Connecting rhythmically with the singer?

[Engineer_Josh]

I play on a four person rock band. I noticed that on a few of our sounds I was hitting the one with the drummer and then matching the vocals rhythmically. Anyone else find themselves doing this?

I’ve noticed it happens a lot on 2112 by Rush.

Anyone notice if singers/bass players do this more than non singing bass players?

Anyone see it happen in some styles more than in others?

 

[dreamadream99]

I have rarely found a bassline that shared much in common with the melody.

One of the hardest things to master as a performing bassist, is being able to correctly sing a vocal and perform the accurate bassline, without hem influencing each other. It is much akin to the left and right hand independence a pianist develops.

Even when developing original basslines, I find myself playing in a simple supporting role during vocals—saving the more showy rhythmic stuff for the spaces between.

 

[Wasnex]

I play on a four person rock band. I noticed that on a few of our sounds I was hitting the one with the drummer and then matching the vocals rhythmically. Anyone else find themselves doing this?

I’ve noticed it happens a lot on 2112 by Rush.

Anyone notice if singers/bass players do this more than non singing bass players?

Anyone see it happen in some styles more than in others?

Totally depends on the situation. Sometimes you hit with the vocalist and sometime you don't.

For example, really good vocalist tend to do something called back phrasing. Basically back phrasing means they sing out of time, but in a really awesome way. If the vocalist is back phrasing, the band probably needs to lay down a solid foundation of time. Your basically the blank canvas for the vocalist to paint upon.

 

[Malcolm35]

I sing under my breath with the vocalist while keeping the beat going with the kick drum.

I Look over at the kick pedal to make sure I'm in the groove.

I think my rhythm guitar days helped with this.

 

[g-dude]

I do this on some of our songs at church - not for the whole song, and sometimes just for a chord or two, and then it’s back to something that is more in line with the drums.

 

[LBS-bass]

Totally depends on the situation. Sometimes you hit with the vocalist and sometime you don't.

For example, really good vocalist tend to do something called back phrasing. Basically back phrasing means they sing out of time, but in a really awesome way. If the vocalist is back phrasing, the band probably needs to lay down a solid foundation of time. Your basically the blank canvas for the vocalist to paint upon.

+1 for this. As a singer, it's really annoying when I'm doing this and someone in the band tries to bend time to match what I'm doing. Just play in solid time and I will get back there when I'm ready, thank you very much.

As a player, I sometimes play around rhythmically and even tonally with the melody but I try not to do too much of this because if you do it distracts from the vocalist.

 

[Wasnex]

+1 for this. As a singer, it's really annoying when I'm doing this and someone in the band tries to bend time to match what I'm doing. Just play in solid time and I will get back there when I'm ready, thank you very much.

As a player, I sometimes play around rhythmically and even tonally with the melody but I try not to do too much of this because if you do it distracts from the vocalist.

The challenging part is when I am playing bass and also singing background vocals. If the lead singer is backphrasing it sometimes becomes impossible for me to match vocal phrasing and continue playing the bassline.

 

[Bassdirty]

+1 for this. As a singer, it's really annoying when I'm doing this and someone in the band tries to bend time to match what I'm doing. Just play in solid time and I will get back there when I'm ready, thank you very much.

^^^ Absolutely!!^^^

Be part of the rhythm section that you are.

T$

 

[ak56]

+1 for this. As a singer, it's really annoying when I'm doing this and someone in the band tries to bend time to match what I'm doing. Just play in solid time and I will get back there when I'm ready, thank you very much.

As a player, I sometimes play around rhythmically and even tonally with the melody but I try not to do too much of this because if you do it distracts from the vocalist.

As a singer, I fully endorse this statement.

 

[Russell L]

It depends, but more often than not I try not to listen to the singer's timing, but more to the drummer.

 

[zontar]

There are times I like to play a rhythm that matches the vocal line.
As mentioned above I still hit the 1, but then I play off the vocal line.

I also once had a singer doing harmony parts that wanted to make sure he heard my bass in the monitor as he was playing off my timing.
And it worked.