How to sing and play?

[Peavaria]

Kind of off topic but one of the reasons why I love Michael Anthony! Background vocals solidified Van Halen!

 

[mjmeche]

I am the lead singer in my band and the bass player. Practice Practice Practice

 

[SteveCS]

...

I can for reals juggle 5 tennis balls (or even clubs) at once, but singing while playing is orders of magnitude more difficult.

...

I don't juggle, and I wouldn't know where to start, but would you say that juggling even three different objects, say a club, a grapefruit and a beanbag might be more difficult than any number of identical objects?

 

[Magthegrate]

I don't juggle, and I wouldn't know where to start, but would you say that juggling even three different objects, say a club, a grapefruit and a beanbag might be more difficult than any number of identical objects?

Correct. Three bean bags is relatively simple. A stapler, tape dispenser, and a paperclip can get difficult. I find it's actually more difficult if the objects are significantly different in weight rather than the size.

/endthreadhijack

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I can do it with simple guitar parts as then it's 'strum A lala strum A lala strum E la la strum E lala' and so on. With bass there's more going on unless I am just bashing out root 8th notes which is pretty rare.

It's tricky for me to do more than guitar as I have a significant stammer and just the singing itself (including remembering the lyrics) is a challenge on its own. I have done it with guitar with simple parts although not always got the lyrics right.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I don't juggle, and I wouldn't know where to start, but would you say that juggling even three different objects, say a club, a grapefruit and a beanbag might be more difficult than any number of identical objects?

We have to juggle, sing, and play bass? Is this while dancing a jig or is that part optional?

 

[LBS-bass]

Ditto ^ Their voice is the main instrument, the bass or guitar just furnishes the harmony. Harmony can be dirt simple and still get the job done. This calls attention to the lyrics being sung and is easy to do.

Start simple and work from there. For example a root note at the chord change and nothing more till the next chord change.

Yeah, start simple but don't settle there. You can sing and play a more complicated line. You don't need to dumb it down for the vocal. The advice that's been given here is solid. Get the basic bassline under your belt and make it automatic, then add the vocal. When you are comfortable with both, you'll be able to play more embellishments underneath your vocal. Whoever is just dumbing it down to sing is just being kind of lazy or isn't getting paid enough to work at it.

 

[SteveCS]

We have to juggle, sing, and play bass? Is this while dancing a jig or is that part optional?

No, the jig is mandatory, the juggling optional.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

One of my other issues is that I don't always learn a bass line except when it is particularly distinctive (q.v. Pink Floyd's 'Money' in another thread). Where the style is important but the exact notes are incidental (an example might be portions of Led Zeppelin's 'The Lemon Song' to pick something from the same era) I just learn the chord progression and essentially jam in the style of the song. That's less to learn but more mental effort during the song and given that running my mouth probably takes up more brain power than for many (*) there's not enough brain power left to do that.

* In some senses, provided I can remember the lyrics (backing vocals tend to be easier in this regard as even I can remember 'sha la la la la') singing is easier. Speaking is harder as I have to think about five words further ahead than most people to be sure I am not going to pick a word I am going to block on.

 

[Rum Ham]

Getting better at anything always requires practice. That said, I first learn the bass part. Then I practice playing and singing the song very slowly, half or quarter tempo. That helps me know where the syncopated parts are, between playing and singing, and how they fit together. I usually will go over those parts multiple times. I may even put them in a loop, and play and sing them over and over. Then I start speeding it up, until I am at normal There has been mounds of advice. Good advice. Thank you all for sharing. I will try parts of everybody's recommendations. You guys/gals/others are the best

 

[Rum Ham]

I don't juggle, and I wouldn't know where to start, but would you say that juggling even three different objects, say a club, a grapefruit and a beanbag might be more difficult than any number of identical objects?

Very excellent observation.

 

[Rum Ham]

This is where being a guitarist-singer in the past helps

But here's a really good singer playing upright bass and telling the story of the bass.

Jay Leonhart

This was funny thank you!

 

[Groove Master]

I did some back up vocals with Celine Dion as her bass player and the way I've achieve the gig was by learning the bass part first so well that I didn't have to think about it. Then I focussed on the vocals.

 

[Malcolm35]

I did some back up vocals with Celine Dion as her bass player and the way I've achieve the gig was by learning the bass part first so well that I didn't have to think about it. Then I focussed on the vocals.

Sylvain, backing up Celine Dion, now that got my attention.

How bout that man!

 

[Groove Master]

Sylvain, backing up Celine Dion, now that got my attention.

How bout that man!

I never thought that name dropping could work LOL. The Tonight show with Carson and Leno five times with her also ;-)

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Sylvain, backing up Celine Dion, now that got my attention.

How bout that man!

And you thought, Groove Master was "just another pretty face" and an author of superb bass tutorials.

 

[Rum Ham]

I did some back up vocals with Celine Dion as her bass player and the way I've achieve the gig was by learning the bass part first so well that I didn't have to think about it. Then I focussed on the vocals.

You must be incredibly talented to do what you did. To hold it down on the bass and back-up arguably one of the best voices in modern music. Kudos to you and I'm a little awestruck.

 

[Rum Ham]

I never thought that name dropping could work LOL. The Tonight show with Carson and Leno five times with her also ;-)

That's pretty awesome. I am proud of you and your accomplishments.
I can't beleive you actually played on Carson's stage. Magical.

 

[AFRO]

I am probably not the best qualified 'resource' for this question, but in my cover band days, I did some back up singing and when we played the song "In the End" by Linkin Park, Our singer did the 'Chester Bennington' (may his soul RIP) singing parts and I did the 'Mike Shinoda' rapper parts.

its hard cause the rap has its own separate flow, but the bass line needed to stick with the drums and glue to the guitar at the same time.

For me, one needs to be automated. so again, for me, that part was Bass. get that part down solid, 'in your sleep good' first. trust me, if the rhythm drops folks will notice.

Then with the vocals I tried to map when certain words would be on the measure and try to sync the two.

other that that, there is the good ole;
"No shortcuts, put the work in" and "Practice until it works" mantra.
or as I like to put it, be 'stubborn enough to get your way' mantra.