And it should be obvious (I think), but apparetnly it isn't-- you must listen to the singer if there is singing going on. Playing the melody, while the singer is singing it, is a real good way to kill a singer, and it's quick. :~) The blending required to keep a backup a backup means blending to, and following, the singer... it's not enough just to blend to and with the other instruments, because if there is a singer, it's a SONG, and in a song, the words come first. I've found that a number of people trained in orchestral or other dot-dependent learning and playing find this very hard to integrate-- there are no dynamics marked, so they want to play, play, play, and you know, I'm the same way when I'm not singing. I KNOW less is more, and I LIKE laying back and doing a minimalist thing, but it's hard to pare the playing down far enough when playing is so much fun!

In our band, I think it took about four years to get the point across that not every note gets played on every instrument at the same time, and that not everyone gets to pick or play the melody while singing is going on! :~) That's why I get an amp, and sometimes they don't :~)

~Susan