Golchen Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I'm amazed that people can sing at the same time as playing bass. I can't sing. Having said that, I sing for my own entertainment at home. I have a go when playing guitar, and can strum along to chord charts whilst reading the words, I read chords on the keyboard and sing along, but bass seems totally impossible! Even for stuff that I know well. For some reason I just can't make it work unless it's something incredibly simple. So how many of you can sing at the same time? (loads I bet!) Anyone else the same as me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galilee Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I do, it just takes practise, knowing the bass line well, and knowing when to cheat the bass line if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I used to think it was impossible. Then I tired of failing to find a singer for my band so started doing it myself. I'll never be a great singer but I do have a weird ability to pull off nasty syncopations on the bottom whilst singing vaguely in tune. I think being able to play the drums helps. Now I was going to embed an video of said singing and playing but I'm damned if I can work out how to do it with facebook videos... Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YouMa Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Its like patting head andrubbing your stomach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Try playing the piano, it's a similar experience. If there are difficult sections where the vocal doesn't fall in the same place as the bass part, just slow it right down and learn it mechanically, it'll feel natural soon enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I do a fair bit of backing vocals for my band (and sing/shout lead vocals on one number!). I find you have to know the bass and vocal parts perfectly. At the same time, I never feel entirely relaxed with the bass part when I'm singing, and my playing is much less instinctive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I think you probably could..i just takes practice..Knowing the bass ine and the piece your singing.. Singing and improvising on the bass....now thats a different matter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Dave Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I find it quite natural....... most of the time. One interesting thing to try - playing and singing to songs by other singing bass players. Phil Lynott springs to mind. A lot of the stuff , you can tell the guy had to fit both together and changed both accordingly from what he'd probably play or sing if he'd only one job to do. The hardest one I do is for the t*i*u*e band (!!!!) - Cheap Sunglasses by ZZ Top. The bass line is a punctuating B flat followed by a little riff on G and F - keeps repeating through the verse. I cracked the vocal in the end by writing out the lyrics and highlighting the word I should sing on the B flat. I sang it from this written lyric sheet while playing and eventually I got it. 'When you WAKE up in the morning and the LIGHT hurts your head The FIRST thing you do when you GET up out of bed ' etc etc Forefinger/first fret/A string everytime I sing the word. Long way to reach on the EpiEx , I can tell you! Job done. You asked how to do it and that's how for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I had big problems doing this (I guess I still do), but once you know a bass line inside out and don't have to think too hard it gets easier. Playing with a pick I think makes your brain do a lot less work in trying to decipher the difficult coordination as well... if you think about it you're only really moving your hand up and down with a plectrum, where as if you're playing with your fingers it requires a lot more concentration. If you rhythmically complicate your plec technique it gets harder again though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogri Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 i struggle like buggery, always have. my hardest one hadta be when i was in a jam tribute band(the setting sons) trying to do the piss easy bass line an the harmony to "start.." the vocal suffered... its,not.... importantfor... me,too...knowyourname... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cooke Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 [quote name='ogri' post='405566' date='Feb 10 2009, 05:55 PM']i struggle like buggery, always have. my hardest one hadta be when i was in a jam tribute band(the setting sons) trying to do the piss easy bass line an the harmony to "start.." the vocal suffered... its,not.... importantfor... me,too...knowyourname...[/quote] rather amusing as Paul Weller was originally the bassist in The Jam, but swapped roles with Bruce Foxton because he couldn't sing and play bass at the same time... well, that's what I heard/read somewhere... I'm having great difficulty finding a link to back me up on exactly why Weller dropped Bass to play Guitar... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJA Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 whatever you think of Sting, the verse of this song is an impressive bit of vocal & bass coordination- [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnnUDGLnUzE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnnUDGLnUzE[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxcat Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 [quote name='liamcapleton' post='405552' date='Feb 10 2009, 05:40 PM']I had big problems doing this (I guess I still do), but once you know a bass line inside out and don't have to think too hard it gets easier. Playing with a pick I think makes your brain do a lot less work in trying to decipher the difficult coordination as well... if you think about it you're only really moving your hand up and down with a plectrum, where as if you're playing with your fingers it requires a lot more concentration. If you rhythmically complicate your plec technique it gets harder again though![/quote] I do a lot of backing vocals with my band and I find that finger style is easier for me than plectrum work. Might be because I also sing playing an EUB. Got to know the bass part inside out first then concentrate on the vox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 (edited) Just keep it really, really simple to start. Find a song with a very simple bassline, and a very simple lyric, and just work on it. Once you've got one song sorted, add a second. Where to start? Try [i]Baby Please Don't Go[/i] by Them. Edited February 10, 2009 by Happy Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 [quote name='SJA' post='405601' date='Feb 10 2009, 06:33 PM']whatever you think of Sting, the verse of this song is an impressive bit of vocal & bass coordination- [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnnUDGLnUzE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnnUDGLnUzE[/url][/quote] Blimey, that is good stuff. I think ol' Gordon gets an unfairly harsh press. In a similar vein... whatever you might think of Mark King, this