singing while playing - this is different, I swear!

[fmoore200]

I know there have been threads about playing while singing and threads about singing while playing, and I have looked through them, but my question/problem is somewhat unique.

I will be going to Puerto Rico in the spring and want to sit in on some gigs. I can play quite a few salsa songs and really enjoy playing them. For those that are unaware of the salsa song form, the chorus part has a call and response aspect to it where the lead vocalist improvises while the background vocalists repeat the chorus.

I would like to be able to sing the background vocals while playing bass, but, for most songs, there aren't any written bass parts to learn first and layer the vocals against. Also, the bass rhythm in salsa is very syncopated and rarely plays on the first beat of a measure. So my specific question is: Does anybody have any excercises or techniques that would help me learn to improvise on bass while singing? Does anybody have experience improvising and singing at the same time? Thanks!

[Sonicfrog]

Yep! I am working on a Police tribute band. Singing Sting and playing his bass lines often offer similar difficulties. They are so disjointed from each other. What i find helps is to scale back the bass line and find the one note that provides the pulse of the song.

For instance, on Driven To Tears, I whittled the bass line down to the "E" note, and only play that note pulse when I'm practicing at home. This song had vexed me for years, and this approach has really helped me to be able to get the coordination on the bass and VOX down. As I practice, I add the other bass stuff when I get comfortable enough. I still screw up some, but now it's more remembering the lyrics than having the line screw me up.

Though you don't have any bass lines specifically laid down, you never-the-less can listen to other salsa tracks that share the same qualities, and use that technique to help with the coordination. Write down some nonsense lyrics and just doodle and get used to the feel.

Hope this helps.

[fmoore200]

Lol, I can imagine those sting bass lines being a real pain to sing over.

As for simplified salsa bass lines, that might be difficult. The 'bare bones' of the bass tumbao is only two notes per measure, so I don't know how I could reduce it anymore! Lmao

What I was thinking was just practicing very slowly...

[Sonicfrog]

Maybe doodle on the bass and at the same time read a news paper aloud or something. It getting the two acts of singing and playing without having to think about it too much is the key.