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Beatles Singing While Playing

Journey55

Journey55

Jun 10, 2011
934
196
Orlando, Florida
#1
I'm pretty sure these threads show up all the time (actually, I know they do cause I searched through them but none really answered my question), so I was wondering what some good songs that Paul sings and plays bass on where they kind of match up...if that makes sense.

I already learned All My Loving, Eight Days A Week, and When I'm 64 so I was looking for another to learn to improve my skill, songs that kinda sound like those would be awesome, thanks.

P.S. Not a big Police fan...
 
#3
Alvaro Martín Gómez A. said:
"She's A Woman" and "I'm Down" are my all-time favorite "obscure" Beatles songs. Both feature McCartney playing bass and singing in a high register. Very demanding unless you have a naturally high-pitched voice.
Click to expand...

Those were pretty cool but I was hoping for a more prominent bassline (although I am looking at learning those now)
 
#4
Something to think about. Playing a bass line by rote and singing melody at the same time is a little hard to pull off. However singing melody and playing generic chord tones is a lot easier. R-5-8-5 etc.

Pull up some video on your favorite artist I bet you will find that when he sings he accompanies his vocal with chord work. When he sings melody he plays accompaniment either strumming the 6 string guitar or using generic bass lines on the bass guitar.

You will be able to add to your selections if one of those tasks is generic.

Have fun.
 
#6
MalcolmAmos said:
Something to think about. Playing a bass line by rote and singing melody at the same time is a little hard to pull off. However singing melody and playing generic chord tones is a lot easier. R-5-8-5 etc.
Click to expand...

Actually... not. I used to think so, until I started working on it. In very short order I was able to sing a melody line while doing rather elaborate counter melodies on bass. It's hard to pull off if you don't practice it... just like most anything else.
 
#10
the trick to this (and singing while playing in general) is to get to the point where you can play the bass part so automatically that you can focus completely on singing. It's really a matter of building muscle memory in your bass playing. Surely, once you practice this you'll also just get better at doing these two things simultaneously.

As far as rough Beatles numbers for this sort of this, I'd say Day Tripper might take the cake. The vocal is so different rhythmically from the bass line that it really requires a lot of concentration to pull off. Especially if you're singing the Paul vocal harmonies which are ridiculously high on this one. I think I read Sir Paul saying he found it to be among the more difficult to do personally.
 
#11
Jack Bruce. Seems like he has two completely separate brains in one body; one totally devoted to playing bass and one totally dedicated to singing. His playing live NEVER sounds Luke rote playing, but freely reinvented and improvisational allbthe time while his vocals are equally in the moment. "Politician" disbanded wonderful example.

John
 

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