Unsuitable choice of Songs

[shyamwestwind]

Hi Everyone
I have this partner of mine in our Duo who persists on singing songs not suitable for his vocal range and style and though I very politely hint about trying some other songs, he continues to embarrass us by attempting the unattainable and "losing" his voice in the attempt !!!! The audience tell me diplomatically that he should stop singing those songs and I'm in a quandary as to how to go about it. I am a singer and I don't want him to feel that I'm acting superior or haughty.
Any practical suggestions to tackle this sensitive issue will be welcome.

[thingyy]

Yes tape it and let him hear for himself.

[weegeo]

lol lol lol very diplomatic thingy,me i`d just tell him to look at the difference in the crowd`s reaction when he sings and when you sing Shyam if that doesn`t work then i would just tell him to choose other songs.Btw Shyam i am trying to sort the other business out sorry

weegeo

[levi2]

shyyam next time you do a rehearsal why dont you sing a song outta ya range or just pretend and if he makes a comment saying thats not very good just tell well thats how you sound lol or just be honest and tell him straight

[freeway]

Well shyam........its a tricky one been there before . .......I think your d**ned if you do and d**ned if you dont...........the guy who played with me actually thought he was brilliant in his own mind he was a living legend. .......tried recording the gig and listened back the following day.......said to him what you think and his reply was geez I was in great voice last night wasn't I..........so obviously that didn't work........so got a few neutrals friends of ours to listen and give their views and comments on a secret ballot so to speak as to which songs suited us the best and which songs didnt work and guess what........he dropped half his set list the following week.........not a happy bunny I tell ya ......but it worked out fine for a few months anyway until he decided to reintroduce one or two of his previous repertoire.........we parted soon after that...........just my experience anyway........Cheerz............Barry

[shyamwestwind]

Thanks Guys ........ I hate being impolite and crude but I did tell once that he needed lung power to sing those songs, but as freeway said, he comes back, days later, to sing it again. I have now started telling him not to steal my songs and to sing some new stuff. I have even told him how good he was singing Dire Straits numbers, but I dont think its sunk through.
He has what we call as a "head voice" sort of bordering on falsetto and I'm trying to make him open up and sing.

[Steptoe]

Shyam, there is no easy way, you just need to be straight up and just tell him, otherwise in 6 months time you'll still have this problem, only you'll have left it for so long the subject of his lack of vocal prowess will be even harder to broach!
You need to nip the problem in the bud sooner than later otherwise it'll never happen!

Cheers
John

[Emerald Midi]

John's advice on this is what I would suggest too. Sometimes the direct approach saves a lot of time.

[knimmo]

had that sort of problem with a female singer once.
she even told me she'd been to college and had some sort of qualification.I let it run for several weeks practice,then had to tell her to go and get a refund on her qualification,it became hard because her husband was our lead guitarist.after that i went out on my own.much safer.no arguments.just harder work.best of luck
shay.

[themd21]

hi Shyam

There's only two solutions to your problem.
1 is live with it and 2 is find someone else to work with.
Personally if you can talk about the guy behind his back, right under his nose, I would take option 2.

[weegeo]

Now that is the best answer Jamesy,good old fashioned Belfast diplomacy `can`t sing sack him`i think we`ve all been thru this 1. If it`s your business then you can`t afford to carry him. The guy that plays bass with me is well known for his ermmmm forth right manner he would just say your hopeless[cleaned that up] and say don`t come back

weegeo

[charlie]

This is a touchy situation, and granted, there are numerous ways to handle it. Usually a clean break from a partner is the easiest, but is it always the best? I wonder. If the partner has other attrubutes that are worthy, maybe some consideration for those would be wise. What I have found is that when you team up with a partner, it is best to sit down with them and explain your philosophy about performance and integrity. My goal has always been to seek the "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" theory, meaning we produce more sound, have greater stage presence, and entertain better than what would be expected out of "just" a duo. What we do individually is a reflection on the duo as a whole. That being said, when material is out of range, out of style, and otherwise not suited for us, we don't force it on the audience to accept. A mutual respect for each other's abilities and the awareness of one's own limitations should be the deciding factor what songs are sung and who sings them. That way, each of us produces the best product with the most effective results....a roaring applause from an audience.

[shyamwestwind]

Jimmy, dont get me wrong - its really not "talking behind his back" as I have told him about trying other songs, about needing lung power etc etc. He's a very nice guy otherwise, a perfect gentleman, very very helpful, doesn't smoke or drink. I guess I'll need to suggest suitable songs and when he hears crowd appreciation, he'll realize what he's good at.
Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. Sometimes, it helps talking to friends like all at MidiMart to let off steam and it also helps one realize its over reacting to a personal irritation. Methinks, I'll appreciate his goodness and friendship and work as a team.

[tradman]

Shyam

If you ever sort this one out, lets know, cos we could bottle the solution and sell it. It's definatly one of those conundrums. Specially if the partner is a good friend.

Chow 4 now

Tradman

[shyamwestwind]

Tradman you have similar problems in Rubber Dub Dub ? I've kinda sorted this out in my brain - I'll look at his sunnier side, learn not to over react and just put on a GOOD SHOW . As the saying goes....... the show must go on
Cheers!!

[themd21]

Glad you sorted out your problem Shyam and with I hope, a decision that puts your mind at rest.
The little reference I made wasn't a dig at you.
" Talking behind his back, right under his very nose!"
It's taken from John Ford's The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.
I guess it's desperately wanting someone to know something but you don't get round to telling them directly!

Good Fortune

Jimmy

[JohnG]

Hi Shyam,
Another possible way to tackle this is to suggest new songs that really are suitable for his voice type. Get them regularly into "the set" to replace the ones that he's not so good at and "bingo" after a little while no more bad songs lots of new good songs! Could it really be that simple?
Well, it might be worth a try anyway.
Just a thought.
JohnG.

[shyamwestwind]

Thanks JohnG thats exactly what I'm doing nowadays - egging him on to sing some new comfortable numbers, adding all the msical and vocal support to make them effective, and "quietly" doing the questionable songs !! Seems to be working .

[JohnG]

Excellent news Shyam, keep up the good work, you'll have him sorted soon!