Anyone else do lead vocals and bass?

[Galilee]

I've been a lead vocalist and bassist for donkey's years now. I've always had to concentrate on my vocals and frontman stuff ahead of my bass playing, and I suppose it's held back my development as a player. I can certainly get more creative on the bass during musical interludes or solos. All the feedback I get from audiences is to do with my vocals, never my bass playing.

I guess it's a compromise (and I convince myself that I must look as cool as Tom Araya ), but I don't think I'd change it - I really enjoy covering both.

Does anyone else do this, and how do you strike the balance? Do you prefer to be thought of as a great vocalist or a great bass player?

[clauster]

I tried singing backig vox once and the rest of the band confiscated my mic

[queenofthedepths]

In my first band I did both - I think I concentrated on the bass playing, actually... I guess the trick is to write a good bass part and learn it perfectly before trying to sing over the top of it; so learn each part separately

[johnnylager]

The first time I tried b.vox, I dislocated my knee and was off work for 3 months with a bucket of codeine and a shiny new xbox360. Unfortunately, though I continue "singing" my yob backing vocals (which incidentally, take 2nd place to the bass), I have not been fortunate enough to injure myself in such a spectacular fashion.

Mind you, if that bloke off W.A.S.P. can do it.....

Edited April 25, 2008 by johnnylager

[tauzero]

[quote name='queenofthedepths' post='185324' date='Apr 25 2008, 02:32 PM']In my first band I did both - I think I concentrated on the bass playing, actually... I guess the trick is to write a good bass part and learn it perfectly before trying to sing over the top of it; so learn each part separately[/quote]
I think that's what I did. But I was a rubbish vocalist anyway [1] and went over to having a proper vocalist after a while.

[1] This should not be taken as an indication that anything has changed

[chris_b]

[quote name='Galilee' post='185317' date='Apr 25 2008, 02:27 PM']....I've been a lead vocalist and bassist for donkey's years now. I've always had to concentrate on my vocals and frontman stuff ahead of my bass playing....[/quote]
Unfortunately being a good lead vocalist and crap bass player is better for the band and audience than the other way around. You have been doing it right, but you should be working on being a better bass player.

[Galilee]

I'm not a crap bass player! Where did that come from?

[lowhand_mike]

[quote name='chris_b' post='185339' date='Apr 25 2008, 02:49 PM']Unfortunately being a good lead vocalist and crap bass player is better for the band and audience than the other way around. You have been doing it right, but you should be working on being a better bass player.[/quote]

second that
unfortunately people rate a band on how good the vocals are, if they suck then it doesnt matter how good the band are. a situation i have found myself in many times and i dont sing (fortunately i cant do both)
EDIT:- maybe that should read fortunately i can only do one of them well

Edited April 25, 2008 by lowhand_mike

[stingrayfan]

The bass playing always takes a bit of a back seat when you're concentrating on lead vocals. But it's fun to sing lead. I do backing vocals on pretty much every track now but lead vocals are defo more difficult.

Edited April 25, 2008 by stingrayfan

[chris_b]

[quote name='Galilee' post='185345' date='Apr 25 2008, 03:05 PM']....I'm not a crap bass player! Where did that come from?....[/quote]
I'm sure you're not! It was just a generalisation to illustrate a point and not meant to be taken literally.

Edited April 25, 2008 by chris_b

[Bassassin]

I've shared lead vocal duties in a couple of bands, one of which was originals, and I tried to have a strictly no-compromise attitude to my bass parts. These days it's just BVs, but I've got to the point I can sing over pretty much anything - after enough practice!

I'm the first to admit I don't have much of a voice, I can keep tune & have a decent enough range, but I'm one of life's natural backing singers (oh dear, bit of a subconscious metaphor? ) & have no particular wish to front a band.

Jon.

[woodenshirt]

I am a lead vocalist who plays bass, in fact I have been for the last nine years or so.

I tend to concentrate on my vocals and do the bass playing on autopilot. The problem is, is that if I think about my bass playing then I tend to mess up the vocals!

Before I started the lead vocal thing I was a bass player who sang backing vocals. During this period the bands that I played with did original(i.e. no covers) music, so to a certain extent, my vocals fitted in with moments when I was doing the less complicated bass work.

I think that since I've been stuck behind the mic my bass playing has suffered, don't get me wrong, I was never a brilliant bassist, but I did use to get compliments about my playing (so I must have been doing something right).

I must admit that lately I have been thinking about being a bass player/backing vocalist again, but for the time being it's vocals and far too many root notes for me.

