at cooterbrown (Who did come through with better advice than I offered)... my apologies.

[MaxKincaide]

If this helps...

1. The singer acts like he isn't sure of what he's doing at all. He looks awkward, like he needs something to do with his hands...he was just swinging his free arm, and it looked kinda weird to me.

2. It's cool to try to speed up songs sometimes, but not to the point where anyone else in the band isn't able to keep up. Best practice: play as fast as the slowest member of the band can play and play it right.

3. I agree about the gain on the amps being dimed. Gain is an all-too-often abused thing. Roll the gain back to 6...7 tops. If you need to have squeelies in the song, leave your gain at 7 and maybe invest in a boost pedal...or even slightly hotter pickups, like active ones such as EMG's.

4. Practice, practice, practice. Overall, it wasn't a complete fail...but it's fairly obvious you guys don't have a whole lot of experience behind you yet. Keep going. Practice as much and as often as you can. Learn to listen to eachother's queue's in the songs, and learn to read eachother.

As for the rest of the doucheness going on in this thread...constructive criticism never hurt anyone. Doesn't mean you have to be an asshat about it...just point out what was good and what needs work. I know I respond to positive and negative criticism better if the positive or negative points are just put out there. No point in celebrating the negative points.

You're really just wasting yours and everybody else's time...come back when you have something of quality worth posting...sorry.


Normally, I respect your posts, dude. But, have you ever stopped to consider that maybe there are those of us that can't afford to put quality sound or video clips on the internet, but would still like an opinion as to whether the band has anything going for it or not? It's not like you couldn't make some kind of impression from the clip he posted. And maybe it's better to post something like that instead of throwing $3,000 at a decent studio, and then post it up here, and have someone tell him he wasted his $3,000 on a recording of a band that sucks. (Not saying the band sucks...just saying hypethetically speaking).

Besides, he was letting us know what the problems were with the recording before anyone should click on the link. He could have just posted it and let everyone flame him for putting up a recording with bad sound.

I like this forum because people are usually straight forward when they give you their opinions. People usually don't sugar coat things, and I like that about this place. But there's a difference in not sugarcoating something and just posting a rant that adds no merit whatsoever to the thread.

Let's try to be constructive around here. Maybe, one day, someone from this forum will "make it" and owe a debt of gratitude to all of us on here for helping them to improve. Besides, I thought that's what alot of this is supposed to be for...helping others improve and learn.

[tim_7string]

I agree with much of what you've said, Max.

Above all, you guys need two things: practice listening to each other more and make sure you have good monitors at the show so you can tell where you are in the song.

Make it clear that the vocals are supposed to lead the band (once the band kicks in). If you're the singer, you have to have enough confidence to keep singing the song the right way and hope that the band members will correct themselves behind you.

Right off the bat, it sounded like the drummer was going way too fast, even for the Megadeth version and nobody else was keeping up with what he was doing. The guitars started going out of sync from each other and it no longer sounded tight. Whatever tempo is set, that's what you need to deal with. If that means everyone has to play it super-fast, so be it. It sounded like everyone had their own idea of the tempo and where to come in and no one was willing to compromise and slow down or speed up to link up with the others. This is the wrong approach. A band will always sound better if everyone is in time and listening to each other. That is the most important thing.

[cooterbrown]

Normally, I respect your posts, dude. But, have you ever stopped to consider that maybe there are those of us that can't afford to put quality sound or video clips on the internet, but would still like an opinion as to whether the band has anything going for it or not? It's not like you couldn't make some kind of impression from the clip he posted.

Well yeah...I got the impression that they were pretty awful, and the "quality" I was talking about had nothing to do with the medium it was recorded to.
The footage was really not all that bad, considering.
I mean...I recently recorded a bit of a Allman Brothers show on my cell phone - yeah the recording was total ass, but you could tell that they were kicking ass, onstage.

[6StringSling]

Normally, I respect your posts, dude. But, have you ever stopped to consider that maybe there are those of us that can't afford to put quality sound or video clips on the internet, but would still like an opinion as to whether the band has anything going for it or not? It's not like you couldn't make some kind of impression from the clip he posted.
Then he should've posted it without all the excuses and let us decide what impressions to get rather than trying to pre-impression us.

For crying out loud, what impressions are we supposed to draw from some shitty video when the average shitty video posted here is prefaced by a list of "reasons" why it's shitty:

"First off, I apologoze for the crappy video but it was recorded with a 23-year-old spy satellite from a bad angle on the horizon"

"The sound sucks because we always thought FOH stood for Frederick's Of Hollywood and never understood why lingerie would be important to a band. (Except maybe the Pet Shop Boys).

