Is Roger Waters partially tone deaf?

All discussion related specifically to Roger Waters.
User avatar
The Gunner's Dream
Lord!!
Lord!!
Posts: 3906
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2005 12:58 am
Gender: Male

Post by The Gunner's Dream »

Craig Marion wrote: The pros out weigh the cons in wearing cans or in-ears.
This discussion is not about the pros and cons of wearing headphones. It's about the fact that Roger Waters is probably tone deaf, and that it is likely that he used headphones to hear a mix of his vocals and backstage chatter during the wall shows.

In case you haven't noticed, he's always sung better when he wore headphones :wink:
User avatar
DavidBarrett
Axe
Axe
Posts: 76
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: Wonderland

Post by DavidBarrett »

But hey, he did have those headphones mainly to hear the click-track so that they could play along the projected animations behind them?
User avatar
ironbaden
Hammer
Hammer
Posts: 1374
Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2005 4:09 am
Location: canada

Post by ironbaden »

DavidBarrett wrote:But hey, he did have those headphones mainly to hear the click-track so that they could play along the projected animations behind them?
Actually .... the only person or person's to really need to hear the Click track would be the drummer...... Since the rest of the musicians play along with the drummer this would make sense ( plus I've played in Bands with click tracks so i've actually experienced this... ) plus.... Waters wears these Headphones even during songs he doesn't play in.... so another question would be...why would he wanna sing to a click track....very annoying indeed.... I would say his vocals are pumped in there plus maybe some of the music..... guitar maybe...key's....backing vocals.... IMO
User avatar
DavidBarrett
Axe
Axe
Posts: 76
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: Wonderland

Post by DavidBarrett »

ironbaden wrote:
DavidBarrett wrote:But hey, he did have those headphones mainly to hear the click-track so that they could play along the projected animations behind them?
Actually .... the only person or person's to really need to hear the Click track would be the drummer...... Since the rest of the musicians play along with the drummer this would make sense ( plus I've played in Bands with click tracks so i've actually experienced this... ) plus.... Waters wears these Headphones even during songs he doesn't play in.... so another question would be...why would he wanna sing to a click track....very annoying indeed.... I would say his vocals are pumped in there plus maybe some of the music..... guitar maybe...key's....backing vocals.... IMO
I only wrote what I've read on the internet and it's not making any sense to me! I think you're absolutely right. But they had a background film that they had to keep in time with, right?
User avatar
Craig Marion
Blade
Blade
Posts: 221
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 1:30 am

Post by Craig Marion »

The Gunner's Dream wrote:
Craig Marion wrote: The pros out weigh the cons in wearing cans or in-ears.
This discussion is not about the pros and cons of wearing headphones. It's about the fact that Roger Waters is probably tone deaf, and that it is likely that he used headphones to hear a mix of his vocals and backstage chatter during the wall shows.

In case you haven't noticed, he's always sung better when he wore headphones :wink:
I know what the thread is about but it was inferred that he is wearing headphones because he is tone deaf, which is what I was commenting on. And no I did not notice him singing better with headphones on. However it wouldn't surprise me if he sang better with headphones or in-ears because you can hear your vocals better which causes less strain on your voice. This I know all too well singing and playing in bands for 20 years.
User avatar
Freddie Mercury
Hammer
Hammer
Posts: 924
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 11:24 pm
Gender: Male
Location: West Hollywood, CA

Post by Freddie Mercury »

He also has to be able to hear the sound-effects and (at least at the Wall shows) the prerecorded music. But it's still probably easier to hear details that way instead of through speakers blasting from behind you.
User avatar
mrlimbo
Embryo
Embryo
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Dec 17, 2006 2:23 am

Post by mrlimbo »

Quote from Peter Jenner ( taken from Crazy diamond pg 50)

"Roger couldnt tune his bass because he was tone deaf, it had to be tuned by Rick"

This was at the start of there recording career !
I could say surely this was plain to hear post Barrett , but i wont :P
User avatar
my breakfast.
Supreme Lord!
Supreme Lord!
Posts: 10918
Joined: Wed May 05, 2004 8:17 pm
Gender: Male
Location: Edinburgh - Scotland

Post by my breakfast. »

PublicImage wrote:I doubt it, personally. How could somebody who is partially tonedeaf compose an opera?
Paul McCartney managed to "write" all that classical nonesense so shit happens.

