are vocals in rock band respectable?

**LucasPWNS8907** · Joined: 11 Apr 2009 Posts: 181

it has been known for quite some time that rock band vocals are way easier than guitar hero vocals and way easier than playing the other instruments. but are they too easy to merit respect? for the majority of songs, vocals are laughably easy. there are only a handful that are actually difficult and those few don't take that much work to get the FC. FCing on vocals is more of an expectation it seems so i'm just wondering, do people actually respect rock band vocalists?

**singemfrc** · Joined: 10 Aug 2007 Posts: 4407 Location: California

The thing with vocals is the difficulty varies depending on the player. For the vast majority of songs, how hard they are depends on the range and style of the singer. Tangled Up In Blue is really hard for most people (including myself) but some people I know tell me the song is really easy for them.

There are a few (Doin That Rag, Burn/NIN, Peace Of Mind, Bohemian Rhapsody, Good Vobrations) that are widely regarded as universally difficult for the majority of people. Personally, I'd respect anyone who can FC those.

Vocals are kind of a different animal...it is possible to be a respected vocalist, but to me it seems it takes more of a consistent performance in being able to FC most/all songs, rather than where on drums or guitar you can gain respect from a single FC if it's something on the UnFCed list. Squeezing is a big part of being a top vocalist, and so is being able to path a song yourself. That's why even though I can FC just about everything, I don't consider myself one of the top vocalists. I would consider the best vocalists like Billtvshow, ProffessorJoe, RJUCPU, or wesker-kun. (not an all inclusive list, just who I thought of this minute).
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**JOE2210** · Joined: 19 Apr 2009 Posts: 2480 Location: In the Gagasphere

Vocalists aren't really regarded as highly as guitarists and drummers in my opinions.
I mean, the average SHer knows about Homelesscarl, Ibite or people like that over RJ or Bill.
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**LucasPWNS8907** · Joined: 11 Apr 2009 Posts: 181

**twistedoak** · Joined: 06 Sep 2007 Posts: 1152

I think singemfrc hit it on the head. If you can consistently fc songs, that makes a vocalist much more respectable than the one timer "Oh my god I hit that phrase once" vocalist. Almost everyone and their blind granny can fgfc vocals, but people with talent can fc most songs all the time.
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**dogfoodnyc** · Joined: 02 Mar 2008 Posts: 1218 Location: New Hyde Park, NY

This is only my opinion. So if I miss anything or something you don't agree with, please pardon me ^^

Here is what other instruments look for in a vocalist:

1. Consistently FC on songs that are "easy" so if you are doing full band run there is one constant 100%.

2. Knows full band paths and is aware of mid song adjustments to fully optimize a score.

3. Can stay in session for an extended period of time (as you know some people can do maybe 5 songs and their throats will shut off)

Here is what vocalists will deem respectable in a fellow vocalist:

1. Ability to squeeze the brain out of any songs

2. Ability to find and refine paths and contribute to the community

3. Ability to contribute posts any tips/technical help for the community, whether it is on a "broken" talkie or certain tricky song

4. Ability to represent the vocal community as a whole in bringing more respect from other players.

I think overall the vocals community has grown in number thanks to the RB2 engine and the amount of the DLC that is out there. However, with GH vocals engine being such a pain from the get go, people on SH will deem GH vocalists with more props since it is after all, harder. So hence the somewhat lack of respect/recognition of RB vocalists.
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**singemfrc** · Joined: 10 Aug 2007 Posts: 4407 Location: California

**nextlevel88** · Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Posts: 573

I can FC a fair amount of songs, and personally, I think I'm a terrible vocalist. To me, I give the most respect to a singer who -while borderline sober- will turn the vocal track down, the mic volume up, and sing in the right octave. It's something I'd never do, and to me, that's impressive.

