Playing and backing vocals

[Groove Doctor]

A valuable and time-saving tool for me was to use the ability to transcribe the bass and vocal parts, aligning them bar-for-bar, note-for-note, so I could visualize where certain vocal parts fell within the bass parts, rhythmically. For example, the word "abcxyz" is sung 1/8th after the bass note on the "one" of the bar.

By Reading these transcriptions and rehearsing the tricky phrases at a painfully slow tempo to start, and ramping up to actual tempo eventually, after a while, the coordination starts to click and make sense.

Great idea!! Made me remember learning to play piano.... esp the painfully slow bit.

It's about independence and combining parts again. Made a lot of sense on piano and sheet music to me.

Keep at it @leehutch - it takes a lot of practice at first, but gets a LOT quicker & easier with experience.

 

[kikstand454]

I started singing backup about 2 years ago after 15+ yrs of playing bass in bands. It was rough. I'm not a terribly good singer to start with. I find myself copying the lead vocal rather than harmonizing half the time. I'm getting much much better at it, and feel the urge now to jump in vocally in most situations. I really had to just put in the time. Keep doing it over and over. I realized that it was just like learning an instrument all over again......I had to train my mind to do this and this independently and yet together. Like learning a stringed instrument or drums.
Practice, practice, practice. Repeat.

I found i built confidence singing backups over straight 8ths or 16s, where it was much easier to concentrate on vocals than bass. Try some pop punk stuff like blink 182, or green day and the like. Billy idol. Poison. Stuff like that. Thumping lines. It'll all click one day, and the struggle will become much easier.


Good luck!

 

[btmpancake]

If you really-really want to be good at it? Here's what you do;
1.Divorce your wife if you're married.
2. Got kids? They go with the wife.
3. Got a job? Quit it.
4. Got a house? sell it- and move WAY up in the mountains(alone).
5. This is important-no outside communication with humans (animals ok).
6. Shave all your hair and grease and oil all parts shaven. (the music gods like that).
7. Eat only manabread and drink ONLY spring mountain water to help cleanse and purify your body and soul. (you'll need it).
8. You must capture and sacrifice a small animal- DONOT EAT IT!
9. If you do these things, you cannot tell anyone until they join T.B.
10. If/when you come back, please be sure to check in with us. (we'll be waiting-trust me).

 

[Steve Dallman]

I played guitar for 2 years before switching to bass, and didn't find singing while playing bass any more difficult that I did with guitar. One song that did throw me at first (in 1969) was Jimi Hendrix "Fire." The bass line in the chorus uses different phrasing than the vocal line. A little practice and good to go.

A couple of our current songs were hard at first, but again, practice takes care of it.