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Singing Bassists, Advice Needed

#21
Pick out a few favs within your range (and a couple just a little out of range), play them on repeat in yer car on yer morning commute. Sing along. Do this straight for a week or so. It's good to pick songs you already know for this. If you're doing covers, include ones from your set. Mix it up with some vocal exercises - scales, intervals. Basic Do-Re-Mis type thing that cover your entire range.

I'm not a morning person, so I have to force myself to to this. But when I'm consistent with there's a huge difference in my range, presence, strength and volume at practice and performance, in comparison to when I'm not doing this regularly. My voice often cracks when tired, and not in a good way. This helps reduce that a lot.
 
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#22
Hi,

Stay physically fit. To play and sing all night takes stamina. Use proper breathing. Fill up your lungs and then stack it against your belt buckle to push with your diaphragm. Push more air to sing the higher notes, don't squeeze your throat, open your throat.

Sometimes singing and playing at the same time can be tricky. For difficult parts with a syncopated bass line I have to sit down and figure out on which beat the bass notes land (or fraction thereof) and which beat the vocal notes land so I can picture how they line up. "I"m playing this note when I sing this word" or "I play this on the eighth note after I sing this word" or "This word is sung on the and of 3 then this note happens on 4" kind of thing. Repetition is your friend. Slow it down at first. Work with a metronome if you have to.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
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#23
I have just started playing and singing in bands a little over a year ago. Here is what I have learned in the last year.

1) As others have said, water is your friend. I start hydrating the day before a show. During the show I drink mainly room temperature water. Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum until the show is over.
2) Stay or get in shape. Having better wind and endurance makes singing easier.
3) Know the lyrics. Trying to read lyrics while playing and singing does not work. You have to know the lyrics like the back of your hand. Make a playlist and listen to the songs every chance you get.
4) Practice singing on your own. Singing along with the song is great for learning the lyrics, but won’t give you a relistic idea of how you sound on your own. We also tend to be self conscious when singing in front of others, and this causes us to hold back and not push it. Practicing on your own with a mic is the best way to get a song down, and give you the confidence to push it in front of others.
5) You will get better. Wherever you are right now, The more you do it the better you will get.
 
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#26
If you are going to sing and play bass, please read this: Bassist's Guide To Singing. Jive1's advice has been very helpful.

I was lucky in that I was taught to sing from the diaphragm (or as I call it, "singing from the belly") when I was a kid. That was the extent of my vocal training. My "preparation" before singing is to drink a few ounces (not bottles, not glasses) of beer to loosen myself up. This is Bassist's Guide To Singing., so don't do what I do. I want that extra mucous; it gives a character to my voice that I like. In my defense: I'm singing rock'n'roll, not jazz or opera. Also, I'm the third lead vocal option in my band, so I don't actually sing all that much.
 
#29
Mostly contribute "oh's" and "ah's" but the voice can "crack" at times.
Lessons I learned:
Prevent "cracking" vocals by warming up throat enroute to the gig/show. Muscles and such need to be warmed up just like the fingers/hands/arms etc.
PRACTICE in the shed; ya know the whole Doh Ray Mi Fa So La Ti Doh thing while doing some scales.
Sips of room temp water prior to and during set/gig/show. i knew this guy once who pounded the water prior to the first note...and almost didn't make-it to the end of the set...once. he remembers to only sip when needed now...
Vocals/singing can take your eyes off the frets (which we shouldn't look/stare at them anyways, but I mean c'mon) so I use invisible fret markers on the back of the neck; seems to assist/help me.

...but Mark King is a whole 'nother Level..
Good luck.
 
#30
I drink lots of booze.
I mostly sing off key but I`m so drunk I don`t care...

OK, serious, water is all you need. If you`re a bit under the weather and have a sour throat: hot water with lemon and a bit of honey. The lemon and honey doesn`t do much, but it tastes better than just hot water (and it reminds me of my grandmother who was an amazing church singer and always drank hot lemon water with honey before church).
 
#32
From 1998 until 2004 I played in a 5-piece blues band. One of the gtr players and I split the lead vocal duties, which was way more than I had sung before. I mostly had done backing vocals up to that point. Not only did I have to get my vocal chords in shape, I found it way more difficult to play bass and sing than to play rhythm guitar and sing. But I got better at it as we went along.
 
#34
I've heard that George Carlin would drink flat, room temperature, coke-a-cola so he could do longer standup sets. But I've seen Henry Rollins talk for 3 hours and not even take a sip of water. I drink beer, but then, I only sing for 25 minutes at a time.
 
#35
For the longest time, I thought that certain drinks would directly help me sing better. Well, yes. But only by feeling better. The voice isn't in the esophagus - doh!

So, drink anything that hydrates. For me that means no alcohol. If you're sick, medicinal teas with licorice or slippery elm are great, and are not psuedo-science AFAIK. It will get you by.

If you are sick in the actual voice box, under no circumstance should you sing, even if it means cancellation. Any damage will be permanent.
 
#40
When I was studying voice, my voice coach suggested licorice root tea. It is very soothing to the vocal cords. I just purchase the raw licorice roots themselves and make tea with them. I've recently read the licorice root has medicinal effects and possibly calms the nerves some. Don't know about that. I don't put honey in it or anything, since I happen to like the way the licorice root tastes. Interestingly, the tea doesn't taste like the licorice you buy to chew on.

Your voice is like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. Even half an hour a day of vocalizing does wonders. Singing continues to be a thrill to me. I highly recommend it! I happen to believe your body knows how to sing. If all you do is vocalization exercises it's amazing what happens. Go for it!
 
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