Singing While Playing

[VoodooJazz]

@salmon256 Nice avatar!

 

[salmon256]

@salmon256 Nice avatar!

Thank you!

 

[darev]

This is really hard to do. If you can do this, hats off to you! I have been practicing since buying a bass (never tried in 30 yrs on guitar). I have been trying by playing some of the Police songs since Sting plays and sings at the same time. Anyone who can do this got any tips or is it just practice, practice, practice?

I have fronted a band for many years while playing bass. For me it is practice, practice, practice. And then I still hit a wall many times. It is humbling.

I find that there are times I have to shortcut or modify the bass line in order to fit either the syncopation of the bass or accents (a clean little octave pull-off perhaps?) that are counter to the vocal melody. Once I have that I go back and practice cleaning up my bass line shorthand.

I find that if it is needed it is better to change the bass line than change the vocal. I am sure that is heresy on TB. Like suggesting miking a bass cab or using no compressor. If the audience knows the song you are playing they will care less about the bass line change but boy will they let you know about any vocal "shorthand". I might add that any shorthand that is devised still has to at least hit the one and follow or lead the dynamics at the minimum. Afterwards, I go practice it again and again to get it better for the next time. This shorthand bass line does NOT work obviously for songs where the bass is the anchor such as Under Pressure or any other well known or distinctive rock, jazz, or R&B bass line.

I do this trick more often on my own songs. I have too many songs where I find out later that the bass line I laid down is completely counter to or has too many double-stops, or what have you, for the vocal melody that I wrote. Eh, in most cases nobody knows my songs or cares anyway.

 

[darev]

This is really hard to do. If you can do this, hats off to you! I have been practicing since buying a bass (never tried in 30 yrs on guitar). I have been trying by playing some of the Police songs since Sting plays and sings at the same time. Anyone who can do this got any tips or is it just practice, practice, practice?

BTW Thank you for posting this. As a reader of TB for many years I am still a little perplexed as to the dearth or just ancient threads about singing while playing bass. Questions or advice. I see threads about what to do during gigs or between songs or whatever. I always think: "Who has the time?" Between songs/sets you still gotta keep them entertained.

I willing signed up as a dancing monkey as well as a bass player. I don't participate at all on the dancing monkey forum. They throw things.