"Our drummer grew up without any relatives and therefore has no sense of relativity so he never really knows where he's at in time."

"Our vocalist is addicted to gravel and we just caught him gargling with some right before our set started. Plus he had been yelling at his kid for failing a math test the day before and just misplaced his keys so he didn't know which key to sing in."

"Our bassist is left-handed and has dyslexia so he thinks he should be playing a right-hand bass."

"Our guitarist's tone sucks because he can't afford a decent amp and will only play through a Marshall because "they're the best" so he's using a Micro Stack with a Radio Shack megaphone to boost the volume."

[Nick the DSM]

the tone of the amps did suck, yes, the guitarist couldn't figure out in time how to tone down the distortion or whatever- it wasn't his amp.

Don't take the statement above as one of mine and other worthless musicians' excuses for a bad show, its the truth. However, most of you will...oh, well.

The drummer(me) did up the tempo b/c well...I got nervous, its my second time on stage in front of a crowd. but what do you guys care, just another lame excuse right??

sorry, for wasting everyone's precious time on watching an awful band play. thanks for those who helped.

[tim_7string]

the tone of the amps did suck, yes, the guitarist couldn't figure out in time how to tone down the distortion or whatever- it wasn't his amp.

Don't take the statement above as one of mine and other worthless musicians' excuses for a bad show, its the truth. However, most of you will...oh, well.

The drummer(me) did up the tempo b/c well...I got nervous, its my second time on stage in front of a crowd. but what do you guys care, just another lame excuse right??

sorry, for wasting everyone's precious time on watching an awful band play. thanks for those who helped.

Try to focus on the constructive criticism in this thread rather than on the people who are being cold about it. You guys have really good potential. You just need to tweak some stuff to make it better.

And I completely understand about playing faster because you're nervous. I have played with a lot of drummers like that. Some of them were even in their 40s and they still get nervous sometimes!

[6StringSling]

sorry, for wasting everyone's precious time on watching an awful band play. thanks for those who helped.

Try to focus on the constructive criticism in this thread rather than on the people who are being cold about it.
Just what do you suppose would happen if I were to post a blurry, grainy pic on a pro photography forum and ask the pros to critique it? Should I get all butt-hurt when they're not focusing on the lighting and composition?

For myself, I rarely post any of my playing because no matter what anyone here posts and no matter how specific they are about what feedback they're looking for, they're going to get critiqued on everything. If I can't record something that I would want played all over the world, then I'm not going to post it.

Saying encouraging things like: "You guys have potential" or "Your band could be really good some day" is pretty hollow - any band has potential and could be really good someday if they practice and focus on the right things.

If the OP wants to be a crybaby because everyone didn't stroke his ego, then he's more than likely never going to be a good musician in a good band.

[Nick the DSM]

I'm not being a cry baby, just wasn't expecting flame.

I posted this because I really do want my fucking band to get better, just saying "you suck" isn't what I'm looking for, however, what Max and a couple of others have said were helpful. also, saying that one doesn't have potential isn't helping either.

[tim_7string]

Just what do you suppose would happen if I were to post a blurry, grainy pic on a pro photography forum and ask the pros to critique it? Should I get all butt-hurt when they're not focusing on the lighting and composition?

For myself, I rarely post any of my playing because no matter what anyone here posts and no matter how specific they are about what feedback they're looking for, they're going to get critiqued on everything. If I can't record something that I would want played all over the world, then I'm not going to post it.

Saying encouraging things like: "You guys have potential" or "Your band could be really good some day" is pretty hollow - any band has potential and could be really good someday if they practice and focus on the right things.

If the OP wants to be a crybaby because everyone didn't stroke his ego, then he's more than likely never going to be a good musician in a good band.

This isn't a pro photography forum where everyone makes a living at it and are basically doing the exact same thing. Are you saying that everyone who posts on this board is expected to sound like a major label act? If so, that's pretty laughable. There are people from all walks of life, all levels, posting here. Telling people that are starting out that they really suck, BAD, isn't constructive, nor helpful.

Some asswipe attacked the way I looked and the fact I listed my Boss pedals in my signature last year, when all I did was jokingly say "lighten up Francis" to him when he was on a rant. I could very easily remove links to my band and my music and just throw insults at everyone. I don't, because I will stand by my words and I will take potshots if needed. I know I'm not the most talented person in the world, but I'm still going to promote myself and what I do regardless of what the great collective deems great.

