Alan Emslie is a world-class drummer. If you’ve ever heard any of his solo projects or any of the music he has done with other artists, you will know there is no doubt about this. But there’s one thing he is not good and that is singing. He has never been a good vocalist, but it doesn’t really matter. That is why he usually works with other artists, whenever he needs vocals on his music.
A lot of drummers want to handle their own vocals. If you are one of these, I fully encourage you to do it, but just know that it will be a lot of work. You’ll have to look into getting vocal lessons or a vocal coach, first of all. Finding a good singing teacher is not easy, but here is a page that can help you. It details a lot of different ways to get vocal training, from free to very expensive and which one is best just depends on your personal preference.
If you have decided to get an actual coach, that site also has a few suggestions for coaches that you can hire over the Internet. If you do want to get one locally, it also tells you what to look for. There are a lot of factors you need to take into consideration when hiring a vocal instructor.
You can definitely do all of this on your own and Musicaroo can help you with that too. But, if you’re really serious about your singing, you’ll want to get yourself an actual coach to help you improve your singing. It’s just a smarter move and it’s what all the best singing drummers did.
It will take you a long time and a lot of hard work, but once your have gotten a professional sounding voice, you will be able to handle your own drumming and your own singing. This gives you a lot more control over your music, since you do not have to deal with one extra ego. And we all know that singers can have very big egos. And I’m not saying that us drummers are much better, but let’s face it, we are. Better than those guitarists, too.
That’s why the best drummers generally don’t bother singing. They can put their egos aside and let someone else take control of the band. Usually that is the singer. If you are the type that can’t do this, then it makes a lot of sense to sing your own vocals. In that case it is definitely worth the extra effort it will take you to get your vocals up to a good level.
Alan Emslie never cared about taking a back seat. He never had a huge ego that got in the way of his success. He knows he is a great percussionist and he doesn’t need to be in the foreground. Besides, he has brought out a number of solo albums that did put him in the foreground, so I guess he found a way to get the best of both worlds.
Whatever track you take, I wish you the best of success. Whether you want to learn to sing yourself and you get yourself some great vocal coaches to accomplish that or whether you just want someone else to handle the singing and you focus on the drumming, you can be hugely successful. It just depends which path is better for you. Either way, good luck!
