Playing your bass and singing

[red_rhino]

Relaxes the vocal cords dramatically

One of favorite local performers sweared by Grand Marnier to help his singing voice through the night.

I used to work with a singer who drank at every rehearsal and gig. He sounded amazing....for about 3 songs. After that it was usually a train wreck.

Any serious vocal teacher will tell you "no alcohol". I don't drink at rehearsals and gigs normally, and I know I'm not a good enough vocalist to play the bass and sing correctly when I drink. You aren't either. Alcohol makes it much harder to control your vocal cords. They don't need relaxing, they need hydration.

All that said, the key (as everyone else has mentioned) is practice. But set yourself up for success. Pick songs (with easy bass lines) in your range that you know you can sing without straining. Your first job as a singer is to hit the notes. Once you've got that going and built some confidence, you'll be able to take on more challenging material. Success breeds success.

Learning to play and sing was the best thing I ever did for my musical growth. Should have done it a long time ago.

Good luck.

 

[ebo]

If it’s a cover, I play along to a YouTube video that is similar to the version I’m going to do. I learn the bass line inside and out and think about the vocal. Then I learn the vocal. Then I repeat that about 1500 times. Then practice it with the band another 100 times. Then get up in front of hundreds of people at a wedding and choke on it. Then repeat from the beginning. Eventually you get it or give up.

 

[Hammertime3]

I've been around here for several years now, and I'm 81. I've read many threads about musicians' inability to sing and play and I just don't get it. I am at best an average bass player. Became one when I couldn't get bluegrass rhythm down on guitar, so I switched to upright bass. When I learned what I know on guitar, it was in a group session with a guy just teaching chords, progressions, and some finger picking which I really didn't care for. But it got me started, and I picked up the bass from that as he taught some bass runs and the like. From the beginning, I always sang along with my primitive guitar playing, and it never presented a problem. When I switched to bass, I never encountered a problem there with the singing along. I don't care to toot my own horn, but I believe it's what I started doing from the beginning that allowed me to be able to sing and play. I have played very little lately, but I can still sing three parts, albeit country or bluegrass which some may feel is easier, but we all know baritone ain't easy anywhere when you're trying to learn it. Probably 60-70% of the players on this forum play better than I do, and I just don't understand why they can't sing along. I guess it's how you start when you are learning. I don't have any tips on how to get better at it, but I would start simple and go from there. We played an outside town festival last Saturday and had two excellent singers so I was only called upon once to sing "Folsom Prison Blues" which I hadn't done since last year's festival. Luckily, I guess, I never missed a lick on bass or the lyrics...I don't think...so I guess it's just easier for some than others, no matter what your skill level on bass is. Keep trying and you'll probably improve. Oh, forgot to mention, I've been on electric bass for some years now. No place to play the upright anymore so I sold it. Good luck.

 

[trevcda]

How to sing and play?

 

[TheDominoKid]

not sure where to put this as I’m on my 5th rum and tonic and BOC is on the radio playing Don’t Fear the Reaper at the outdoor bar of my favorite watering hole, so mods move this as you seem fit. I can sing, but have no clue how to sing and play bass at the same time.

What is the secret?

Rum and tonic—weird. Well, never had one.

I love doing gang-vocals when playing the bass, think the Clash. Lead vocals are tough...I’m gonna try for the first time live in a month, I think. I also feel like I’ve read that it’s inherently tough due to the fact that the rhythmic nature of the bass is counterintuitive to melody lines.

 

[And I]

It's hard..... Gotta shed the separation like a drummer does.. find out which notes hit together and which notes don't...

I know this in theory. In practice I still struggle to learn anything with syncopated bass line and singing together.

 

[And I]

Rum and tonic—weird. Well, never had one.

I know, right?? Apparently that is a thing. I'm intrigued...

 

[BassPilot]

1. You've got to know the bass part cold. It's got to come naturally.
2. You've got to know the lyrics. Period. If you're fumbling for the lyrics you'll get distracted from the bass line and the whole thing goes down the toilet.
3. You've got to be able to sing the song without playing the bass.

Practice practice practice. Watch people like Jack Bruce and how the vocals and bass/drums are intertwined. They can be amazingly inspirational.
As others have said, when it starts to come together you'll know it.
And if it isn't coming together for you after a while......you guessed it.....FIRE THE DRUMMER!

 

[blowinblue]

Impossible. Can’t be done.

M. M.

 

[RumbleMan3]

I’d love to learn to sing and play bass at the same time.

