Singing with the bass

[msaygilar]

Hi there, it`s me here again after 10 months or so. Anyway, I have a problem, it might have been discussed here.. Sorry for that if it's been.
I don`t have much time. We`re going to have a gig soon. And I'll have to both sing and play the bass. And I really don`t know what to do now. I don`t know how to practice for that. Is there anyone who can help me?.

[SuperDuck]

MY suggestion is to practice the bass part so much that it becomes second nature, and you can carry on a conversation while playing it accurately, THEN start singing with it.

[Sheep Man]

Practice, practice, practice!
Wake up, eat breakfast, practice practice practice, eat lunch, practice practice practice, eat dinner, practice practice practice, brush your teeth/shower/other hygiene related stuff, practice s'more, sleep, repeat.

But seriously, practice is the only way you'll be able to get it down. A good approach is what SuperDuck suggested.

Personally, I'm an arrogant little poop at times, and refuse to practice them seperately. I dunno why, but I just like to try & put it all together at once. I eventually find how the lyrics flow with the rest of the song, particularly the bass line, and then it becomes a matter of hands-voice coordination.

Sometimes, though, it doesn't quite work. I found for a few songs I couldn't help but end up singing the harmony, and would've made a great backing vocalist in those songs.
That reminds me, maybe I should start singing the harmonies for those songs in The Whereabouts of Wally Dudes. It'd sound GREAT in the slow love songs...
of course, my voice still doesn't compare with the 2 lead actors', and they're 5 years younger than me!

[merlin]

Ok i have had to do this. Its not as hard as you think.

Are the songs originals? If they are then practice as much as possible on getting the bass down pat.

If its covers like i had to learn, then its easy. I would put the cd on without me playing the bass and sing to the cd. work on getting the lyrics in the right order, right pitch etc. Then i pick up the bass and sing/play along over and over until i get it right.

Plus if you are singing for a long time at the gig, don't do too much voice warm ups, let your voice warm over the whole gig. If you are only singing for a couple of songs, then do about an hr min of warm-ups. or so i am told. Its as easy as doing them in the shower, when loading the gear, in the car to the show etc Voice warmups can be humming, just focusing on getting the voice chords moving. Then i sing to cds try to hit that pitch.

Its better to at least get the voice ok so you don't sound all squeaky etc.

All the above posts are right, if u know the bass bits well, then you can concentrate more on when to come in and sing. Oh and i find a folder of the lyrics on a stand in front of me really helps for cues and you can write chords above the lyrics in case you get lost.

Hope it helped!

Merls