I agree there has been a lot of molly-coddling of the youth of today, but that doesn't mean we have to be nasty about it. I always felt it was important to help the inexperienced to get better rather than just shut them down and tell them to pack it all in because it isn't immediately palatable. They aren't acting like they're on a record label and getting TV exposure for Pete's sake...

And I disagree with the notion that any band could be great someday if they practice the right things. Some musicians just will never improve, no matter how much you practice. Trust me on that. I've played with guys that either stayed at the same level of mediocrity or even got worse while the rest of us got really good. Maybe you're right that this band wouldn't. I just think it's too early to tell if they will stay rough right now. With that reasoning, The Beatles never would have gotten anywhere and we'd never have the great music they produced later in their career.

[6StringSling]

This isn't a pro photography forum where everyone makes a living at it and are basically doing the exact same thing. Are you saying that everyone who posts on this board is expected to sound like a major label act?
It was an example of context. With a little effort, you can get a decent sounding/looking video. People are in such a rush to say "hey, look at me!" that they don't spend the extra time and effort, as minimal as it might be, to get something that's several steps above crap. People are always capturing video of their friends/family with their phones when they're on the stage with me and for all I know there are clips of me on YouTube - I've never looked and wouldn't want to see the video anyway because it's nothing I would post if it were up to me.

And I disagree with the notion that any band could be great someday if they practice the right things. Some musicians just will never improve, no matter how much you practice. Trust me on that. I've played with guys that either stayed at the same level of mediocrity or even got worse while the rest of us got really good. Maybe you're right that this band wouldn't. I just think it's too early to tell if they will stay rough right now. With that reasoning, The Beatles never would have gotten anywhere and we'd never have the great music they produced later in their career.
Show me where I posted anything about whether or not these guys wouldn't be any good. My problem is the same as Cooter's - people posting shitty video with shitty sound of shitty playing prefaced by, and/or followed by, a list of excuses. If you already know it sucks, why post it?

Greatness is a relative term. IMO, Nirvana was a horrible band - I'd pay to see the OP's band before listening to Nirvana for free. I know people who think the Edge can play circles around Satch and Vai and others who believe that Prince is the most talented and gifted musician on the planet. I get told all the time that I'm an "amazing" guitarist but I consider myself to be mediocre and refuse to buy into the hype. The fact is, in my expereince at least, the majority of people will choose the lowest common denominator as being "great".

[tim_7string]

It was an example of context. With a little effort, you can get a decent sounding/looking video. People are in such a rush to say "hey, look at me!" that they don't spend the extra time and effort, as minimal as it might be, to get something that's several steps above crap. People are always capturing video of their friends/family with their phones when they're on the stage with me and for all I know there are clips of me on YouTube - I've never looked and wouldn't want to see the video anyway because it's nothing I would post if it were up to me.

Like cooterbrown said, I think you can tell the quality of a band regardless of the actual presentation via video and audio fidelity itself. I always assume live shows are going to sound like ass on YouTube, because most camcorders just aren't equipped with microphones to handle the volume.

Show me where I posted anything about whether or not these guys wouldn't be any good. My problem is the same as Cooter's - people posting shitty video with shitty sound of shitty playing prefaced by, and/or followed by, a list of excuses. If you already know it sucks, why post it?

Greatness is a relative term. IMO, Nirvana was a horrible band - I'd pay to see the OP's band before listening to Nirvana for free. I know people who think the Edge can play circles around Satch and Vai and others who believe that Prince is the most talented and gifted musician on the planet. I get told all the time that I'm an "amazing" guitarist but I consider myself to be mediocre and refuse to buy into the hype. The fact is, in my expereince at least, the majority of people will choose the lowest common denominator as being "great".

If all you are criticising is the medium the band presented to us, then I guess I misread you. But your comment "Saying encouraging things...is pretty hollow - any band has potential and could be really good someday if they practice and focus on the right things" seemed to say that encouragement and constructive criticism is not required. How else are they supposed to learn?

This further comment "If the OP wants to be a crybaby because everyone didn't stroke his ego, then he's more than likely never going to be a good musician in a good band" is also why I made the mollycoddling comment. You're assuming he wanted nothing but praise, but he's saying he wanted feedback where they could improve what they are doing. So, I gave him some.

