Singing bassist roll call

[ChunkyMunky]

Who here is a vocalist as well as a bassist? I'm trying to propel myself into the realm of this uncommon duality and I'm sure it'd be very inspiring to see who here pulls it off.

[JTUK]

Nope, BV's only and not strong there either.

Pet hate with vox..know your limits and I hate it when someone goes for a note and has no hope of getting it.

[ezbass]

I've been pushed to sing more (in one band, doing 75% of the lead) and it does get easier. However, as soon it messes with the groove, then someone else has to sing it.

[fretmeister]

Yup. I love singing. I work more on that than bass at the mo.

[BobVbass]

Yes lead and backing vocals here, it takes a lot to do walking baselines with vocals in different time but it's great fun.

[sprocketflup]

BVs here and occasional lead. But as Ezbass said, if it gets in the way of the bass then I don't. Luckily theres not much call for male lead vocal in my band though

[Norris]

I "sing" lead on a couple of songs and do a few BVs. I'd never make a career out of my voice though - the guitarist has a great voice and the drummer is pretty good too.

The more you do though, the better your voice gets and the easier it becomes.

[Truckstop]

Yeah, I used to sing lead but only required to provide BV's at the moment.

I find BV's harder because there's more emphasis on getting the phrasing right and obviously making sure you get the harmony right. We play a couple of songs where the BVs and the lead vocal interplay a lot and it's really hard work maintaining the groove and getting the words right!

No-one else in the band wants to sing so I'm thinking of getting a vocal harmoniser. Should hopefully work quite well!

Plus one on what other people have said:

The more you do it the easier it gets and the better your voice gets. You can't just pick it up, you need to work on it all the time. I notice if I don't practice for a day or two it feels like I lose my power and breathing a little.

Even in you're in your car just singing nonsense; you're learning more and more about what you're capable of.

Edited August 23, 2015 by Truckstop

[Happy Jack]

Agreed with a lot posted here.

I sing lots of BVs, but I only sing lead if it doesn't interfere with the bass line.

Practice is the key, and especially practising the bass line and the vocal separately before trying to bring them together.

Also worth noting that some people have voices that a PA loves. Unfortunately that means that some don't.

If, like me, you're in the 'wrong' camp then there's no need for despair. There are some very useful (if expensive) toys out there.

I've been very impressed by the Mic Mechanic.

[King Tut]

Yeah, I front our trio, guitarist does BV's. I love singing but it took ages for me to be any good with or without a bass. I got pressured into singing and playing years ago when i wanted to introduce one of my original numbers into the band i played bass for. They told me they'd only play it if I sang it. And it started from there. The more i use it the better it gets, but i find i have to use it fairly regularly for it to stay good - i regularly sing along to songs we do, in the car. helps me to remember lyrics as well :-)

[ambient]

Had to do it at uni, and was truly dreadful. The tutor was adamant that everyone can sing, I think I may have proved her wrong .

[Number6]

I do this.....i just about manage to pull it off. It does add to playing mistakes in my case without doubt but not that many that it becomes too untidy.

[Hobbayne]

Another backing vox here. Although I do however, sing the occasional lead, I have to strip the bass part down to the bare bones.

[rOB]

Sang lead vox in my last band, backing in every other band I've played in.

Go for it, plenty of practice.

[Cato]

I've sung & played guitar in a couple of bands but when it comes to singing & playing bass, I just can't do it, its like a mental block.

In one band we used to do Nirvana's 'All Apologies' - after a bit of practice I had no problems singing & playing the guitar line at the same time. If I switch to bass & try to play exactly the same line whilst singing my fingers start tripping over each other. I can't even do it with a pick (which is how I played it on guitar).

I have nothing but envious admiration for every bass player/singer out there.

[TrevorR]

Backing vocals only, except for that time the singer had a coughing fit just as we had launched into Sultans of Swing...

[Shockwave]

I front and play bass in a stoner rock band. Sometimes I have to play more basic lines. If it's not straight notes.

I find it hard sometimes. But no one else wanted to sing. I am adequate but I generally lose my voice by the end of the set.

https://soundcloud.com/chinspinner/oubliette

[Pinball]

A bit of lead and some BV. Apparently I have a distinctive voice so the band like be to sing certain numbers that suit it. Here's an demo where you can here our LV singing and me doing err the other stuff [url="https://soundcloud.com/angry-badgers/intransigence"]https://soundcloud.c...s/intransigence[/url]

Edited August 24, 2015 by Pinball

[Paultrader]

I sing BVs and also joint lead on some songs - I'm in a rock and roll band. When I joined two years ago I'd never sung and played bass before, and it was really tricky at first, then it just clicked, and now, as long as I practise well, I can usually do it. I get a real buzz from it. I often play a quite simple bass line while I'm singing. I also find that quite often it's easier to sing if I play with a plectrum - I've no idea why.

When the rhythms cross it's more difficult. I still struggle a bit with the backing vocals to 'Brown Eyed Girl'.

[police squad]

yep, obviously as I'm Sting in my tribute. Been singing and playing bass since 1988

[bonzodog]

I sing lead vox on half our songs and play the bass lines accordingly. When the guitarist sings lead I play the proper bass line but when I sing I tend to play mainly root notes and then maybe expand more in between the singing bits. I admire any bassist that can play complicated bass lines and sing at same time

[tauzero]

Lead vocals on one song, backing vocals on a few. I was bassist/vocalist with one band but TBH I wasn't very good at the singing side of it (I didn't like to admit it though, not even to myself).

[bassbiscuits]

I'm a lead singing bassist - I don't find it presents any problems really (unless you're getting into the realms of Mark King-level playing, which is beyond me anyway).

I'm ok for any mainstream stuff that you'd expect to hear from a good rock/pop function band.

I did play bass for a long time before singing so maybe the two bits of my brain work quite separately. I also swap to dep on lead guitar and lead vocals for about 20 per cent of our gigs and that's ok too.

Edited August 24, 2015 by bassbiscuits

[bertbass]

Always sung lead, don't want to a lot of the time but but always get lumbered. Actually, it's quite enjoyable really.

[KevB]

Mainly BV's, though I have sung occasional lead in one function band (joint vox with female LV) and sometimes have to do LV's at open mics but not that great tbh. My range has never been that great and as I've grown older it's naturally narrowed further. As others have said it's about picking a song you've a half decent chance at and if possible simplifying bass parts to suit. Few will notice a few missing bass notes but everyone will spot a duff vocal.