How many of you sing?

[adouglas]

One of the strengths of my band is our harmonies. I sing on a lot of our songs, and while I'm definitely the third in importance of the three of us, it gives me great satisfaction...at least as much as playing well.

We've got a gig coming up at a chi-chi country club (Babe Ruth was a member), and they want us to play through dinner, so we've been working on an hour's worth of quiet stuff that would be appropriate.

I just got back from band practice and we worked up a three-part harmony for the Eagles' "Lyin' Eyes" that makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck (in a good way).

So...how many of you bass knuckleheads sing while playing? If you do, do you find that it is in fact a lot of fun?

 

[phatduckk]

i do backups in my current band and have sung "lead" in the past.

 

[1Echo]

I do it from time to time. I'm a baritone so I'm limited on the songs I can do. Also, I find it is 100 times easier to sing while playing piano than to sing while maintaining a solid groove on bass.

 

[oddjob]

My band hid my mic if that answers your question (no joke!)

 

[bovinehost]

I do it by default and under threat of death, but I do it.

We do a lot of stuff that requires a walking bass line - not terribly difficult in and of itself, but once you try to do something else while playing those lines, the difficulty factor goes WAY up for someone like me.

Oddly, I can now sing and play, but don't ask me a question while I'm playing. I cannot talk. Weird.

I LIKE singing, it's just that I'm not "naturally" very good at it, so I have to work to achieve even mediocrity.

Jack

 

[Musicman Nut]

One of the strengths of my band is our harmonies. I sing on a lot of our songs, and while I'm definitely the third in importance of the three of us, it gives me great satisfaction...at least as much as playing well.

We've got a gig coming up at a chi-chi country club (Babe Ruth was a member), and they want us to play through dinner, so we've been working on an hour's worth of quiet stuff that would be appropriate.

I just got back from band practice and we worked up a three-part harmony for the Eagles' "Lyin' Eyes" that makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck (in a good way).

So...how many of you bass knuckleheads sing while playing? If you do, do you find that it is in fact a lot of fun?

I think it's almost a standard Now adays. I don't know too many non Singing bass Players.

 

[Bass Control]

I can sing lead, sing while playing drums, but I haven't gotten my bass playing and singing together yet. I might not ever try it because I want to focus on some counterpoints that I usually do. I think it's cool being able to sing and play an instrument at the same time (take that, lead singer man!).

 

[Aussie Mark]

I sing lead on a few songs, and backup on most, have fronted a blues trio in the past, as well as done a few solo guitar/vocal gigs over the years. Singing, even if it's just backup, allows me to make a better connection with the audience then I could if I were just playing bass.

I particularly enjoy rolling out some witty repartie between songs while the guitarist is changing a broken string, the drummer is reattaching his kick drum pedal, or the singer is using her top to dry off her cheat sheet that is soaking wet because she kicked over her glass of wine during the previous song.

 

[Caca de Kick]

Yes it is difficult to do while playing, but like anything else it takes practice. I've been taking vocal lessons to better my tone and range.

-Mike

 

[Alvabass]

I love to sing. I sang during five years in the university's choir and always sing background vocals in the bands I work with. Unfortunately, I don't have a nice timbre and that's why I don't sing lead. The only time I did it was in 2000, when Lou Bega had a smash hit with his version of Dámaso Pérez Prado's "Mambo #5" and I arranged it for my tropical band. Problem is: I don't know the first member of a tropical music band here that has an acceptable level of English and I thought "I'll get green hairs in my scrotum before one of these guys can sing this thing decently". Not so many people cares about foreign language lyrics here, but anyway I hate that practice of "guachiguachear" (name given here to the act of singing nonsenses pretending it's real English), so that's why I decided to take up the vocal duties for this one (while playing my bass, of course). Felt so embarrassed at first, but got sort of comfortable later. I hope I won't have to do it again, anyway.

 

[phatduckk]

i wish i was better at singing. ive done it and never been laughed off but its not something im uber confident about

 

[RitchieDarling]

I do lead and backing vox.

I always seem to end up in the lead singer spot by default.

R

 

[midopa]

I'm not any good, but I do sometimes. If I'm playing bass, I can only sing if the bass line is really simple or if it more or less rhythmically matches the lyrics.

 

[DTG]

i do some main vocals but also do Bv on nearly every song,I hate it !! i just want to play bass and not worry about singing ( iam really not that good) my voice fit stuff like johnny Cash and Neil Diamond,i dont really like either.But it does give you a better connection the the crowd.

 

[adouglas]

I'm not any good, but I do sometimes. If I'm playing bass, I can only sing if the bass line is really simple or if it more or less rhythmically matches the lyrics.

Yeah, if things start getting at all funky or complicated I can't sing at all.

Or more accurately, the bass line just falls apart.

 

[Aussie Mark]

Yeah, if things start getting at all funky or complicated I can't sing at all.

Or more accurately, the bass line just falls apart.

I hear you. One of my all time favourite songs is Cream's version of "Born Under A Bad Sign" - The vocal suits my voice really well, and the bass line is fun to play, but for the life of me I can't do them both at the same time, so I've never got the chance to sing it live. Guys like Jack Bruce are freaks!

 

[ptg]

I hear you. One of my all time favourite songs is Cream's version of "Born Under A Bad Sign" - The vocal suits my voice really well, and the bass line is fun to play, but for the life of me I can't do them both at the same time, so I've never got the chance to sing it live. Guys like Jack Bruce are freaks!

LOL - I sing and play and when I was a youngster that was our "easy" song because it was so easy for me to sing and play it.

It just goes to show you how what's hard for one person is not hard for another because I'd bet you anything there is a song that you do that I can't sing to and you would look at me and think I'm crazy because you can do it in your sleep.

Go figure

 

[EBMM7181]

No singing for me

 

[1Echo]

I hear you. One of my all time favourite songs is Cream's version of "Born Under A Bad Sign" - The vocal suits my voice really well, and the bass line is fun to play, but for the life of me I can't do them both at the same time, so I've never got the chance to sing it live. Guys like Jack Bruce are freaks!

I have the same problem with the Beatles' "Come Together". Easy bass line, easy vocal, put them together ..... I'm a total disaster.

Yet, I can sing while playing complicated, syncopated piano parts no problem. Of course, I've played piano for over 20 years and I've only played bass for 1-1/2. Think that makes a difference?

 

[asianjeff]

I've been put into situations where I have to lead... It was definately a step out of the comfort zone, so I really didn't like it. I enjoy playing bass... If I enjoyed singing just as much, I would pick up an acoustic