cetera Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I have to do a lot of singing (lead & bv's) while playing bass in my tr*b*te band and it took a while to master. Best advice I can give is learn the bassline until it's second nature then concentrate on the vocals afterwards.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huggy and the Bears Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I'm the lead singer in our band and the bass player. i don't have a problem with it now but I have a few techniques that might help others. I started singing because I was told it was difficult and so just to have one up on the rest of the band I got it nailed! And I love it! I also use a Digitec Vocalist Live4 harmony pedal which I am jumping on and off all through songs - now that's a challenge and a half but it works well. I'd recommend one to any band. Basically when I learn new songs I learn the vocals and bass line together. Never independently! I don't read music, so I listen to the song and unpick each part in 'chunks' with my bass: intro, chorus, verse etc. I then have a listen whilst reading the words so that you get a feel for the flow of the phrasing of the words relative to the starts/stops etc. of the bass line. I then have a go for the first time singing and playing. The key is to get the rhythm of the vocals right with the correct bass line. I don't worry about the exact words for the first few run throughs. That comes later in the night. Usually 5 times through listening to the CD it is almost giggable. I also make cryptic notes (i.e. what bass parts to play - '4 bars of the first bit' 'that funny run down') where I need a prompt on the words. I need words for new songs until after about 6 gigs. Also, I find if I hammer a song all night, I don't make progress. 20 minutes of one song, then do something else is enough and when you come back after playing something else I find that it has sunk in a little bit. This week's brand new songs to gig at weekend that I've been nailing since Saturday are: Stuck in the middle, Gimme shelter, Rockin in the free world and Can't get enough of your love. We do a few Weller/Jam songs and they are very rewarding to sing and play. Easy peasy! I'll put money on the guitarists screwing up before me! Hope this helps! Si. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 [quote name='kennyrodg' post='405738' date='Feb 10 2009, 09:00 PM']Can't do it.In fact i can't even talk or answer a question whilst playing bass.[/quote] Don't feel bad about it. Talking whilst playing is MASSIVELY more difficult than singing and playing. Don't know why this should be the case, but it is. I can sing and play quite well, but talk? Nah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 [quote name='Rich' post='406213' date='Feb 11 2009, 01:12 PM']Don't feel bad about it. Talking whilst playing is MASSIVELY more difficult than singing and playing. Don't know why this should be the case, but it is. I can sing and play quite well, but talk? Nah.[/quote] It's because talking is not rhythmically linked with actually playing the bass. I can talk a bit if i'm playing something really simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennysFord Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I don't feel bad about it ,to be honest it's quite a relief as i dont really enjoy being out front in the other band.I'm more of a get em up get em movin to the groovin kinda guy.Busy beaverin away in the background,that's me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 [quote name='Maxcat' post='405694' date='Feb 10 2009, 07:51 PM']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] That's cool, I definitely don't find it easier doing it the other way round! I think it takes a big talent to do it, it makes me have a lot of respect for the likes of MacCartney of Phil Lynott. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbass7 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 (edited) I do the main vocals in my band. I find it easy now but when I first started it was pretty challenging. Its just a case of getting throught the mindset of it being difficult, as soon as I stopped thinking about it everything was fine. As long as you know your music well then youll be fine and the bass will feel like its playing itself Edited February 11, 2009 by Danbass7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 [quote name='Huggy and the Bears' post='406187' date='Feb 11 2009, 12:47 PM']I'm the lead singer in our band and the bass player. i don't have a problem with it now but I have a few techniques that might help others. I started singing because I was told it was difficult and so just to have one up on the rest of the band I got it nailed! And I love it! I also use a Digitec Vocalist Live4 harmony pedal which I am jumping on and off all through songs - now that's a challenge and a half but it works well. I'd recommend one to any band. Basically when I learn new songs I learn the vocals and bass line together. Never independently! I don't read music, so I listen to the song and unpick each part in 'chunks' with my bass: intro, chorus, verse etc. I then have a listen whilst reading the words so that you get a feel for the flow of the phrasing of the words relative to the starts/stops etc. of the bass line. I then have a go for the first time singing and playing. The key is to get the rhythm of the vocals right with the correct bass line. I don't worry about the exact words for the first few run throughs. That comes later in the night. Usually 5 times through listening to the CD it is almost giggable. I also make cryptic notes (i.e. what bass parts to play - '4 bars of the first bit' 'that funny run down') where I need a prompt on the words. I need words for new songs until after about 6 gigs. Also, I find if I hammer a song all night, I don't make progress. 20 minutes of one song, then do something else is enough and when you come back after playing something else I find that it has sunk in a little bit. This week's brand new songs to gig at weekend that I've been nailing since Saturday are: Stuck in the middle, Gimme shelter, Rockin in the free world and Can't get enough of your love. We do a few Weller/Jam songs and they are very rewarding to sing and play. Easy peasy! I'll put money on the guitarists screwing up before me! Hope this helps! Si.[/quote] That makes a lot of sense. I can sing and play quite complex stuff on a guitar but useless singing while on the bass. I'll try your suggestions. Speaking of Sting, have you seen/heard the latest Certifiable DVD? It freaks me out how he's able to sing the way he does over the basslines. Pure liquid. It's an amazing DVD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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