**Icemage** · Joined: 11 May 2008 Posts: 3200

I personally think vocals definitely is the easiest instrument to "plateau" on score-wise. It takes a fair amount of work for most people to get to the "FC most songs" stage, but there's a fair number of us who can, and at that point there's not much to differentiate one vocalist from another aside from path/squeezing and the ability to actually... you know... sing the song with lyrics and not sound like a wounded gazelle.
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**RushJunkie3** · Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 3:04 am Post subject:

**singemfrc** · Joined: 10 Aug 2007 Posts: 4407 Location: California

**JOE2210** · Joined: 19 Apr 2009 Posts: 2480 Location: In the Gagasphere

**acer9199** · Joined: 03 Oct 2010 Posts: 35 Location: Atlanta, GA

There's a lot to be discussed here.

Vocals requires a more refined ear for music, and pitch, because you are required to hit a certain pitch with your voice, rather than pressing a button... or two or three or four, which I would consider more of a hand/eye coordination, and fast fingers kind of deal. Many people cannot hit a pitch, and certainly not a string of correct pitches when they hear it. So, even though vocals may be easy for you, that is your strength, and mine too, but it is by no means everybody's.

Vocals usually get the highest amount of points, so they are the most vital part for multi-player modes.

With that said, there are some aspects that take away from the dignity of RB vocals.

Vocals are the most manipulable (if that's a word) of all the instruments. It's possible to be slightly off, and still get the awesome. You can often sham on the front side of phrases, as long as you do well on the back side. What happens with other instruments? Lose focus for a split second, and miss one out of 800 billion notes or whatever, and you lose your FC.

You can hum without really singing, and just concentrate on pitch. You can cheat octaves, and sing in the range most comfortable for you. With other instruments, there is no EASY way. You have to know all techniques and be very well practiced to FC... ANYTHING really.

Having good rhythm vs not having good rhythm, and being able to predict rhythm, and adapt to changing rhythm has most weight for drums, followed by guitar, followed by vocals.

So... musically? vocals is more respectable.
hand/eye coordination and the ability to play the game in general, the others are more respectable.

Rock Band is a "game" based on "music" and I think it's best to be more on the optimistic side, and give credit where credit is due. All parts are vital and respectable in their own rights.

**Wooffus** · Joined: 11 Dec 2009 Posts: 837 Location: England

Kind of an old post, but I guess I'll drop by my two cents.

In comparison to other instruments, on both fronts, vocals may not gain you the same amount of "respect" as you would expect from guitar and drums (though bass is questionable). But if you take them out of the equation, and approach a community full of them and wish to make a mark, then the right way would NOT be to go gung-ho with your nose stuck up. I guess these would probably be a few pointers from me:

[+] First and most importantly, they gotta have a great voice. Vocals for me is seen as some form of karaoke effort - something that pretty much anyone can pick up and have fun with. So it's no good if you're humming the song, because that would just make your presentation turn out to be ugly regardless of whether you FC it or not. Rare exceptions tho would come in the form of the most difficult songs in the series, where just FCing it would be a huge achievement in itself.

[+] They also got to have a huge amount of curtesy to others. You wouldn't like someone if they acted like a douche to others around you, right? So I guess it's no different for vocals; have a fun and open mind when in conversation with others, and if someone has a different opinion to others, just make the argument mature and peaceful, and don't shove the opinion down others' throats. Over at the red side, boss1592 and I had contrasting opinions on what the hardest GH DLC track was, and even parzrevenge had a different opinion, but in the end we still all manage to get along in spite of having different feelings.

[+] Any technical contributions they also note is a huge bonus, as it can also benefit others that also want to strive for any goal they have in mind. Broken talkies, any high/low notes in the series, paths (though I don't care so much about paths)... you name it.

And also:

[-] It's no good being the greatest squeezer in the entire world if you either A) keep yourself isolated, B) act all stuck up in front of others, or C) sound like crap getting even the easier FCs on video. I guess all three points summed up my experiences with a small handful of tight squeezers on the GH side, and I believe boss still has a feud going against one particular squeezer who thought he was a liar in his FGFC endeavors; that to me tells me that all they seem to care about more than anything else is points, points and more points, which to me makes me feel that they have a tendancy to control their everyday lives a lot worse than some of the other vocalists around here. :\

So yes, tldr; great voice, corresponds well with people that approach them, helpful in some of the more technical aspects of the game, doesn't usually give a crap about scores, and certainly doesn't sound like a human vacuum cleaner on video.

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