So to answer the original post Galilee, at this moment in time I'd probably want people to think of me as a great vocalist and great bassist, however nobody has said either to me yet...... I live in hope

Mart

[Wil]

I do backing vocals on a lot of songs and have sung lead when doing some Weezer covers at a "Stars in their eyes" gig we did. I think the key in all instances is to have the bassline down so much you don't have to think about it at all, you can just play it naturally, then concentrate on the vocals while you play.

Most of the time its the rhythmic aspect I find hard to deal with - my right hand has to follow the vocals, not the other way around.

[Deep Thought]

I sing lead vocals on several of the songs in our set-we've got a female lead vocalist, but I've managed to poke my oar in and do a few, either on songs I particularly wanted to do, or stuff I've written, or stuff that works better with my voice than hers. I do my best to do a good job to both. Some bass lines I can sing over, some take more work, and some I just can't manage. Sometimes, though, I find it easier to sing over busier bass lines than sparser ones-timing is often harder on songs with less going on. I think it does impress people if you can sing over a fairly complex bass line. It is fair to say though, that the listening public judge you far more on the vocals than the bass playing.

[gypsymoth]

everyone only has so much time to practice or develop their parts/skills - and if you are working on one thing, the other will suffer. not to say some don't do a great job at both, but what if they concentrated on one?
then again, Cream with a prancer might not have been right .....

[nick]

Nervously edging towards [i](having to do)[/i] backing vocals - so can't give any tips.

I do think the guy from the Doves does a pretty good job of both tasks (IMO)
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL2cEbyzOOI&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL2cEbyzOOI...feature=related[/url]

[Dr.Dave]

Yes , I play bass all the time in our set and sing lead vocals on about a third of it.

Which do I concentrate more on??...............

Sorry folks but the vocals , always, always ,always.
This is like my mantra but a song to me means melody and lyrics , everything else is in support of that. The vocalist has control of the melody and lyrics , the bass player is supporting him/her.

If that ruffles feathers....tough. You should have trained to score the goals and not be centre half.

[Lfalex v1.1]

When I was a kid, my voice was fine.
Then it broke, and it ain't been fixed since!
As for singing and playing, I just can't do it, except when the vox are on the off-beat (With or without you, Message in a bottle etc.)
Does this make me "special"?

[chris_b]

I know a couple of people who had terrible voices and desperately wanted to front their own bands. They both took singing lessons. Their voices aren't great but they are in tune, can project, can play at the same time and are now fronting their own bands. It can be done with the right homework.

[Faithless]

For now I'm just a bass player (in the first place) and a-backing-throat in the second.

Few days ago we got to rehearse without our lead singer, so I've tried to do some lead vocals - it was so much fun, though, quite tough thing at first, but, what I've felt, and, as other fellas mentioned - you can do it well with proper homework.

But, for now, as I'm playing and singing together, I do the playing thing pretty much on 'autopilot' too...


All in all, I'm preparing plans to take on lead singer's place on upcoming Tallica's cover 'Seek and Destroy' :brow:

Newsted's back?...

[bassboy115]

Im a lead singer and a vocalist and at times its kool, but at others its a pain in the arse!!

I definately agree that singing definately has stopped me from doing things on the bass im capable of when not singing but now im just used to it.
TBH im not a huge fan of being the singer but we couldnt find another one when we originally looked for one, and i cant be bothered hunting for a new one (and i now if we found another id be really picky of how he sounds).
I just know if im ever in another band im not gonna be lead singer!!

(cheap plug) Check out my vocals here>>> www.myspace.com/inertiatelford

Cheers
Alex

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Deep Thought' post='185479' date='Apr 25 2008, 06:16 PM']... we've got a female lead vocalist, but I've managed to poke my oar in and do a few[/quote]


Too much information.

[Bananaman]

i'm in an original 3 piece and both me and the drummer do backing vocals, sometimes the 3 of us are doing a different vocal part each, so its tough at certain times. as people have said, when the vocal rhythm is totally different to the bass part its very tricky.

good advice i've had is try to break the part down and practice each stage of the vocal and bass part together which actually helps you know where you are, so the bass notes mark where you should be vocally and vice versa. it does seem to be so much harder to do vocals with bass than with 6 string guitar.

always cool to see bass player lead singers though. looks quite cool i think.

[paul, the]

(above)


Lead voxs ought to have sympathies for those who cannot sing in tune. Not that I'd remember the lyrics anyway. I'd be far more up for Zeppelin wailing.

What's that band where they met up in Australia, but are actually all Brits? The bassist/lead vocals played a blue Ric and were on TFI a few times.

[Alien]

I take most of the lead vocals in my current band (3-piece, rock covers) with the guitarist singing lead on a few numbers.
I find that my playing goes on autopilot while I sing, with fills and flash bits only occurring during solos and in breaks between singing. It doesn't make a huge difference to my playing as I'm not really a technical player (as anyone who's heard me will attest).

Andy