Drum Tips and Techniques Articles

If You Have a Voice, Why Not Use It While You're Playing Drums?

Although I take it for granted now, I really enjoy being able to sing lead and backing vocals while playing the drum kit.  I have a tenor range, which allows me to sing many types of parts. But, it also provides an additional challenge to just "playing". And I like challenges.

There are a variety of methods that a drummer can use to learn to sing backing and/or lead vocals while drumming. But first, you must actually have the ability to stay on pitch, sing from your diaphragm, and maintain a correct posture (to minimize motion while you sing).  If you CAN sing on-key, then you should learn to sing and play drums - even with odd times and polyrhythms (gosh, I hate the term "odd" when describing 5, 7, 9 beat per measure in music! But that's common western terminology).

My Recommendations to Develop the Skills for Singing and Drum Kit Playing:

1). Go to a classical vocal instructor and have your voice evaluated. I took classical vocal lessons for a year to learn the techniques necessary to breath and project without damaging my vocal chords. This also helped me learn how to setup my drum stool for optimum singing and playing posture (I brought my drum throne to each lesson - and my instructor thought I was nuts).
2). As I was taking lessons, I slowly began learning backup harmonies while playing in various bands - but I still didn't drum and sing into the mics.
3). Before I "opened my mouth" officially behind the kit, I found for me, that it was best to get all of my drum parts down "cold" first. I figured this was the case because I wouldn't have to consciously think "too much more" as I added a vocal part into the mix. Heck, we're all already using all of our limbs when we play anyway! We have so much more "going on" then most other musicians!
4). Next, I started learning singing parts "in sections" (and not at a rehearsal). Personally, I would repeat a section of a piece until I know that I was playing smoothly and was singing on pitch. I still find this to be a successful approach. Based on this, I recommend that you don't move on to the next vocal phrase until you've gotten both your drumming and vocal parts down in the previous phrase. Oh, to know whether you're doing everything correctly use a metronome (for time analysis) and a recording device (for pitch). When you like what you hear, move on to the next phrase... and so on.
5). I recommend learning/singing backing vocal parts first. These parts are not as constantly occurring as lead parts, but they still require you attain the right words and notes while others are singing with you. This allows you to gain confidence continually.
6). Use a headset mic for performing if you can. Even the best overhead boom stands are distracting and take up too much space. One of the absolute best headset mics that I've found for drummers is Crown's "CM 311 series" (and I don't work for Crown). This mic is able to reject essentially all drum sounds (including the snare drum) while you sing and play! This is a very unique capability - and a VERY important one.

Final Comments

Now that I've been singing both lead and backing vocals for over 20 years, I find that my mind has become "pliable" to picking up both drum AND vocal parts simultaneously (much like the way muscle-based independent coordination works when we play the kit). It has become second nature for me to both find harmony parts, or to sing a lead part - "on the fly". Every now and then I do get challenged by a song (which is good).

The most important thing is that you can do this too! If you have a decent voice, but you haven't bothered to learn to play and sing as a drummer, then you're only limiting your playing opportunities (and wasting your overall talent). Singing drummers are NOT the norm - and are sought after. Thus, mastering this skill could make the difference between landing a gig or not! 

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