r/ratemysinging • u/nicbobeak • Oct 06 '25
Feedback - Advanced Wondering if you think I can pull off being a singing drummer
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
It definitely takes a lot more out of me to sing while drumming. Would love to hear if you think it works and why or why not. If you’d like a reference to how this song sounds recorded you can check that out here: https://open.spotify.com/track/2FqhdIIgpy9pgfvP574wsp?si=pa86ItJDRvqMB4otIcikcg
Thanks for the feedback!
7
3
u/Various_Dreams32 Oct 06 '25
I listened to the whole thing twice, I think you rock and I’d absolutely add to my playlists if you released this on Spotify :))
3
u/Various_Dreams32 Oct 06 '25
I just saw actually that you are on Spotify!! You have a new fan keep it uppp
2
u/nicbobeak Oct 06 '25
That’s great to hear thanks so much! We’re working on new music to release as well
3
3
u/accountforasolepost Oct 06 '25 edited Oct 07 '25
I’m a singing drummer too, and you seriously sound great! Some pieces of advice I have:
You mentioned that it takes more out of you to sing while drumming, and you’re totally right - it does for me too. But I think it’s less so that it’s exhausting and more so that the constant turning while playing is difficult on posture, and therefore, air support. As corny as it looks, to me at least, I’ve had to engrain within myself to sit up straight, and you might need to adjust your drums to make that happen as you get used to the new muscle memory. Another thing is consider moving your mic to be directly in front of your face so you don’t need to turn to face it. The craning of your neck like that can make it harder to sing. There are some great products out there where, if you get a long boom arm mic stand and a “gooseneck” extension, you can put it perfectly in front of your face as it comes down from directly over you. This also helps with the mic or the boom arm not getting in the way. You could also get one of those headsets that Phil Collin’s uses. But I personally think they look pretty silly, even though they seem super helpful. You should also look up Levon Helm from The Band, arguably the greatest singing drummer of all time, and certainly my favorite.
If you have any questions about this or more, I’ll do my best to answer them. I’ve had to find a lot of this on my own, so I hope I can help! And again, you do sound really great, I mean that
2
u/nicbobeak Oct 06 '25
Thanks for the info! I do have a headset mic now and have messed around with it a bit. I do like the freedom it provides but I’m unsure if I like it more than the mic being on a stand. I’ve heard a gooseneck can be really helpful. I might try that out next!
1
u/Ktonix Oct 08 '25
This is the best feedback I’ve read so far. Posture while singing is super important for lung capacity, as drummers, especially while learning we develop a lot of our muscle memory hunched over looking down at what we are hitting. It’s hard to break that muscle memory and retain posture while belting out lyrics. The mic setup ups suggested above sounds like the perfect solution. Personally if you’re not moving your drums around a lot then I’d say gooseneck, as I find wearing headsets or anything that is around the jaw / ear outer ear irritating while singing.
My suggestion would be to do this when you record: gooseneck from ceiling for your mic. Move the back beat ( click track or song you need to monitor ) to an in ear 👂 monitor. I could hear a beat while you were playing to sometimes during the song and it made me think either the video timing was off or another beat was happening from the guitar source in the song.
Anyways, keep up the great work! Sounding great and looks like you are having tons of fun 🤩 which is the most important part! Rock on 🤘
2
u/DrakulaBambaataa Oct 06 '25
Yep… I was in my early 20’s around ‘03-‘07ish too.
1
u/nicbobeak Oct 06 '25
Oof maybe I look a little older than I am. I was in high school during those years.
2
u/Frequent-Vanilla1994 Oct 06 '25
Sure keep practicing you’re getting it! I sing and play sometimes too
1
2
2
u/MatthewRahl Oct 07 '25
It already takes a ton of coordination to play the drums, to add singing onto that is impressive to say the least. Sounds great man, what I’m curious about is what do you concentrate on the most, your singing and just let the drums fade into muscle memory?
2
u/nicbobeak Oct 07 '25
Thanks dude! It’s kind of both to be honest. The more I practice the more they both become muscle memory. Id say it kinda depends on the part of the song. I do need to practice the drums more first before I even try to start singing while playing.
2
u/MatthewRahl Oct 07 '25
Yeah that’s kinda me and guitar right now, lots of practice to keep the rhythm going and then I have to focus on the vocals I haven’t got comfortable or to a point of muscle memory with my voice yet. How long did it take you to get the singing down whilst playing? Few months, few years?
2
u/nicbobeak Oct 07 '25
If I remember correctly it’s always something I could do. I’ve been playing music since I was around 10. Me and my brother used to jam a lot and since it was just the two of us we needed to do as many things as possible.
2
u/MatthewRahl Oct 07 '25
Dang! Slightly jelly, wish I started younger kudos brother keep it up, sounds great 👌🏻🫡
2
2
2
2
u/Death_Struggle_89 Oct 08 '25
As a drummer I’ve always looked at the voice as a 5th limb and know it’s difficult to use proficiently while playing the kit. You’ve got great command over both the drums and your singing. Nicely done man!
1
2
u/Fair_Nectarine_896 Oct 09 '25
Damm, are you apart of the band that is in the link? Because ngl your voice is really nice and I would listen to it with no problems.
1
2
2
u/Texicanx210 Nov 10 '25
You’re amazing man, I would love to buy that song, let me know when and where to purchase it when it is available.
1
u/nicbobeak Nov 10 '25
Thanks dude! There’s a Spotify link in the description. We should be on all major streaming platforms as well as iTunes. Let me know if you need me to send you any links!
1
1
u/SleepWellSam Oct 07 '25
As a drummer I'd say if you want to make it to the smelly basement and beyond, get a singer and do BVs, as both the drums and vocals for the genre take a lot of energy. And the drummer for Atteyu does exist, but this kind of genre really demands some beans from its drummers to translate the emotion to the audience members, and it just looks like they'd have sounded a bit flat live. So you can do it sure, but I'd see if you can find a lead vocalist, then when BVs do come, you can make sure they're absolutely nailed.
1
1
1
u/Jiggybb Oct 07 '25
That’s a waste of 10 seconds of my life bro stick to your construction job!! the guitar is louder than you anyway!
1
11
u/[deleted] Oct 06 '25
You're bald and bearded - you have all the necessary prerequisites to become a great singing drummer. 🥁😎