I play fretless and sing lead in my band (on some songs, not all) without compromising my vocals OR my basslines. It is very difficult - like posters above me have mentioned, takes a lot of practice. Don't give up, OP! You can do it. 
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Fretless and singing?
- Thread starter nojj
- Start date
you really need to be able to hear your voice , bass , and pitch reference ( band, guitar , keys ) ... i think if you get that mix right ,... it helps ... plus endless practice to get used to singing and playing anything fluidly ...
i tried it on a whim ... not a good idea ,.. being deaf in one ear .. !! ha ... my bass amp and vocal monitor where on ' my good side ' .... somebody else would sing off key ... and take me and the bass along for the ride .. !! ha
i tried it on a whim ... not a good idea ,.. being deaf in one ear .. !! ha ... my bass amp and vocal monitor where on ' my good side ' .... somebody else would sing off key ... and take me and the bass along for the ride .. !! ha
Amen. I can either sing or play. I don't know how people do both at the same time. I've been trying for years but I just can't split my brain in two to handle both activities at once. How do people do it? I am awed by people like Geddy Lee who can handle intricate bass lines and sing over them. Even more basic stuff like Phil Lynott's lines in Thin Lizzy I find very challenging to sing over. I must have a mental block or something.
It depends on what kind of music you play. I don't have any issues with it but then I've been playing fretless and singing for a long time. The key is making sure that you can hear your voice, bass and the rest of the band clearly. If you can't hear the rest of the band, it's easy to go out of tune. Sure, you'll be in tune to your bass but unless you can hear the rest of the band you can drift. Go for it and let us know how it went! Good luck!
Well, as I'm not a very good singer and also not a very good fretless player you can imagine the result is not pleasant.
In the band I just sing some occasional harmonies though, and I chicken out sometimes if there is a busy or syncopated bass line, fretted or fretless. The guitar players have it a bit more easy I think, it doesn't matter quite as much if they flub up as when the bass player can't keep the rhythm going.
Anyway, I'm working on it, starting with some slower songs with a minimum of movement on the neck. I don't think there is any trick to this other than a *lot* of practicing, and making sure you have good monitoring so you hear what you're doing.
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In the band I just sing some occasional harmonies though, and I chicken out sometimes if there is a busy or syncopated bass line, fretted or fretless. The guitar players have it a bit more easy I think, it doesn't matter quite as much if they flub up as when the bass player can't keep the rhythm going.
Anyway, I'm working on it, starting with some slower songs with a minimum of movement on the neck. I don't think there is any trick to this other than a *lot* of practicing, and making sure you have good monitoring so you hear what you're doing.
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I sing lead on about 8 songs a night and harmonies on most others (mostly reggae in my present band). It just takes a ton of practice. I haven't owned a fretted bass in over a decade, so it may be easier if you never play fretted.
I also sing with the upright, which I don't find that difficult unless I need to venture much out of first position. I sometimes sing while bowing, but this is just too scary to do much, so I only do it at small gigs with an understanding (or drunk) audience!
Playing through a fEarful 12/6 helps me, since the mid driver enables me to hear my intonation much better on stage.
One thing I cannot do while playing is to improvise vocals. I can sing the vocal part just fine, but can't change it up much or do much melodic improvising with my voice. With much more practice, I could probably do this.
I also sing with the upright, which I don't find that difficult unless I need to venture much out of first position. I sometimes sing while bowing, but this is just too scary to do much, so I only do it at small gigs with an understanding (or drunk) audience!
Playing through a fEarful 12/6 helps me, since the mid driver enables me to hear my intonation much better on stage.
One thing I cannot do while playing is to improvise vocals. I can sing the vocal part just fine, but can't change it up much or do much melodic improvising with my voice. With much more practice, I could probably do this.
flatwound strings will be a bit more forgiving with regard to perfect intonation, not a bunch, but a little bit. The heavier the guage the more wiggle room you have.
