Hi everyone I have a situation with my band, I think we play really good but I have been told that we have a problem we don't play with the dynamics on our songs...

For example we play always a the same volume not giving attention to who is supposed to be the center of attention in the moment... Like when there's lead singing we should low the volume to make it clear that someone is singing or there's a solo we should give attention to the guitar... any tips on how to control this or something we should know

I have never thought about it and I'm really sure we need this to get better and I've seen here's a lot of experienced musicians so your comments will be great

Sorry about my english, is not my primary language

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Do you actually have songs or just continuous jamming?

What sort of music do you play? Maybe find a band close to your sound (or at least how you would like it to be) and find out how they have the band arranged.
Nothing wrong for each and every song having one or two instruments taking lead roll and then theres something different in your set list and a challenge for everyone to be involved.

. . . . i could be completely wrong but i hope this helps

BSB

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Oh well we play something between punk rock and alternative rock we do have lead guitar on lead vocals parts... I'm not sure how to arrange that... Volume pedals? I don't know

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I know exactly what you're taking about, have had this issue in the past with a few different bands.

What it really comes down to is EVERYONE has to remember to play lightly when the time is right.

For me, this includes:
1. Pretty much any time a vocalist starts a verse
2. Most instrumental solos -not all, depends on the feel at that time
3. When someone is 'talking' to the audience while the music plays. This one is important, you have to lower everything to a whisper, or the speaker won't be heard.

So you need the whole band using good judgement about when to lower their volume, and you need them to remember to do it consistently - this is easier said than done.

The other option is to make someone the Musical Director and that person needs to use hand signals to quiet things down when the time is right. We have an MD in my band and it works out well, although the rest of us usually use pretty good judgement anyway.

You don't need a volume pedal to accomplish this, just play lighter and/or use the volume control on the instruments.

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Awesome man thanks for the tips I really appreciated it I think a Musical Director will work on my band

the only question is... If I play with distortion will be enough just to play lighter

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No, you shouldn't play lighter just because there's lead singing going on. His mix should be set above the instruments. Your drummer will be loud by nature, the rest of the guys even off their volume to him, then the lead singer should be set a touch higher than the rest of you.

When it comes time for a guitar solo, the solo needs to be boosted in volume to where the lead singer's volume is. If it's a clean solo, use a boost pedal. If it's a distortion pedal, the "level" should be set so the volume goes higher than when playing the rhythms, somewhere around where the lead singer is set. When the solo is done, the guitar player shuts the boost off.

So you should really think in terms of boosting the guitar for solos rather than volume leveling the whole band down. If the guitar player uses distortion throughout the song, an added boost pedal is needed for the solos. With a volume pedal, it would be harder to match where the rhythm level that was originally set due to it being a rocker pedal as opposed to a switched on/off pedal. Not saying it can't be done, just more of a pain.

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To bounce off what Jah said -
I use a distortion pedal and an overdrive pedal. I set the distortion so that when I turn it on, my guitar is at the same volume as when I'm playing clean.
When solo time comes up, whether I'm clean or distorted, I stomp the overdrive that's set for just a little extra crunch and volume.

The issue with a lot bands is that everybody wants to make sure they're being heard... and that usually turns into too much of everything. Less is more. If you want a good lesson on the "less is more" approach, check out some old Gentle Giant and listen to it with headphones.

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What you describe sounds great. It's just in my experience, you don't always have a good audio technician behind the mixing board. I would love to stop thinking about things like a proper mix and concentrate on playing, but it isn't always possible.

Also, note I didn't say you should always play lighter when there's lead singing going on. I said "1. Pretty much any time a vocalist starts a verse and 3. When someone is 'talking' to the audience while the music plays. " During the chorus (refrain) and bridge, it sounds good (IMHO) to take it up a notch in volume. What you're describing does not leave you any room to do that.

O.P. stated, "we play always at the same volume not giving attention to who is supposed to be the center of attention in the moment... ". So if you do the "set it and forget it mix" as you described, they're right back to having no dynamics. (IMO) kicking on a stomp box for solos does not add up to dynamics.

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the only way you guys can make it is if the lead singers girlfriend starts running the band and you have a huge fallout and magically get back together.

A reunion tour is the way you get the most attention, after that everything else will fall into place

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When composing songs its also important to be mindful of how each musician is contributing to an "audible spectrum". For example, electric guitar is generally percieved as a treble section. If the guitarist is playing deep (lower register) stuff at the same moment as the bassist, he can become lost in the mix. It's important to consider how everyone is contributing to the overall sound, rather than simply writing catchy parts for everyone and throwing them into the soup pot.

Gear can also play a role. For example many guitarists love Celestion Blue Speakers because of how easily they cut through the mix.

Dynamics, playing in the pocket and attitude all go hand-in-hand
in my opinion. When all 3 of these come together and your band is
having a good night, it should sound incredible.

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Ill second what Frankie said. Most younger bands including the one I was in, tend to try and get louder than everyone else and not only does it sound bad, it causes friction between band mates. Playing C&W bars in Texas, drinking was the norm during gigs and the more the lead player drank, the louder he got.

Varying volumes is a big part of playing a good song. It turns a 2D song into a 3D song. An added dimension so to speak.

Another bad habit for new bands, is playing too fast. It's not a race, it's music. Another bad habit is not knowing what song your playing next and arguing what to play. Have a song list, and stick to it.

When your playing live at a gig, the most important thing is you audience. Get them involved and keep they're attention. I can't sing, but they made sure I was miced because I had the best rap/motivational skills of all of us. On some of our cover songs like Taking Care of Business or Johnny B Good, we had a section that we stretched out, lowered the volume, and I did my thing motivating the crowd. When we grabbed the crowds attention, then we cranked it back up and slammed it home.

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Gary

it is natural for me to play a bit softer while one of is singing or the other guitarist is playing a solo. howevah, i'm the only one who does this. our band plays WAY too loud and its annoying. unfortunately i have one foot out the door already. they refuse to play anything new and its getting very old.

Awesome guys thanks for your advises I really think this is important for us to get a great sound!! Tell you later how it goes!!

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