singing and playing at the same time

[Chaddycakes]

Originally Posted by pan1k

i pose a question for you guys now: If you intend to sing lead / bass on a song youre writing, is it acceptable / recommended to simplify the bassline (maybe even just roots), to make it easier for you to do both. Also, any tips on dos / donts for writing in this matter? I think i may take the dive and sing lead / bass for my next music endeavor.

Here's a tip for writing in this style. Try to be very aware of how the melody and the bass interact with each other, both harmonically and rhythmically. I mean try to make chords out of the bass and your voice, and try to create rhythmic interplay between the bassline and the melody like a drummer would between two of his drums. These two things will go a long way towards helping you sing and play.

[kcandme]

Cool breakdown.
Thanks for the idea.

Originally Posted by Max Bogosity

I've been working on this as well. I find it helpful to go through the song bar by bar and work out exactly what the vocal and bass do on each beat.

For example, Crazy Little Thing Called Love. First column is the beat, second is the bass note, third is the lyric.

1. D
2. F#
3. A
4. B This

1. D. thing
2. F#
3. A
4. B called

1. D. love
2. F#
3. A
4. B I

1. G. just
2. B
3. D
4. E can't
&. D

1. C. Han-
2. C. dle
3. B. it.
4. B This

Etcetera. This is pretty tedious and only a small step short of writing out the song in proper musical notation. But having done it, I can practice the song as slowly as necessary, beat by beat. And strangely, having learned it this fairly mechanical way, it then becomes fairly easy to relax the vocal phrasing without screwing up the bass line.

[vinny]

IMO, the best place to start is songs with straight eighth roots in the bass. You'll be singing those in no time.

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Originally Posted by vinny

IMO, the best place to start is songs with straight eighth roots in the bass. You'll be singing those in no time.

I tried a little background on a song with straight eights the other night, and you're right- it was far easier, even though I didn't know the song as well. Of course my singing voice was horrendous either way.... Bought a mic stand and am going to be trying to give this some serious practice, but who knows.

[klawz]

Here's a video of one of my favorite bass players..who happens to be lead vocals also. Never simplifies a bass line.
http://m.youtube.com/#/ watch?v=kXQZ8ZE3Rs4

[kevteop]

It just takes practise like anything else. If both parts are complicated then you can always just slow it right down and learn the whole thing as a series of synchronised movements.

Always remember though the vocal is by far the most important part, and just getting it right isn't good enough you've got to really perform it. Most of the audience won't notice the bass part or be totally aware of it but they will all hear and connect with your vocal instinctively so you had better do it well. If that means sacrificing what you're doing on the bass to add something valuable with your voice then it's a no-brainer, get the voice right first.

[stratovani]

I'm in the process of learning to sing the high harmonies for the song Free Fallin' for the band I'm in, a Tom Petty tribute band. It's a simple bass line, and all I'm doing it basically hitting the root, and letting it sustain, yet even then it's so easy to screw things up when singing! The only cure for that is practice.

[Floyd Eye]

I never really had a problem with it, but I would say it is key to know the bass lines and the lyrics well enough that you don't even think about them.

[mozilla314]

I do a lot of background singing in my band
while I'm playing bass. I find that it helps to
be able to put the bass parts on automatic
pilot so I can concentrate on vocal pitch
and lyrics. You have to be able to split
your brain down the middle.
2 good songs to help practice getting independence
between your fingers and your voice are
"Roxanne" by The Police and "Don't Stop
Believing" by Journey. "Roxanne" is a relatively
simple bass line with a rhythmically challenging
vocal line. The Journey song is a more complex
bass line with a fairly simple vocal melody.
Try them both very slow at first until you can
get the syncopation between the 2 parts down.
Just my 2 cents.........