is a very impressive example of the play/sing thing. Slap-phobics should fastforward to 0:45 or thereabouts [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwrJNhTBNWs"]Level 42 - To Be With You Again live[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 [quote name='SJA' post='405601' date='Feb 10 2009, 06:33 PM']whatever you think of Sting, the verse of this song is an impressive bit of vocal & bass coordination- [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnnUDGLnUzE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnnUDGLnUzE[/url][/quote] I think sting has to be one of the masters of singing and playing bass at the same time. I can do it, really it takes practice. Ever since i started playing the guitar in 2004 i've always fancied myself as a bit of a frontman so I've always tried to learn the singing and guitar at the same time. It was a natural progression from playing guitar and singing to bass and singing although sometimes it does feel a bit weird that there's nothing making any sound between the bass and singing. Really, the way to go about it is to learn the bassline without singing, then when you're feeling confident and that you can play it without much effort at all (you could just use a song you already know how to play without much effort) then try adding the vocals. If you get to a bit which you're stuck with, slow it down and try and find out how the 2 parts fit in rhythmically. You will find that even the vocal parts that seem most disconnected from the guitar/bass parts actually go together in a much more rhythmically simple manner than you first thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennysFord Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Can't do it.In fact i can't even talk or answer a question whilst playing bass.I sing lead and play g**t*r in "the other" band,(it's an acoustic i hasten to add)I can also sing and play drums and often do when the drummer can't be arsed to turn up.Play Bass and sing,just can't do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deep Thought Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Some songs it comes really easy, some songs I have to work at, and some I just can't sing and play at all. Sometimes I have to make a conscious effort to know where to play certain notes, on a certain point in a phrase for example. Often it's easier for me to sing over busier bass lines than more sparse ones-big gaps between notes where timing is an issue can cause problems. I ended up the singer in our band because initially I was the only one who could sing and play at the same time. I don't consider myself much cop at it, but I think I get away with it. I'm considering vocal lessons although they appear quite expensive. It means more to me if someone says something nice about my singing than about my bass playing-although I'd never want to be a non bass-playing singer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I have no idea how to embed this but here's a relatively recent 'singing' and playing attempt by myself: [url="http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=48498036851"]http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=48498036851[/url] Alex P.S. That's my RIM Custom 5 though Avalon U5 (and Barefaced Compact + PA). Fat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leschirons Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Never had a problem with it. However, just as an exercise, I thought I'd have a go at 7 days (Sting) Impossible for me. Bass, no probs, vox, no probs, together, NO CHANCE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Always wanted to sing and play but could never get my head round it until I plucked up the courage to force myself (not literally) onto one of my current bands! I find myself having to put my mind somewhere completely elsewhere and it's almost like I'm experiencing something "out of body" but it does work! Knowing and simplifying/cheating the bassline is almost essential for me but I tend to keep it simple with these boys anyway - ukuleles only need some much behind them! I practiced by visualising my fretting and plucking hands doing their bit without a bass whilst actually singing, for me it was far more forgiving than constantly getting my timings wrong and hitting bum notes on my own - really, really focussing on a solid part of the song (doesn't have to be the drums either) helped me loads. I really struggle with anything which isn't 4/4 tho, or any song where I cant yet find that something solid Massive respect anyone who can play whilst singing lead vocal - Phil Lynott = legend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fudge Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 How do you play bass and sing .. and set God knows what midi stuff off and bass pedals with your feet? Answer = GEDDY LEE IS GOD. this is going to throw a major spanner for all the bass playing athiests Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesparky Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 [quote name='Mr Fudge' post='405851' date='Feb 10 2009, 10:54 PM']How do you play bass and sing .. and set God knows what midi stuff off and bass pedals with your feet? Answer = GEDDY LEE IS GOD. this is going to throw a major spanner for all the bass playing athiests [/quote] Good call, the stuff he does is amazing. I can barely co-ordinate my "singing" and playing, so the stuff Geddy and Mark King do blows me away... It may not be your type of music but you've got to acknowledge the phenomenal skill they have to do both at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 As long as I know the bass line well enoght I'm ok for backing vocals and harmonies, but not quite up to lead vocal standards. The thing for me was just learning to play the line almost unconsciously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavyJay Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 [quote name='Golchen' post='405511' date='Feb 10 2009, 05:00 PM']I'm amazed that people can sing at the same time as playing bass. I can't sing. Having said that, I sing for my own entertainment at home. I have a go when playing guitar, and can strum along to chord charts whilst reading the words, I read chords on the keyboard and sing along, but bass seems totally impossible! Even for stuff that I know well. For some reason I just can't make it work unless it's something incredibly simple. So how many of you can sing at the same time? (loads I bet!) Anyone else the same as me?[/quote] I share lead vocals in the covers band I'm in, we do lots of dual lead vocal harmony type stuff. I sang backing vocals for years with an originals band. Trick is to start simple so you're singing and playing along with the band, like anything musical (in my opinion) playing in a band is the best way to learn because it firms up your timing and makes you improvise when you make mistakes to catch up. Pick something with a simple bassline and simple vocals and then: PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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