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Singing and playing bass

#22
I can relate to part time playing and not having time to really work the bass lines to allow for singing. To me when talking about dumbing down the bass line it depends on the song. Depends how much the bass is emphasized. Of course, the bass line is always important :) I pick songs to sing that I can do with out a lot of work or I will work them at band rehearsal for some time before going live.
 
#25
It's definitely something that gets easier with practice. I don't sing leads anymore as my voice is awful, but I was able to do it back when I did sing leads simply by practicing a lot.

Also, I think it might be the case that starting with something relatively hard, like a Rush tune, makes some of the other stuff easier.

Now that I sing backup only when I play live, I don't have many problems anymore, but I know it took a lot of practice to get it down.
 
#26
Great thread. When I started playing, I only sang harmonies. Later I started a 3 piece band with a guitar player who was a really bad singer. It was then that I just had to bite the bullet and learn how to do it. The previous responses are exactly how I did it. I made sure that I learned the bass line first, then I worked on the vocals. In the process, I've managed to not dumb down the bass lines at all. Depending on the song, the bass line is as important as the vocals. Also realize that there are a small percentage of songs that I probably will never be able to sing and play. I probably couldn't sing them even without the bass. Sometimes changing when a word is sung will help maintain the original bass line. Finally, it depends on how you're brain functions. Some people are able to do both functions at the same time and not get stumped. Geddy Lee is a great example of this. His bass lines and vocal lines counter each other a lot of times and it's amazing how his brain can process it. And Sting also. His vocals and bass lines are on two different wavelengths. With time, it becomes an easier task.
 
#27
I don't think there is any bass line I have ever played - even those I've played for 10 years - that I wouldn't screw up if I tried to sing at the same time. Yes, I'm sure practice would improve this, but I'm just not convinced that doing both while performing is in my skill set. I do know that I don't need to sing.
 
#28
takes a lot of practice but alot is just a strange natural ability. For about 10 years i was always the lead singer in most of my bands then a combination of asthma and voice burn out took alot of that away. I can sing about 25% of the night nowadays but almost all the background harmonies. I have been able to channel my lead vocals into harmonies instead which at times can be more challenging than the led parts.
 
#29
Practice, Pratice, Practice.

Years ago when I was playing I found it impossible to do. When I started playing again ayear and a half ago, one of the requirements for my band was at least background vocals. Strangely though, I no longer had a problem doing it. I have always sung, for better or worse, (not in a band) So I find it easiest for me to know the vocals to a song without having to think about it. what normally happens is I'll dumb the bassline down some and as I get more comfortable I end up adding the lines back in. I sing 90% of the background vocals and lead on a half dozen or so. I enjoy doing it and always want to sing lead on more songs when I can.
 
#30
I've played guitar for half my life, so I'm very comfortable singing while playing guitar. Singing lead while playing bass is a WHOLE different animal. I've only done it a couple of times. The most fun was singing and playing the bassline for CAKE's version of I Will Survive at a bar in SC.

Like everyone is saying, it depends on the song. It can be done, but it seems to take a lot more practice. Must be something about how bass rhythms typically don't match the vocal rhythm as closely.

I sing harmonies on a few songs in my originals pop/rock band. I hate the idea of dumbing down a bassline just to sing over it. I'd rather just practice until I could get it right, or ditch the vocal part altogether. But that's me thinking like a musician. If you're thinking like an entertainer (which you should be, if this is a cover band), and you think your audience will enjoy you singing the vocal part, the bassline can be simplified as much as you need it to be. As long as it still grooves enough to keep people's butts moving, you're doing your job.
 
#31
I've been singing and playing for years. I usually dumb down the bass line while I am learning the song. I do practice the whole bass line as well and as time progresses I integrate more and more of the complicated parts until it's a version that's either exactly the same or so close that only a well-trained musician will know. I'm able to play stuff like Interstate Love song note for note while singing.

Keep in mind that when playing covers in a bar over 80% of the patrons won't be able to tell if you've dumbed it down. The others are either snobs and should be ignored or other musicians that understand the complications of playing whilst singing.
 
#32
This is an important subject. Good thread.

So, how do piano players split up the left bass clef and the right treble clef?

The only simple answer I have for playing the bass and singing is that I play the bass line as a conditioned reflex.
It is not easy and when I sing, we play the tunes mostly in the key of "D". I don't have a great voice and can pull it off
in that particular key.
 
#33
Thanks for the thread, OP!

I can sing and play guitar fine. I've been trying to sing/play bass for a while with little luck. I notice that I can do it a bit better when I'm using a pick and try to 'trick myself' into thinking I'm playing guitar. Anybody else do anything similar?
 
#34
I'm broken... i did the say the note as I play the scale/arpeggio ...

so if the melody/lyrics are not on the beat with everything else it gets fracked up..

my guitarist told me to say the pledge of allegiance while i play my exercises ... it's slowly working heck even that is hard.

i want to do it so bad ... it does take lotsa practice i've got to the point where i don't stop playing when my mouth opens.

Heck i use to not even be able to communicate verbally with my drummer when necessary (we have our own unspoken language)... i can now a step in the right direction for sure.
 

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