Tough songs to sing and play

[spydr]

Alright, singing bassists. What are/were the most challenging songs for you to sing while playing?
Did you give up on any?
If not, how did you master them?

 

[mongo2]

All of them.

I eventually gave up singing while playing bass. I could sing while playing guitar or piano but not bass or accordion.

 

[BLDavis]

Most anything that's heavily syncopated or reggae is impossible for me. Like "Wrapped Around Your Finger" by The Police. Or "Stir It Up" by Bob Marley.
"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by The Beatles is tough but I can do it if I'm in the zone and the stars align just right. It's actually one I practice on even though we don't play it live.
B.

 

[bholder]

"The Cowboy Song" - Thin Lizzy - tough to get, but fun once you do!

"Spirits In The Material World" - The Police - even Sting had to simplify it live...

 

[FirewalZ]

I am a singing bass player and usually have to stick with tunes that have a straight forward line, like a shuffle or something that follows the vocals....or I have to simplify the line a bit. However, there are more songs than not, that are simply to tough or would be too much work to both sing and play.

 

[TomB]

I can do whatever with enough practice. Just the other day though I mentioned Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" as a challenge to sing lead while playing - harmony's easier.

 

[DrBnz]

Hmmm ... I've never tried singing and playing. Right now I often forget to breathe at all while playing. So singing will either help me to remember to breathe or I'll pass out.

 

[Ostie]

Hmmm ... I've never tried singing and playing. Right now I often forget to breathe at all while playing. So singing will either help me to remember to breathe or I'll pass out.

Funny you mention this. I've been having the same problem lately. I only sing backup when playing bass, but on guitar or mandolin, I sometimes forget to breathe. It never used to be a problem for me when I played bass and sang lead in a blues band. But that was some years ago.

 

[DirtDog]

The ones I had most trouble with were Lido Shuffle and the Boys Are Back In Town.

 

[Biggbass]

I sing and play regularly. At first it took a bit of concentration, otherwise I'd start singing the bass line or lose my place on the fretboard. The, eventually I was able to separate the two in my head and just let it happen. It helps to have both parts completely committed to memory so they require little thinking of what the next measure involves. But, once you get to that point, it's fairly easy.
Hands have to be on autopilot, then just tell the story with the vocal.

 

[Gustopher]

I sing about half of my bands songs and the ones I do are usually a little more straight ahead lines.

 

[mborn]

If you think singing and playing bass is hard, try singing and playing pedal steel. Not enough brain power.

 

[DirtDog]

If you think singing and playing bass is hard, try singing and playing pedal steel. Not enough brain power.

Ive done that…but only backup vox. I agree not enough brain power to play AND sing lead. Good thing about pedal steel is that you don't often need to play when lyrics are being sung….or play sparingly anyways.

 

[josephbass86]

I would say Geddy Lee from Rush, not just for the fact that he plays a lot of active bass parts that go against the vocals. But he also sings in a range that is too high for a lot of male (and even female) singers. Especially the earlier stuff.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Most anything that's heavily syncopated or reggae is impossible for me. Like "Wrapped Around Your Finger" by The Police. Or "Stir It Up" by Bob Marley.
"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by The Beatles is tough but I can do it if I'm in the zone and the stars align just right. It's actually one I practice on even though we don't play it live.
B.

Now that you mention it, I wonder if Paul ever played this live, and if he did, was the bass part the same.

But congrats on being able to. I couldn't play and sing Row Row Your Boat.

 

[Dave Leighton]

Everything for me. If I try both I tap into the life support section of my brain and wet my pants...

 

[TemplesOfSyrinx]

Rule #1....

Divorce your mouth from your hands. I find that if I learn the bass line like the back of my hand, I can simply "let go" of that aspect of concentration and let the muscle memory take over with my playing. I am then free to have fun with my vocals, and my vocals performance improves.

 

[6Bass101]

All of them.

I eventually gave up singing while playing bass. I could sing while playing guitar or piano but not bass or accordion.

Came here to say this. I can't sing and do a good job of playing bass. To be fair, you're not missing much if I'm not singing.

 

[SmokinJoe992]

I sing and play bass quite a bit. Over half of the songs in my current band. It was a lot harder when I started doing it, but has become a bit easier with experience. There are still some songs it seems about impossible, and it is not necessarily because the bass part is hard. For instance, "What I Like About You" and "Brown Eyed Girl" both have fairly simple bass lines, but for whatever reason I find them both very difficult to sing and play.

 

[Bajo Clarkko]

Back in the Eighties, I was in a band with my cousin. (I played guitar in that band.)

We did a few Duran Duran songs- Rio, Save a Prayer, and another which I can't remember.
Our bass player sang Simon Le Bon's parts as well as Simon (sometimes better) and played John Taylor's parts as well as John. Seriously. That dude was a monster.