What are some exercises or things you guys do to practice singing what you play? I'm not that great at it, can only do it a little bit, I'd like to learn more and try to master it, thoughts?
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Singing what you play
- Thread starter Christian12
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For me, and I'm relatively new as a bass player and play with a pick (so I think that means you instantly discount what I say...), my advice is:
Learn the bass part first. Get it so it's super cemented and committed to muscle memory.
Once you've done that, and can "forget it", Start singing over the top of it. I have found there are a few places where the bass part is a bit difficult to synch up, so I take JUST THAT SECTION and play it and sing over it and find out where exactly my 'issue' is, where I screw up. Sometimes I can iron them out. I think about how the two fit together. Sometimes, if I examine it super closely, I realize things like "oh, if I hold this bass note out a fraction longer, it works with the vocal line better" or something else like... "I'm hungry" (but that's part's not supposed to happen). Or you can change the vocal line just a hair, but I think most people will notice that more especially if it's a harmony part.
I sing lead and play bass and also do backups and play bass in another band.
Learn the bass part first. Get it so it's super cemented and committed to muscle memory.
Once you've done that, and can "forget it", Start singing over the top of it. I have found there are a few places where the bass part is a bit difficult to synch up, so I take JUST THAT SECTION and play it and sing over it and find out where exactly my 'issue' is, where I screw up. Sometimes I can iron them out. I think about how the two fit together. Sometimes, if I examine it super closely, I realize things like "oh, if I hold this bass note out a fraction longer, it works with the vocal line better" or something else like... "I'm hungry" (but that's part's not supposed to happen). Or you can change the vocal line just a hair, but I think most people will notice that more especially if it's a harmony part.
I sing lead and play bass and also do backups and play bass in another band.
1. Sing along with bass lines on the radio in the car.
2. Join a choir, barbershop 4tet, a capella group, or glee club.
3. Practice improvising vocal bass lines to common chord progressions (like I-IV-V, I-V-vi-IV, 12-bar blues, etc.)
4. Learn to sing "Do Re Mi" from The Sound of Music
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if you want to play and sing simultaneously, you need to know both parts separately well. otherwise it doesn't tend to work too well. if you just want to practice the singing parts, sing along with a recording - the original, if a cover, or a recording of you or your band playing the song.
I had a big mental block about singing & playing bass. I can play guitar & sing but bass really threw me off. Took voice lessons for 18 mos & she helped me to get over it. I agree that you should try to nail the bass part first. Singing over it is all about the timing. Takes me about a week to learn a song & be comfortable with it.
