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Singer Problem

P

PR_Bass

Guest
Aug 5, 2011
22
0
#1
I am in a band for almost a year as the bassist. We have a great sound and get better every day. We play hard rock and early heavy and have also started writing our stuff with very satisfying results. The problem is we don't have a singer... We are great and not having a singer is holding us back... I am from a city of 250.000 people in greece and there are no singers so far.... How can we search for a good singer? any advice would be greatly appreciated :)
 
#5
I couldn't sing and play for crap. I learned that if you practice doing it ridiculously slow, and I mean ridiculously... you're hand/brain/vocal coordination start going on auto pilot, and all of a sudden you realize you can do what you though to be impossible. Just takes a little time, and patience.

The other thing I was going to suggest was to just keep working on what you're doing, and keep the faith. I developed an awesome musical relationship with a few guys waiting out a drummer. We rehearsed for over a year with drum machines, finally found the right guy, and then went through a bunch of changes and wound up being an entirely different band, playing an entirely different type of music than we started out with. Had a lot of awesome experiences with that band. I say enjoy the ride and just keep looking.
 
#6
If there's really no singers in your area, I'd definitely look into learning yourself while you keep looking. Bassists with good bg vocals are always in demand, so it will only help yourself if you ever do find a singer.

Oh and PS, it's a bit harder to sing and play bass at the same time than it is other instruments. I remember a famous musician (maybe it was Sting? or Geddy?) who said playing and singing bass at the same time is like playing a solo while trying to sing at the same time. Don't get frustrated. It gets easier. Get your singing down first before you even pick the bass up. Then try doing it together.
 
#7
the thing is i have to learn how to singer first. a have a nice voice i would say but even if i learn all the tecnhiques and breathing (otherwise i will destroy my vocal chords) i would have to practise singing and playing bass at the same time... i am enjoying the ride so far my friend and there are no plans of that changing...thnx for all the advise.
 
#9
Sorry dude, but there really is no excuse for not learning to sing. I can combine singing and playing bass pretty well, it seems to come somewhat naturally. Unfortunately I can't sing for cr*p. The result? My band's singer and drummer (he does backing vocals) guide me through the songs where they want me to sing backings, and I am getting marginally better at it.

It is tough and very friggin' confrontational to have to stand there and sing a capella harmonies, knowing you're off by a mile and hearing it. But it is also very rewarding because I know that if I keep up and keep at it, eventually I will be a better overall musician for it and I will have gained a very valuable skill.

So stop whining and start wailing ;-)
 
#10
Learn the bass part so well that you can play it in your sleep and not look at the neck while your playing then it's easy to sing over it, assuming that you can sing in tune in the first place.

Mind you, singing in tune has not been a problem for a lot of bassists and guitarists past and present and quite a few singers I can think of. One of my favourite bands of all time, The Who, spring to mind.
 

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