I’ve been playing some fantastic basslines from The Beatles, and trying to sing along. Some songs are easier than others. I have zero singing experience, and never sing out loud in front of others. So that’s one things I’ve got to work on. And singing the right notes. That’s something I can practice separately. But I really want to focus on singing and playing bass at the same time, that’s where it’s really tricky. I find I start singing, and then go out of time in playing or stop altogether, or vice versa.

I think it’s much harder than singing and playing guitar at the same time.
Like someone said before, you actually have to focus on the seperate melody and rhythm at the same time, which don’t really follow each other. Unlike guitar where you are almost always playing along WITH the vocals.

I’d love to get some tips. I’ve tried started with humming along, before singing actual words. Still a work in progress.

All I can say is, Paul McCartney’s talent is a freak of nature!

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Lots of good advice here but the bottom line is there's no magic shortcuts, it's all about practice and more practice.

I've been singing along to music my whole life. My dad was and still is a gigging musician so there was always music playing in our house. We didn't watch sports or go to games.

So maybe playing an instrument and singing was ingrained in me from an early age somehow. My first main instrument was as a drummer and I sang and played drums in my first bands. Moving to bass was only complicated by learning the new instrument and I remained part of the rhythm section.

Start simple and work on it, it'll happen.

 

[Andy Daventry]

I can play and sing, but not on fretless.

 

[glocke1]

not sure where to put this as I’m on my 5th rum and tonic and BOC is on the radio playing Don’t Fear the Reaper at the outdoor bar of my favorite watering hole, so mods move this as you seem fit. I can sing, but have no clue how to sing and play bass at the same time.

What is the secret?

No clue..

I cannot do it. For one thing, I am very self conscious about singing. Probably comes from being laughed at for trying to sing and play in an earlier life.

That said, I can sing on key, but singing and playing is elusive to me.

Frankly I think a lot of folks who do sing and play at the same time have problems with it. Not knocking them, but I notice that a lot of them basically stop playing when they sing. I've also noticed that in one band Im in the groove is completely off when some guys sing and continue to play.

 

[B-Mac]

I’d love to learn to sing and play bass at the same time.

I’ve been playing some fantastic basslines from The Beatles, and trying to sing along. Some songs are easier than others. I have zero singing experience, and never sing out loud in front of others. So that’s one things I’ve got to work on. And singing the right notes. That’s something I can practice separately. But I really want to focus on singing and playing bass at the same time, that’s where it’s really tricky. I find I start singing, and then go out of time in playing or stop altogether, or vice versa.

I think it’s much harder than singing and playing guitar at the same time.
Like someone said before, you actually have to focus on the seperate melody and rhythm at the same time, which don’t really follow each other. Unlike guitar where you are almost always playing along WITH the vocals.

I’d love to get some tips. I’ve tried started with humming along, before singing actual words. Still a work in progress.

All I can say is, Paul McCartney’s talent is a freak of nature!

.....and Greg Lake, Jack Bruce, John Wetton, Geddy Lee, Peter Cetera....

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Practice. Know the bass line. Know the lyrics. Muscle memory kicks in and you get into “ THE ZONE”.

I grew up watching Larry Graham, Janice Marie Johnson (Taste Of Honey), Tina Weymouth, Sting, Debra Killings, Meshelle Ndegeocello , & Esperanza Spalding sing and play. I’ve just always believed it could be done. Belief is half the battle.

 

[interp]

What is the secret? Keep looking around until you find some magic method or system that allows you to acquire the skill without any effort or practice.

 

[RumbleMan3]

.....and Greg Lake, Jack Bruce, John Wetton, Geddy Lee, Peter Cetera....

Haven’t heard of any of those players besides Geddy, but I prefer Macca to be honest.

 

[B-Mac]

Haven’t heard of any of those players besides Geddy, but I prefer Macca to be honest.

ELP
CREAM
ASIA
RUSH
CHICAGO (earlier)

(same order as player list)

Paul was actually a guitarist before being a bassist, plus ability to play piano. Also an amazing music and lyric writer. I think being able to play a melodic instrument well as a first instrument really makes a difference with singing at the same time when that same individual switches to a rhythm instrument like bass

 

[rockscott]

Its a lot harder than you would think. requires lots of practice to do it well!

 

[skygzr]

As others have said, you need to know the bass part till you can play it on autopilot. Then you have enough brain left over to sing.

You wanna try something really difficult? Play and talk at the same time.