singing while playing - easier at bedroom volume

[pcake]

i can't sing while playing without making mistakes unless i really know the lyrics and the song i'm playing. even if i know the lyrics fairly well, remembering them while playing leads to me getting lost, slowing down or playing wrong notes.

but i was just playing unplugged. ariex is asleep in the next room, but after a few songs, i found myself singing along in almost a whisper. several songs i'm not that firm on the lyrics - or at least the order of the verses. and i didn't make mistakes, get lost or slow down. i can't imagine why, but it felt like singing very quietly makes some difference that i can't imagine. i know the bass parts of these songs from fairly well to very well, but even so, this was a startling development.

maybe it's just me, or maybe it was a one-time thing, but i thought i'd throw it out there in case A) someone finds it useful or B) someone else has the same experience.

 

[Geepers]

Interesting discovery … thanks for sharing it

 

[Krakmann]

Salud!

I'll try that trick! For me, it really is a song by song affair. Some are fairly simple (depending on the bass line) and some requiere a bit of work.

 

[May Cassidy]

Interesting that you mention singing quietly. That's usually how I start out when I'm just putting together a bass part and a vocal.
Singing and playing is something I've always done in the bands I've been in, and even after years of doing so it feels like I have to relearn how to do it every time. I've found I have to take thinking out of the equation as much as possible-- one of the two activities has to be automatic.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Lack of self induced pressure probably a factor as well.

 

[MuseChaser]

Folks tell me that the softer I sing, the better I sound. They also tell me the farther away I am, the better I sound.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

When learning to sing a song while playing, first I listen to it many times, unless I am already familiar with it.
Listen in the car, sing along, even if someone sees you singing who cares.! Then while practicing at home, I just sort of, like you did, try to just see if I can say the lyrics or sing them quietly. It works for me too. Then at a band rehearsal you have to deal with correct Mic settings, volume, etc. if you can't do it then, repeat.

 

[tothemax]

Great tip,
Check out this YouTube with Phil X about muscle memory which I think really helps when you need to multi-task (sing & play), even though he is talking about shredding I think it's similar to the quiet practice method, where he puts on a movie and just goes through the progressions. The section starts at about the 4:00 to 6:00 minute section. Even though it's not singing based, it's a cool video.

​

 

[Geepers]

… one of the two activities has to be automatic.

Cha ching…

 

[Michedelic]

I never have a problem with the volume thing, but I do better(sometimes can only do it)if the song only requires root-ish/simplistic lines, and has rhythmic consistency. That way I don’t swallow my gum while walking.

 

[FunkHead]

i can't sing while playing without making mistakes unless i really know the lyrics and the song i'm playing. even if i know the lyrics fairly well, remembering them while playing leads to me getting lost, slowing down or playing wrong notes.

but i was just playing unplugged. ariex is asleep in the next room, but after a few songs, i found myself singing along in almost a whisper. several songs i'm not that firm on the lyrics - or at least the order of the verses. and i didn't make mistakes, get lost or slow down. i can't imagine why, but it felt like singing very quietly makes some difference that i can't imagine. i know the bass parts of these songs from fairly well to very well, but even so, this was a startling development.

maybe it's just me, or maybe it was a one-time thing, but i thought i'd throw it out there in case A) someone finds it useful or B) someone else has the same experience.

I am the opposite. I need band volume to sing. About 10" from the Mic and Just about screaming. But you probably have a much better voice

 

[richntiff]

This is actually the process I use to learn songs I'm going to sing lead on with my band. I'll learn the bass part thoroughly, and then start working in the vocal, usually sitting around at home with my bass plugged into my board or my Katana Go, and headphones. I'll whisper the vocal, and it really helps me to nail down where the vocal fits the bassline - where the 'connection points' are between the two. Then, I'll progress to singing at a more 'conversational volume'. Sometimes I'll plug into a PA cab at home to do this so I can have a sense of band volume level (even though we run a pretty quiet stage). I really think for me, it's very helpful to nail down the words and location of the lyrics within the song structure at low volume - because it's about structure, not actually 'performing' the vocal. Getting those fundamentals locked in then frees me to really perform the vocal in the full band context. I'm not a great singer by any stretch, but this seems to work for me.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Could be you are eliminating or at least reducing the effort to remain on pitch.

Singing requires that you follow the melody and sing each word at a specific pitch and volume in the key matching the notes you are playing on the bass and in the rhythm of the Singing in “almost a whisper” possibly drops pitch as a focus, allowing you to focus on bass, lyrics, & timing.

 

[Ostie]

I sing better into a mic. I’m not a strong singer in terms of breathing, and that’s where I get in trouble, singing myself out of breath. Part of it is a side effect of a medication I take.