[MaxKincaide]

Just what do you suppose would happen if I were to post a blurry, grainy pic on a pro photography forum and ask the pros to critique it? Should I get all butt-hurt when they're not focusing on the lighting and composition?

For myself, I rarely post any of my playing because no matter what anyone here posts and no matter how specific they are about what feedback they're looking for, they're going to get critiqued on everything. If I can't record something that I would want played all over the world, then I'm not going to post it.

Saying encouraging things like: "You guys have potential" or "Your band could be really good some day" is pretty hollow - any band has potential and could be really good someday if they practice and focus on the right things.

If the OP wants to be a crybaby because everyone didn't stroke his ego, then he's more than likely never going to be a good musician in a good band.

This part of your post that I bolded I agree with. Its your music...post it when you feel like you need to be critiqued on whatever aspect. I think that's what the OP did here. He knew that it wasn't the best performance by far, and was looking for outside criticism to hone in on the problem areas.

That doesn't mean be harsh about it by basically saying don't post crap and STFU. And that's what I'm reading from your post here.

I'm posting a song on here in a week or two when I finish it, and I'm really curious to hear what you and others have to say about it. Myself, I have thick skin when it comes to criticism. I've been told from day 1 that my singing sucks, that my guitar chops are not up to snuff...blah blah blah. It did nothing but make me woodshed harder. But, I wasn't like that when I first started out, either. I had a pretty fragile ego, myself, and I wasn't confident about anything.

I'm pretty sure everyone on here was the same way, including you. We've all been picked on at one time or another, and we all know that it does no good for someone to tell a beginner to simply "get better", or "you suck". How do they get better? In what ways do they suck?

I'm not saying that you should never criticize anyone else in a harsh fashion...especially for folks that have been around and should know better by now. But for someone who's obviously not experienced at all...come on now...

How would you have wanted to be critiqued when you first started playing in bands? I imagine, if you're honest, you wouldn't like it very much if someone who obviously has more experience than you were to say that you shouldn't post anything until you were better. That's the entire reason the guy posted it, was to see what he needs to get better.

What's it going to hurt to say, "stop speeding up the song, listen to eachother play, and practice"??? That's all he's looking for, that I can see. Not an ego stroke. Not someone to coddle him and tell him that mommy and daddy think that he's the greatest drummer in the world. He just simply needs direction.

IMO, for those of us who have been there and have the experience, it's our responsibility to help out those who don't know what they're doing. The younger crowd is the future of music, and I would honestly hate to see it completely decline alltogether because we didn't offer any encouragement at all. I realize that someone is going to say that music is currently in a compelete decline, but I'm talking about to the point that no new music is published at all, because no labels or anyone else in the industry will invest in it, due to the music just not being marketable anymore.

[Austincowbell]

1. Yes, its bad. However, I just can't bring myself to bash an 11-year-old singer. Granted, the rest of it isn't so great but for some teenagers I'm just impressed that they're onstage. I would be curious to see how they would sound with a good singer.
2. OP - You'll get better don't worry about it. And honestly, even when you get REALLY good there are still going to be people who tell you that you suck. Music simply isn't graded on a scale of absolutes, its on a continuum: On one end is "suck" and on one is "awesome" and no matter how much you suck there will STILL be a few people who think you are awesome and no matter how awesome you are there will still be people who think you suck. Don't believe me? Google ANY musician you can think of and the word "sucks" or "sucked". You'll find someone who hates them.
At the end of the day YOU need to be happy with your music and that's pretty much it. If YOU personally like your music you will play it with confidence and it will sound better and eventually you WILL find people who like it. Record Deal? Eh.... if you "want" a record deal that is great. So do I. If you are "planning" on a record deal you need to make another plan. Record deals have more to do with luck than talent and I have met some AMAZING musicians who are just getting by because they "planned" on getting signed.

FURTHER - Dude... you have a cross upside-down inside an inverted pentagram as your avatar. Having this as your avatar pretty much means that you can't be sensitive when someone says negative things about your band. Especially when you ask for opinions. Keep playing and toughen up a little, you'll be fine.

[Nick the DSM]

Yeah, I don't remember putting that as my avatar. I've been meaning to change it.

[faileddrummer]

I would critique it, but the youtube link didn't work for me.

[Nick the DSM]

I would critique it, but the youtube link didn't work for me.

go on youtube and type in "lochaber axe".

