Bass players who sing club?

[zachoff]

Searched & didn't find anything on the first 10 pages of results... Is there a bass players who sing club? I'm not going to keep track of numbers or anything... Just want a thread to talk vocals.

Whadaya say?

[Smokin' Toaster]

I'm in. I sing 5-10 songs a night, including:

Sweet Home Alabama
Call me the Breeze
Allright now
Magnolia
Tupelo Honey
Johnny B. Goode / Roll over Beethoven
Shame, Shame Shame (Wet Willie Arrangement)
Angel Eyes
Black Magic Woman
Walk Away (James Gang)


And background vocals on at least half a dozen others.

I've found I can sing most 1-4-5 blues and rock that have more or less a "straight" beat. Syncopated and off beat stuff is damn near impossible. Rhumba tunes like "crosscut saw" or "too tall to mambo" give me fits. I have to be able to put my bass playing on auto-pilot to sing. Anything that I have to count or concentrate on, or that has a beat that is fundamentally different that the cadence of the vocals is impossible extremely difficult for me to do.

I remember a guy came up to me after a set once and asked if I owned the PA. I told him yes, I did. He said something to the effect of "You sing, you play bass, and you own the PA. You damn near rule the world"

[two fingers]

Originally Posted by Smokin' Toaster

Allright now

Man alive. Singing the chorus in that song while playing a syncopated bass line is like doing long division in your head! One of the hardest things I ever had to learn in my 25 years of doing both bass and vocals.

[DerTeufel]

I've been playing bass for 2 years now. I've been with my current band for a little over a year. I sing 4 songs at the moment.

Sharp Dressed Man
Keep Your Hands to Yourself
Living After Midnight
Takin' Care of Business

We had to change the key of Living After Midnight to accommodate me. On basically all the songs, I just stick to playing roots until the solos.

[Rip Topaz]

I'm in.

A few months ago I started forming an acoustic rock project. Lack of interest by singers (as well as my own perfectionist issues) forced me into the lead singer/bassist position.

I don't mind it at all. I've been saying to my wife for the last few years that the time is coming for me to do my own thing. Then this project happens, and I end up fronting it.

Rock on.

[micgtr71]

I have done backup vocals in every band I have played in and sang lead in two (while playing bass). I would say that in 90% of the bands I have been in I have sung at least one song live.

[topo morto]

I do, under protest!

This evening:

20th Century boy
Sharp dressed man
Sultans of Swing
Runnin' down a dream

Still find combining it with bassing quite a challenge though!

[MrDOS]

"Under The Bridge" from RHCP was much harder than "All Right Now" for me. Here's what else I sing:
Don't Change
Melt With You
Paralyzer
Kryptonite
The Middle
My Own Worst Enemy
Basket Case
Sweet Emotion
No Matter What
Funky Music/Superstition
Stray Cat Strut
The Break Up Song
Twilight Zone
Red Skies
Hurts So Good
Time (Floyd)
Saved By Zero
Brown-eyed Girl
You Won't See Me (Beatles)
Jenny, Jenny
Workin For A Livin'
Authority Song
What I Like / ROCK
Come Down
Hash Pipe

[GAPendragon]

I sing. I'm playing/singing mostly originals at the moment with a few rock covers thrown in.

[Kmonk]

I play and sing, mostly harmonies but some lead. It took some practice but I can pretty much play and sing just about anything at the same time. I don't even think about it anymore. I just do it.

[two fingers]

The biggest challenge I face vocally is Your Love by The Outfield. The bass line is stupid simple. But the vocals are HIGH! My favorite thing to sing though is Roll the Dice by Delbert. Very cool bluesy rock song.

[bryan gibson]

Been gigging for 20+ years and singing backup the whole time. Have done lead vox in some bands but I have a proverbial "1/8 Octave" vocal range and dropping In my current band I'm doing basic country stuff like Truck Drivin' Man, Tulsa Time, Georgia on a Fast Train, Walk Softly, Jambalaya, etc. Used to do more rock stuff like Barnaby Wild, Gimme 3, Cat Scratch Fever, etc, but can't hit the high notes any more. Heck, in a few more years I may turn into Dave Dudley or Josh Turner

[plainman]

Originally Posted by Smokin' Toaster

...

I've found I can sing most 1-4-5 blues and rock that have more or less a "straight" beat. Syncopated and off beat stuff is damn near impossible. Rhumba tunes like "crosscut saw" or "too tall to mambo" give me fits. I have to be able to put my bass playing on auto-pilot to sing. Anything that I have to count or concentrate on, or that has a beat that is fundamentally different that the cadence of the vocals is impossible extremely difficult for me to do.

This is exactly my experience with singing and playing. I play at a weekly blues jam and sing a couple songs from a pool of about 8 songs. I find that the ones with straight quarter or eighth notes are easy, but tricky rhythms get me. It took me a while to be able to sing "She Caught the Katy" (in the style of the Taj Mahal version, not Duck Dunn's) because of the odd rhythm. I still struggle with "The Thrill Is Gone" - easy to play, easy to sing, hard to play and sing.

[topo morto]

I find that mentally breaking single words into two parts or imagining silent words on strong beats can help when working out the timing.

My biggest problem is thinking about breathing, lyrics, the bass part, and microphone technique at the same time! Well actually I can't - I need to get a couple of those automatic, learning the lyrics properly up front and being able to play the bass without looking at it at all or thinking too much.

Actually that latter point is changing my ideas on what bass to use as my band bass... I've always been perfectly happy on a 5 or 6, but with singing too I'm considering going back to good old fashioned EADG - not too many options to think about!

[gjbassist]

Sign me up. I was singing long before I was a bass player. Had a bit of trouble at first singing and playing at the same time. Still get thrown off every now and then by a song with a difficult rhythm. With my last couple of bands I sang lead on about a third of the songs and backup on most others.

[jphovercraft]

Singing bassist here. I find I have to have either the vocals OR the bass part down cold so I can focus on one or the other. Here's an assortment from the last 2-3 decades ... I know I'm missing lots ...

half a dozen or so originals
Nowhere Man (low part)
Back Door Man
Rebel Yell
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Keep Your Hands to Yourself
The Future's So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades)
Stray Cat Strut
Just What I Needed
I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night
Up From the Skies
Are You Experienced
Come On (Pt. 1)
Spanish Castle Magic
Purple Haze
Crossroads
Nothin's Gonna Be Alright
Wishing Well (Free)
Magic Ship (Free)
Ziggy Stardust
Down Home Girl
Lost Woman (Yardbirds)
What I Like About You
Talking In Your Sleep
Day Tripper
Strawberry Fields Forever
In the Dead of Night (UK)
It's Nearly Africa (XTC)
Knuckle Down (XTC)
High School Confiedential (Rough Trade)
Mr. Soul
Whip It
Summertime Blues
I'm Down
All Lined Up
World of Love (Mandala ... if you know this band, you're Canadian!)
Love-itis (Mandala)
Signed Sealed Delivered
Higher Ground
White Room
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
Comfortably Numb
Let's Dance (Bowie)
I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down
Mr. Skin (Spirit)
Something In the Air (before my voice changed ...)
Take Me To the River
What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love and Understanding
Pump It Up
Allison
Radio Radio
Framed
Riot in Cell Block #9
... etc