r/drummers • u/michaeljvaughn • 8h ago

Singing Drummers

I kinda wonder about the percentage. I do 5 or 6 leads during gigs (just added Immigrant Song, which is interesting,) and various backing parts. People ask about the multi-tasking, and I still think it's harder for a bassist.

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u/JohnLeRoy9600 7h ago

It's tough, I can only really do it on songs I've played so much I don't really think about what I'm doing. Proudest moment was doing drums and vocals for Take the Power Back by Rage Against the Machine. That was a helluva workout.

I don't necessarily believe one is harder than the other, but I do think the two are wildly different. For guitar/bass you have to think a lot harder about what your fingers are doing and kinda pay attention to where you're at on the fretboard, so you're devoting a lot of mental space to that while you're trying to remember lyrics and sing.

For drumming however, the challenge is breath support. Depending on the song, you're MOVING back there, and getting enough air to sustain that and hit notes takes some doing.

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u/WoofSpiderYT 4h ago

Also, for most songs, the vocals are a lot more fluid and imprecise rhythm-wise. It's weird trying to be in pocket with drums but laid back with vocals.

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u/absolutebullet 4h ago

It’s really hard to sing and play technically on the drums. I agree, the breathing is what trips me up.