[faileddrummer]

DEFINITELY need a singer who's hit puberty. Trust me, you guys will sound WEIRD when he gets to 13. The singing doesn't really fit the music... At all. The guitars sound fine with each other, but the drums are kind of just there. I don't HATE the song, but it does need a little work. Don't take it the wrong way. Learn from what everyone is saying and grow. I can and will say, there is nothing an 11 year old can honestly sing about that I can relate to.

[Nick the DSM]

DEFINITELY need a singer who's hit puberty. Trust me, you guys will sound WEIRD when he gets to 13. The singing doesn't really fit the music... At all. The guitars sound fine with each other, but the drums are kind of just there. I don't HATE the song, but it does need a little work. Don't take it the wrong way. Learn from what everyone is saying and grow. I can and will say, there is nothing an 11 year old can honestly sing about that I can relate to.

What song(s) did you listen to?

I don't know if I could just let him go like that.

Also, what do you mean by not relating to what he sings, I don't understand?

[faileddrummer]

What song(s) did you listen to?

I don't know if I could just let him go like that.

Also, what do you mean by not relating to what he sings, I don't understand?

You don't nec. have to let him go. He'd be fine as a back up singer or such (see Set Your Goals) but you definitely need a masculine voice with the type of music you're playing. And, I mean I'm 21 years old. I've been through plenty that I can guarantee no 11 year old has. It's like Johnny Rotten was saying on the Bodog Music BOTB on Fuse: "You're 15, why're you singing about drinking whiskey and picking up girls?" Type deal. When I was 11, all I could think to do was ride my skateboard and play with my action figures. I'm not saying he can't write decent songs, but, they'll either be about something he's never experienced or about something I really don't care about.

As for the music itself, outside of the nerves and other normal shit that goes down, it sounded fine to me, as a starting band and all. Keep it up. Don't let anyone here discourage you. :thu:

[Nick the DSM]

Oh, I see what your saying.

I mean I can't just dismiss him because he doesn't have the right voice, would it be better to change up the style of music?

[faileddrummer]

Oh, I see what your saying.

I mean I can't just dismiss him because he doesn't have the right voice, would it be better to change up the style of music?

Honestly, I'd change it simply because everyone and their grandma is doing that sound. Just me though.

[BlueStrat]

Was it great? No. Did it have lots of problems? Sure.

But here's the thing: These guys are kids. Miles ahead of where I was at that age. And I have to hand it to the kid posting this, he didn't come here all puffed up breathlessly announcing how cool his band was, he came asking for a critique. So here it is:

1) the drums are erratic. This is almost assuredly due to inexperience, nerves, and playing with other guys who are inexperienced and nervous. But I heard some decent things, too, for a young guy. Things like attack and taste in what to leave out-he wasn't trying to add a bazillion pedal triplets or multiple rolls. What I heard was nothing that can't be overcome with practice and the maturity that time brings.

2) the rest of the band, like wise. Problems galore, but nothing that can't be overcome. Guitar tones were mostly solid, and they seem to at least have a rudimentary grasp of playing together.

3) The singer-well, he's basically a child. I won't cap on him because I don't know how long he's been singing, whether he could even hear himself or not, and his voice isn't developed. After his voice changes, he could get really good, or he could get worse. Who knows? Singing is one of those things that you either have or you don't. You can develop technique and strength, but you can't really change your tonal quality. Time alone will tell.

All in all, I've heard a lot worse posted here by guys who were a lot more proud of what they put up and who were a lot more defensive at being criticized. Personally, I think the kid has a shot at getting good and I give him an attaboy for getting into the game so early in life and giving it a shot. I'd like to hear them in about two or three years. I'd bet it would be a world of difference.

My advice to the OP: keep at it and don't let anyone talk you you out of it. Take the constructive criticism, ignore the stuff that doesn't help you, and get better. Do that and you'll likely make great strides.

[faileddrummer]

I'd like to hear them in about two or three years. I'd bet it would be a world of difference.

My advice to the OP: keep at it and don't let anyone talk you you out of it. Take the constructive criticism, ignore the stuff that doesn't help you, and get better. Do that and you'll likely make great strides.

