I gotta sing while playing bass Help!

[Luke S Mouse]

How do you guys sing and play bass at the same time? Any tips or help would be appreciated.

[WarriorJoe7]

start simple... practice practice practice (some people naturally have it though but they are rare)

[bubinga5]

If you have any doubts about wether you can do it just try it...You may be suprised thats its not as hard as you think...

If you know the bass line its easier..improvising two different lines, voice and bassline is tough..
The more you practice, the better you will get...your brain needs time to get to know the two...

A great way to practice is to play a one 4 beat note to a metronome, from a scale/chord then sing one of the notes in that scale to the same beat, then choose another note from the scale to sing....alot more practice with this will maybe have you singing different notes of a simple bassline in conjunction to that chord..
then as Joe said, its just practise practice practice..

[Hookus]

Stick with evenly spaced roots on a guitar strum pattern, and learn where in the lyrics the chord changes are. I have never, ever, been able to play a syncopated bass line and sing.

I think, chances are, unless the song was written with the consideration of playing bass and singing, it may be tough.

[PhatBasstard]

I've been lucky. I sing a lot of lead and usually don't have any problem with both. I guess I can split my brain that way . Having both the bassline and lyrics well memorized is a big plus.

If it's a song I've been playing for a while with someone else singing where the bassline is pretty much already internalized (and the lyrics are already at least somewhat in your head), that also helps.

There have been a couple of songs along the line that were somewhat challenging because the bassline and vocal line were so different. "Green Eyed Lady" and "The Joker" come to mind recently from my classic rock gig. Luckily, I've been hearing those songs for so many years the lyrics were somewhat internalized already.

[Howlin' Hanson]

There's a sticky on this subject under Band Management. Enjoy:

Bassist's Guide to Singing

[Nedmundo]

Originally Posted by Hookus

I have never, ever, been able to play a syncopated bass line and sing.

I can syncopate one or the other. So if I'm doing simple backing vocals, I have no problem with a syncopated bass line. But if the vocals are a little funky too, the bass line usually needs to be simplified.

In my last band, I had to work on this, and it helped to think like a piano player. Pianists play the melody with the right hand, and bass line with the left. They coordinate the two by seeing where all the notes of each part fall within the bar, and gradually blend the two parts into a whole.

Singing and playing bass can be done the same way. If you count out your bass line, and count out the vocal melody, you can figure out how they relate to each other within the bar, e.g.: first eighth note might be bass only, next eighth has new bass note and first vocal note, next is only vocals, etc. Once you figure this out, start very slowly, and then practice, practice, practice. It will get easier over time.

[XylemBassGuitar]

I completetly internalize the bass part before I start to incorporate the singing. Get to the point where you can play the bass part flawlessly while watching TV. Once it's that automatic I start adding in the singing part. It also helps if you know the lyrics by heart as well.

If you're just starting out, learn something simple where the singing is similar to the bassline rhythmically, then move on from there. It's frustrating and awkward at first, but the more you practice the easier it will become.

[Bassamatic]

I find that the bass line must be totally memorized in muscle memory first unless you are singing simple steady tones. It has to be automatic. If the bass line is syncopated it is a LOT harder.

I will never comprehend how Jack Bruce sang "Born Under a Bad Sign" while playing the bass line as they are so offset. Way to go, Jack!

There is a funny song on Youtube called "It is impossible to play bass and sing".

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by Gio S

I find that the bass line must be totally memorized in muscle memory first unless you are singing simple steady tones. It has to be automatic. If the bass line is syncopated it is a LOT harder.

+1

Memorize the part, and learn to play it without looking at your left hand!

This is important because you can't have your neck craning over while singing, it looks really dorky, and it also that way you don't have to think about playing.

Also do the same with the vocal part, memorize it. Get it so you don't have to think abut it.

It you have a lot of syncopation, once you have each part learned, take you time and integrate them together.

[KPAX]

Obviously, some things are easier to sing and play simultaneously than others.
For tricky stuff where the vocal line and bass part are rhythmically different it's helped me to break it down and reassemble.
1. Learn the bass part where you have it DOWN.
2. Learn the vocal part where you have it DOWN.
3. Identify the bass/vocal notes/parts that coincide and/or are easy to play/sing together. Practice.
4. The rest is the tricky part. Learn to play/sing these notes in sequence (in time). Kind of like it's one part except some notes are coming from your bass and some from your voice. Practice these hard parts.
5. Reassemble 3. and 4. Practice.

[kamakiriad7]

KPAX made a very good observation about looking at where the bass and vocal plays notes at the same time. Playing bass and singing is no different than piano: with both, you have two separate lines moving at once. And on occasion you have both lines producing a note, but not always. The trick is knowing where.

For example, if you're playing "Closer to the Heart", pay attention in the first part to the song on "Blacksmith and the artist...". The bass and vocal both play on the syllables "black-" and "art-".

Finally, start practicing this very, very slow. How slow? As slow as you have to.

good luck!

[JmJ]

Also, practice singing in to a mic. There's also microphone technique you need to learn.
Not popping p's, breathe quietly, proximity effect etc.etc. Best to do that where there is no pressure

[MonetBass]

Originally Posted by Nedmundo

If you count out your bass line, and count out the vocal melody, you can figure out how they relate to each other within the bar, e.g.: first eighth note might be bass only, next eighth has new bass note and first vocal note, next is only vocals, etc. Once you figure this out, start very slowly, and then practice, practice, practice. It will get easier over time.

That's it right there. When you figure out how the melody and bass line relate to each other, it all falls into place and becomes much easier. Good luck -- it can be done!