Dont shoot me, I'm only the guitar player

[Waterwolf]

Why is the singer in a band so often the lead guitarist (as opposed to players of other instruments)?

[andy hughes]

The probable reason is two-fold - the lead guitarist is often one of, if not the only, songwriter in the band, and if he can sing, he most likely sings the songs in rehearsals when the band forms, and then takes on the job full-time. The other reason is the portability and ease of movement - a guitarist has freedom to move on stage, and is not fixed to one spot, or using his mouth on a wind instrument. That said, a lot of singers are not guitarists - Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins, Nat King Cole, and probably many more, and loads of bands have singers who don't play at all - too long to list here, but I reckon my first theory holds true - unless anyone else thinks differently?

[pereramn]

if you have a good singing voice and enjoy using it, i guess the most obvious instruments to learn to accompany yourself on are the piano and guitar. in a rock setting that would be the guitar... just a theory

[plattbridge]

As a lead gutarist who does not sing i tend to find that in bands whoever fits the job does it