Task switching

[KingPrawn]

I've joined a new project. (Same stuff different people). I'm having to sing on a number of songs. Done lots of ohh err vocals in the past, however this lead stuff is a very different beast. Whilst I understand none of us can multi task as such. It's made me wonder if muso's are better at completing different tasks at once ? We must be?

[Yank]

Hey K.P.,
I started as a wee lad playing drums an singing. Never thought much about it. Come to find out it's considered difficult. When I started playing guitar and bass always sang along as I was learning. The trick is to start singing on something with a very easy bass line or one that you have down so you can let your hands play while you put your mind on the vocal. It's toughest when the bass isn't right on the beat, doing something syncopated, or the vocal line is at odds with the bass part. Tuffest one I ever did was playing the synth part to Stevie Wonder's "Very Superstitious" on bass and singing lead. It took me time to get them working together. I read an interview with Sting where he said he had to work hard to get some songs down. He said that was why he stopped playing fretless live. He said it just complicated things.

[Vinny]

[quote name='KingPrawn' timestamp='1480805611' post='3187294']
It's made me wonder if muso's are better at completing different tasks at once ? We must be?
[/quote]

I'm certainly not - if I want to know the time when I'm walking I have to stop, look at my watch and then carry on. I spent 3/4 of an hour the other day trying to perfect hitting a pedal at the right points in a song. The result? Not 'appnin!

[mikel]

Try playing Sting's bass lines and singing his vocal parts at the same time. That's real multi tasking. Try Roxane as a starter.

Edited December 4, 2016 by mikel

[MoonBassAlpha]

I prefer the "Walking on the Moon" approach. Play a few notes, then sing a few....

[paul_c2]

Its a thing like anything else, which needs a logical approach and learning how to do it. Its like a piano player who would learn the left hand part and the right hand part, then put them together (and some pianists can sing too, so they're coping with 3 parts!)

One way to approach it is to simplify the bassline then sing + play; and continue to also practice the real bass line until its more solid, then put the real bass line and vocals together.

Edited December 4, 2016 by paul_c2

[interpol52]

This is an interesting watch, I've tried it. My main issue is that I'm not a confident singer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3Lszt2HPK8

[stingrayPete1977]

I'm really no good at singing and I can't do lead vocal and play easily either even though I can multi task in general, I find it really frustrating when you work with someone that pauses doing their work to chat, come on lets work AND chat!