(POLL) Do you sing and play bass?

[Oddly]

I don't sing. Used to, when I first got into playing, but I got some sort of vocal cord infection that stopped me. I can talk just fine, but shouting, whispering and singing? I'm never sure what will come out, so I don't have the confidence to try.
I do sometimes think about getting this checked out...mainly because in pretty much every band I've ever been in, I've been the only one that knew the damn lyrics.

 

[pglaser01]

I’ll do both high and low harmonies, sometimes even higher than our female singer (or if it’s an Eagles tune) and sometimes I’ll go lower than our male singer.

I’ll also sing lead if I can play the lines properly (Jet, Long Train Runnin, etc.)

 

[40Hz]

I try.

(With varying degrees of success.)

 

[kesslari]

I've been singing and playing bass for almost 50 years ... lead and harmonies in Soul, Blues, Bluegrass, Swing, Jazz, Country & Western. For the last couple of decades I've been singing Hebrew while playing. Now THAT's fun!

Wait until you try singing Ladino!

 

[murphy]

If so, what kind of singing do you do?

Very limited...but can belt out a Blues tune...and do backups in my punk band

Give me a guitar and I can sing pretty much any punk, pop, rock and funky tune

I am a hack on the guitar but can hold a room as I play and sing with gusto...and in tune

 

[lbbc]

I sing lead on about 40% of our repertoire and harmonies on the rest. Always have, always will!

 

[murphy]

Mark King...always blew my mind how he sings and plays counter rythms

 

[klokker]

I sing lead on 4 songs in our 4 hour set, and harmonies a bunch of other ones.

 

[chadhargis]

I've only been playing bass for 10 years, but have been singing all my life. I'm a much better singer than I am a bass player, but I like playing bass more.

Sadly, I can't figure out how to sing and play bass. If I start singing, I literally stop playing bass. Either my mouth works, or my hands...but not both.

Oddly enough, I can strum guitar and sing, or play percussion and sing...but not bass.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

I've been singing as long as I've been talking. My folks sang in a family quartet in churches all over southern California and I learned harmony at their knees.
I cobbled together my first band from 3 other guys in my junior high glee club.
I've sang in every band I've been in, the last 4 with a partner who wrote songs together, and split lead singing duties and harmonizing when not.
For me its always been easy-peasy to play and sing. Just takes practice, and the ability to play without " looking down".

 

[Tom Bomb]

I sing (on the cake )

 

[AGCurry]

Wait until you try singing Ladino!

Thanks. Have done Ladino, Yiddish, and Spanish as well.

 

[Beagle Bass]

Mark King...always blew my mind how he sings and plays counter rythms

So I have this theory (if you'll forgive me sounding like Ms. Anne Elk - hem, hem) that bassists who are also lefties find it easier to handle singing + more complicated bass playing. Something to do with right brain/left brain communication. Not to say we righties can't achieve singularity, but that it's easier for lefties.

Or, I could just be making excuses for my kinda/sorta/if-the-wind-is-right mediocrity.

 

[groooooove]

 

[RCH]

We have a fantastic female lead singer, but I sing lead on about 25% of our songs to give her a break after she beltas one out or because the song just needs a male lead. I naturally sing harmonies so lead is actually hard for me. To sing and play bass at the same time, for some songs, requires alot of practice before I can get it right. Play bass, sing and remember lyrics is three things. I can typically only do two things at a time.

 

[GIBrat51]

When I was in a band - a very long time ago - I had to sing, occasionally. It was in the early '70s (yeah, I'm old), and we did a lot of "Do -Wop" kind of stuff, along with British Invasion songs. Which, at the time were not really "Oldies"... I sang the "Mr.Bassman" parts for the Do-Wop, and low harmony for everything else. Not very well (in Jr. High, I got tossed out of Music class - "You're tone deaf; take Study Hall instead"), but, well enough that nobody ever told me to stop. Which I would have been very glad to do; having to sing meant I had to quit lurking the shadows, back by the drummer, and come out front - into the light...

 

[Mike N]

I sing primarily backup vocals but there are a few songs that I will either sing lead on or swap verses with the LS.

 

[jamro217]

I've been "blessed" with a singing voice that could be described as timeless. It could stop a clock. Yikes!!! I could get triple scale for keeping my mouth shut.

 

[DWBass]

BGV's/Harmonies

 

[JimmyM]

If you cant sing lead I sure dont want you attempting to sing harmony.

Neither is related to each other. I have heard absolutely wonderful background singers who sound like a bullmoose pulling their feet out the mud when they sing leads. I have also heard great lead singers who couldn't sing a lick of harmony with a gun to their heads.