:thu::thu::thu: This +100000

[Austincowbell]

re: the vocalist.

now... just so we are clear... I HAVE NO FORMAL TRAINING AS A SINGER.. so I might be talking out of my ass here but:

Your singer might have pitch issues but the larger issue is that he doesn't know how to sing. By that I don't mean it is unfixable, I just mean he is singing out of his head instead of involving his chest and stomach. Now, given that he is 11 and has most likely never had a vocal lesson, it is perfectly acceptable for him to not know what I am talking about. Hell... it wasn't until I was trying to sing Elton John one time at a Karaoke place that I figured out what the difference was. To put it gruffly, to sing with your whole body means you are singing with much more force and power and it makes a world of difference. Just tell him to take voice lessons. He'll think it's stupid but when you play him a tape of himself a month after the voice lessons he'll shut up.

[jskpongoui]

It's not my kind of music, but it was fine. maybe keep the tempo a bit better-
other than that keep going :D

and as a fellow youngin myself, I would agree.

If someone said that to me, even via internet I'd be pretty pissed
not necessarily heart broken though.

check out mine :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2INz9E7tlc&feature=channel_page

[cooterbrown]

Here is a real question I have to ask re: your singer, Nick...

Is he in the band because you want to do songs that require a high-pitched singer? If that is the case, when he hits puberty, it's gonna get real embarrasing. He'll have moments when he can still hit those notes, and he'll have moments where he can't get out of Johnny Cash's range.
He'll also have moments that will wildly oscillate between those two extremes...likely all within the same song.
So be aware of that, because it's gonna happen fairly quickly.

How old are the rest of you?

[lespaul1964]

What song(s) did you listen to?

Which song are we supposed to listen to? OP is gone.

Anyways, I heard Paranoid though it may not be the current line up, honestly could not get through the national anthem video. I think it is an honest effort by some kids the age of my kids. I don't like it, but I am not offended by the effort though it needs a lot of work. You have going for you that people stuck around for the song, at least for a while.

As to Paranoid:

The singer is not good. Period. It doesn't help him a whole lot that he can't breathe because the song is being played way too fast, nerves will do that to you. Keep an eye on it during rehearsals, maybe get a metronome and work the right tempo. On the guitar some notes and passages were executed wrong and the song needs to be cleaned up. The guitar player and drummer will be fine in a few years if they work hard, in my opinion. Cannot hear the bass in my office speakers.

Remember that just because you like a song doesn't mean it fits the band, and that you can or should be doing it. Though I don't know what songs or bands will be a fit with that singer. Be critical of yourselves and your band. If you open your ears, you'll know when something is not working. Be your bands harshest and honest critic.

Good luck!

[Nick the DSM]

Here is a real question I have to ask re: your singer, Nick...

Is he in the band because you want to do songs that require a high-pitched singer? If that is the case, when he hits puberty, it's gonna get real embarrasing. He'll have moments when he can still hit those notes, and he'll have moments where he can't get out of Johnny Cash's range.
He'll also have moments that will wildly oscillate between those two extremes...likely all within the same song.
So be aware of that, because it's gonna happen fairly quickly.

How old are the rest of you?
That wasn't the reason I picked him, I've seen him play a few times and I thought it'd be cool to jam with him. Paranoid is a song we all know and time was running out to learn new songs, so we sorta picked through our memory banks of easier songs to do.

The guitarists and drummer are 16 ish and the bassist is 20 (I give him props, he drove all the way from Virginia to play with us, though we've had rehearsals with him so its not like it was out of the blue).

Which song are we supposed to listen to? OP is gone.

Anyways, I heard Paranoid though it may not be the current line up, honestly could not get through the national anthem video. I think it is an honest effort by some kids the age of my kids. I don't like it, but I am not offended by the effort though it needs a lot of work. You have going for you that people stuck around for the song, at least for a while.

As to Paranoid:

The singer is not good. Period. It doesn't help him a whole lot that he can't breathe because the song is being played way too fast, nerves will do that to you. Keep an eye on it during rehearsals, maybe get a metronome and work the right tempo. On the guitar some notes and passages were executed wrong and the song needs to be cleaned up. The guitar player and drummer will be fine in a few years if they work hard, in my opinion. Cannot hear the bass in my office speakers.

Remember that just because you like a song doesn't mean it fits the band, and that you can or should be doing it. Though I don't know what songs or bands will be a fit with that singer. Be critical of yourselves and your band. If you open your ears, you'll know when something is not working. Be your bands harshest and honest critic.

Good luck!
The nat'l anthem was filler...sorta, we just thought it get the crowds attention or something.

As I said before the sound men sucked that night, most of the other bands had the same problems- the bassist and a guitar could not be heard.

The other songs we did were Am I evil and The Mechanix...we messed them up.