How many of us sing while playing?

[zubrycky]

Yes, I do.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

Yeah and I've done it for a long time now... Man I'm old suddenly

 

[Winton]

I usually do backing vocals but once in a while do lead depending on the song. This is from pre-COVID 3 years ago. Sam Cooke tune:


Here’s from a more recent gig doing backing vocals to a very recent Jpop song:

 

[H K]

Do ya'll think it's also easier to sing if you play with a pick?

 

[bassist4dalord]

My only gig is the praise band at church and I sing all the time, but only as I participate in corporate worship. I don’t have a mic because I’m not a trained singer, and I think that focusing on singing in an effort to lead others while playing would make my playing suffer.

 

[jamro217]

My biggest gift to the world is NOT singing. I still play, though.

 

[josephbass86]

I do!

 

[Wesley R]

While I have sang lead on a song, it was not what I liked to do.
If I could have sung well.......

 

[MichelD]

I do three lead vocals in a Cajun band. Two are over 1 -5 bass patterns and one is over a walking bass.

 

[Lostgallifreyan]

I whistle, when I'm playing sea songs. Does that count?

 

[Flatsnashtrays]

No, backing vocal doesn't count on this one!

How many of us straight up sing lead vocals while playing bass?

I picked #4 just because I too am a Mitch Hedberg fan.

 

[Mark 63]

I can sing The Passenger and play the bass part, but the first few lines are awkward.

 

[Marc valero]

When I started play bass in bands in the early 80s I rarely sang, and slowly added songs. About 4 months ago I started playing in my first duo and I sing 1/3 of the songs. I could add few more and sing half. My partner can sing alot of stuff I cant, but he doesn't have much lung capacity and doesn't move much or have any dynamics, he's overweight so ....but we are the only real musicians, with programmed drums, doing a duo in our area of strummers with or without backing tracks. I have gotten compliments on my singing.
A big challenge is singing a lot more backup and harmonies in a duo

 

[5StringBlues]

I whistle, when I'm playing sea songs. Does that count?

Only if they are in the key of "R!".

 

[dave64o]

I'm not the lead singer, but I do lead vocals on about five or six songs in a typical four set gig.

I also do backing vocals.

 

[micguy]

I play church gigs - normally I don’t sing while I play, but once in a while, I get inspired on a tune I know very well. I do make sure there isn’t a mic near me - we have some really good vocalists that I get to play with, but I’m not one myself.

 

[Malcolm35]

I sing (under my breath) with the lead vocalist to ensure I'm where I should be in the song. Started doing this way back in my rhythm guitar days.

Should mention we all played from the same fake chord sheet music. I followed the chords and locked with the drummer - for the groove - and ALSO sung with the vocalist to ensure I was not going down a rabbit hole.

They jacked saying "make sure Malcolm is still singing under his breath"...

 

[Thom Harmand]

No, backing vocal doesn't count on this one!

How many of us straight up sing lead vocals while playing bass?

Fronted bands, still sing and play but haven't gigged in awhile.
However, I'm in the process (since COVID started) of reinventing myself as a singing keyboard player.

 

[Flatsnashtrays]

I actually sing well and could totally fill the roll of lead singer, but unless I have a bass, or at least a guitar in my hands, I'm just not interested. I was in a punk band in the late 1990s and we all sang the songs we wrote: I sang mine, guitar player sang his, and our drummer sang the ones he wrote.

 

[bcbassman]

I Love singing lead. It took me a long time to develop that talent and I am still not the primary lead singer in my band, but I enjoy contributing and I do my share of backup vocals and harmonies too.
I think that bass is the hardest instrument to sing lead over while playing. What McCartney did in the Beatles was amazing, particularly in 1964 on live TV!