Am I just being stupid??

[TSanders]

So I went to practice tonight and was filling my new role as background vocalist, and I am haviving some troubles (self-evaluation, not any one in my bands opinion) playing and singing. Its easy on my simple lines, but tough on my more complex lines.

Ive given the thought of going back to 4 string for a little while, until I really get the hang of playing and singing.

Is this a stupid idea?

Anyone with experience in this issue would help.

 

[SteveB]

I always remember the 'greats' saying to practice things that are difficult for you. That's what keeps you moving forward.

 

[armybass]

The 5 string should not be getting in the way of your singing. More likely that your desire to get it right/perfect instantly is getting in the way of everything. Give yourself a break. The bass has nothing to do with it IMHO.

 

[MingusBASS]

Practice , practice, practice my friend. The only way I'd say go back to 4(for now) is if it's really the B string that's screwing you up.

Andrew

 

[Rayan]

YourOwnToughestCritic

given that I'm an amateur, congrats to you for taking on the role - I dream about the day I can play well enough to take on BGs

apparently, some of the world's best bassists play really simple lines while they're learning and practising new vocals

while I feel a 5 is really the most musical way to go overall, some of my most memorable learning and improvement experiences have been with a 4

so eventually I came to the conclusion that I'd rather have a good 4 string session, than a bad 5

my hands and heart seem to know the difference even if my ears and head get a bit confused

/R

 

[phatduckk]

like they say ... practice practice practice.

its kindof like that whole rub your belly while you pat your head thing ... youre doing 2 different things and the difficulty, in my opinion, is mental more than physical.

with that said ... i play and sing a bunch and my practicing has been more mental. wtf do i mean? well, i hope this makes sense ...

sure i play and sing in my room but also while doing random crap like driving to work. no i dont drive with my bass in my lap ... but i do listen to cds and i do use my right hand to "play along" with the cd ... and now the singing kicks in ... now start singing along with the cd and make note of the chord changes and how your voice is supposed to be reacting to it. thats been whats helped me the most.

sure ... youre not always playing the roots of chords but before u connect the dots you gotta lay down the dots.

i hope than didnt sound to zen or hippie but i swear its helped me out a ton.

and for those who dont think im on crack and wanna hear another odd thing thats helped my playing: while learning how to slap - one of the most helpful excecises for me was to slap the top of a closed soda can. if you miss and hit the edge all wrong it frickin hurts did this during many many lunch breaks in HS

 

[Mobay45]

I usually do play a pretty simple bass line in the spots that I sing back up, but I don't even attempt do add a back up part (we do all original tunes) until I have the bass line down pat. Get completely comfortable with the song on bass and then add vocals. IMHO

 

[AnthonyD]

I don't imagine the "5th" string is making it any more difficult - It just takes practice... Lots of it.

When I was a lot younger (20 years ago) I sang and played all the time. Guess I originally learned to do both and I do not remember ever having a problem with either.

Today it's a completely different story - I've been told I can sing, but trying to sing while playing the bass now seems an impossibility... Like the pat the head and rub the tummy thing mentioned above.

Bottom line for me; there are plenty of good singers among the guys I play with, so I can focus completely on my bass playing.

Other may not have such luxury...

 

[skabassist13]

F.Y.I.- Les Claypool says when he writes lyrics for a song he'll play the bassline continuously(repeated) until he can do it without thinking about it. Then he'll try and write lyrics. Basicly learn your stuff so you dont have to think about it, and then try, or learn how to multi-task.

 

[amper]

As bassist/vocalist in a three-piece, I can tell you that singing and playing bass at the same time is one of the most difficult musical tasks. Playing bass is a harmonic and rhythmic task while singing a lead vocal is primarily a melodic task. The two are nearly diametrically opposed.

That said, practice definitely helps, but I find that my most interesting/challenging bass lines are the ones that get developed prior to developing the melody/lyrics of a song. Of course, that makes it even harder to develop a good vocal line...

You may have noticed that good bassist/vocalists are rare in the extreme. Geddy, Sting, Aimee, and Ian are the only examples that come to mind.

 

[MingusBASS]

Who is Aimee and Ian?

They don't come to my mind

Andrew

 

[bovinehost]

Aimee Mann and Ian.....um.... *searching my mind*

 

[Joe Nerve]

me thinks if ya go back to 4, and ya wanna play 5, when ya go back to 5 - your problems will most likely return. playing and singing takes work. that's why i don't do it. i need to though. i should take everyone's advice in this thread and start practicing practicing practicing myself.

 

[AnthonyD]

It's not Ian Hill...

 

[bovinehost]

I'm doing a lot of background vocals now and occasional lead vocal.

There is no substitute for doing it like, a million times. Over and over until you're sick of it. Until you hear it and can actually do it in your sleep. Until it's like falling over.

Walking rockabilly type bass lines and the vocal third will kick your butt for a while.

But it's the root-five type lines that completely screw up my vocals!

 

[Mobay45]

I'm doing a lot of background vocals now and occasional lead vocal.

There is no substitute for doing it like, a million times. Over and over until you're sick of it. Until you hear it and can actually do it in your sleep. Until it's like falling over.

Walking rockabilly type bass lines and the vocal third will kick your butt for a while.

But it's the root-five type lines that completely screw up my vocals!

It's opening my mouth that screws up the vocals in our band!