I’ve always found it more difficult to sing and play bass, but singing while playing mandolin or guitar is easier. One of my band mates has the same experience.

I also play cajon, and I can sing okay with that, being that it’s a rhythm instrument.

 

[mambo4]

Hear yourself better = sing better

When I'm picking and singing at home I gravitate to the tiled front entryway, where the walls/floors bounce my voice back much better than the carpeted living room. If I bring my acoustic to the park I seek a concrete or brick structure to bounce my voice off of.

If singing at a gig is challenging, the monitors should be the first knobs tweaked.

 

[turf3]

I find that my range is different when singing at performance volume vs. quiet bedroom volume. Often learn a song in a particular key and have to change the key when I bring it out in public.

 

[FullumMusic]

It might be (and i'm just guessing because i wasn't there and there are so many things at play, but it might be) you were able to actually relax your vocal cords at that volume, which makes it easier to hit the note.

It can be tricky separating the two: using more diaphragm force to sing full voice but also relax your vocal cords. And people often strain a bit when trying to sing full voice or full volume, and either redirect a lot of the air into their sinuses, or wind up yelling more than singing louder.

And if you listen to a lot of the vocal greats, vocalists one might associate with huge voices, one might be surprised to hear how relaxed their voices are, even when they're belting. Listen to some Etta James or Chaka Khan or Gladys Knight.

I think that's the trick... Learning how to increase to full voice and staying relaxed voice at the same time.

Speaking of Etta, Chaka, and Gladys, i can listen to this song a million times because all three go Full Diva Mode, and also, no matter big they go, they amazingly always sound relaxed somehow.


Anywhooooo, congrats of finding your voice! Hope it keeps developing at all volumes and you have tons o' fun with adding it to your musical arsenal.

--
Only other thing i want to add, as someone who's done live sound, if you're going to sing very softly on stage, you have to be right up on the mic. I don't mean 6 inches away. I mean just about touching your lips. Otherwise it will wreak havoc on the sound. You'll either be too low in the mix, or the mic will have to be cranked too hot to pick you up and will be feeding back and picking up everything else too. Even just mentioning this I'm having nightmare flashbacks thinking back to dealing with soft singers who were also scared of the mic. So glad i don't do sound anymore.

 

[KeepItMoving]

i can't sing while playing without making mistakes unless i really know the lyrics and the song i'm playing. even if i know the lyrics fairly well, remembering them while playing leads to me getting lost, slowing down or playing wrong notes.

but i was just playing unplugged. ariex is asleep in the next room, but after a few songs, i found myself singing along in almost a whisper. several songs i'm not that firm on the lyrics - or at least the order of the verses. and i didn't make mistakes, get lost or slow down. i can't imagine why, but it felt like singing very quietly makes some difference that i can't imagine. i know the bass parts of these songs from fairly well to very well, but even so, this was a startling development.

maybe it's just me, or maybe it was a one-time thing, but i thought i'd throw it out there in case A) someone finds it useful or B) someone else has the same experience.

Obviously there's a lot of factors that go into this. Many are psychological, but there are physical considerations too.

One is that the pitch at which you shift from "chest voice" into "head voice" varies with the volume you're singing at. The quieter you sing, the sooner your vocal cords flip over into the head voice (i.e., they flip over at a lower pitch). This is why a lot of singers who aren't comfortable making that transition tend to sing louder when higher notes come along — the greater volume allows them to stay in the chest voice. If you ARE comfortable with making the transition and using your head voice, quieter could be better for you.

Another factor is that, as a voice teacher of mine explained it, your vocal cords are very small muscles that are surrounded by your tongue and neck muscles, which are quite strong. If you're holding tension in those big muscles it can greatly diminish the agility of the vocal cords. So if the experience of being in a quiet room singing softly helps remove that tension, it would free up your vocal cords to do their thing more comfortably. I guess this is part psychological and part physical.

In any event, good for you for trying things and observing the results — an excellent method for getting smarter and better!

 

[richntiff]

I sing better into a mic. I’m not a strong singer in terms of breathing, and that’s where I get in trouble, singing myself out of breath. Part of it is a side effect of a medication I take.

I’ve always found it more difficult to sing and play bass, but singing while playing mandolin or guitar is easier. One of my band mates has the same experience.

I also play cajon, and I can sing okay with that, being that it’s a rhythm instrument.

This is very common. Singing while playing bass is considered by MANY to be much more difficult than singing while playing guitar.

 

[Winton]

They also tell me the farther away I am, the better I sound.

People say that for how I look!