Watch the "Mind your Throats Please" DVD, and go to the 1968 performances of Set the Controls... Roger sings the vocals CONSISTENTLY a semitone too flat.!
User avatar
Stephen
Supreme Lord!
Supreme Lord!
Posts: 9202
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2003 6:08 pm
Gender: Male
Location: Cheshire

Post by Stephen »

my breakfast. wrote:[

Watch the "Mind your Throats Please" DVD, and go to the 1968 performances of Set the Controls... Roger sings the vocals CONSISTENTLY a semitone too flat.!
Absolutely!! I thought it must have been just me imagining it.
User avatar
snifferdog
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 12104
Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2006 7:17 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Green Hill Zone

Post by snifferdog »

I suppose it's how you define partial tone deafness. Is it like people who have a cold saying they have the flu?

There are people who can play musical instruments well but can't sing in tune. Even Roger's stanchest supporters would have to admit that the words "Roger" and "in tune" don't always appear in the same sentence.
User avatar
my breakfast.
Supreme Lord!
Supreme Lord!
Posts: 10918
Joined: Wed May 05, 2004 8:17 pm
Gender: Male
Location: Edinburgh - Scotland

Post by my breakfast. »

snifferdog wrote:I suppose it's how you define partial tone deafness. Is it like people who have a cold saying they have the flu?
Possibly... I find that I cannot pitch a note when I have the cold (just to add confusion to this discussion).
User avatar
The Gunner's Dream
Lord!!
Lord!!
Posts: 3906
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2005 12:58 am
Gender: Male

Post by The Gunner's Dream »

Roger definitely had trouble singing at locations which were at higher altitudes. Just listen to his vocals on The Wall rehearsals...
User avatar
mosespa
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 11555
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2002 5:54 pm
Location: In the editing bay...working on the final cut...

Post by mosespa »

The headphones, as I understand it, were primarily to keep everyone in time with the projections. Why was ROGER the one wearing the headphones?

Possibly because his ego was kind of out of control at that point in time?

I mean...we ARE talking about a guy who was wearing a shirt with a large number 1 on it while singing his magnum opus about a guy who was so self-absorbed that he bulit a wall in order to shut out the entire world from his life.

The Wall was HIS baby...and he wanted as much control over it as he could get.

If you watch the Harvested DVD's, there seems to be a bit during the end of Brick one where SOMEONE gets off time.

And I'm going with Roger because everyone else has to adjust to what he's insisting must be played there.

And HE was the guy with the freaking headphones!!

Now, once he started wearing those things, maybe the obvious advantage of being able to hear himself in them as opposed to blasting at his face from a floor monitor presented itself and was pounced upon.

He was wearing headphones in '77, too.

To keep everyone else on time with the films.

Remember, in the late seventies, Roger apparently started thinking that without him, nothing would ever get done.

He hadn't yet been proven wrong, either.
User avatar
my breakfast.
Supreme Lord!
Supreme Lord!
Posts: 10918
Joined: Wed May 05, 2004 8:17 pm
Gender: Male
Location: Edinburgh - Scotland

Post by my breakfast. »

I see where you are coming from Mosespa. Roger clearly wanted the best technology available because he possibly felt insecure about his voice, especially now that his vocal performances weren't just clicks and screams any more. Also, watching Careful With that Axe from the San Tropez video, when there is a brief burst of feedback, he frowns really angrily at the sound desk, so obviously he liked to blame things on machines and other people a lot!
User avatar
peesea
Knife
Knife
Posts: 380
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2005 7:38 am
Location: Wellington, New Zealand

Post by peesea »

mrlimbo wrote:Quote from Peter Jenner ( taken from Crazy diamond pg 50)

"Roger couldnt tune his bass because he was tone deaf, it had to be tuned by Rick"

This was at the start of there recording career !
I could say surely this was plain to hear post Barrett , but i wont :P
Peter Jenner is/was bitter and twisted that Roger became the driving force in floyd. He backed the wrong horse (in going with Syd) and he's never gotten over it. I've heard him (in several interviews) bad-mouthing Waters calling him talentless, naff, tone-deaf and making fun of his fashion sense. I think he's still amazed that Roger became the best Lyricist ever (alongside Dylan and Lennon).

I don't doubt that waters had his bass tuned by Wright in the very early days...lets face it, they could all barely play (except Wright).

Just remember when reading anything Jenner says that he will be remembered in history as the guy who dropped Pink Floyd and backed the wrong horse.