WHO HERE CAN SING?

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 1:29 am

I've sung and played bass since about the first month of playing; the first thing I learned was Paranoid, which took me an evening or so I seem to remember. From there I never looked back; I was lead singer at the time, and I never really found it that difficult. However years later I spent a few years just playing bass in a different band and when it came to singing again in my next band it was pretty tough getting back into it. I find it's just practice though. I now sing harmonies and find it pretty easy, although not quite as easy as I used to (but then I used to practice a lot more!). One thing though, I actually find more complex moving lines easier to sing against; don't ask me why! Although there are certain rhythms that I do find difficult. I remember Suzi Quatro once saying she found it easy until she did "She's in love with you" which has a kind of root/octave metronomic thing going on. She said that took loads of practice. After listening to it, that's the sort of thing I'd find tough. Give me Geddy's lines anyday!

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 3:30 am

I can sing and play ... the problem is I just don't sing very well ...

Geddy Lee amazes me ... he plays bass better then me and and he sings lead ... and he plays keys and guitar and he triggers several midi parts too ...

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 5:53 am

Yeah he amazes me too and I don't even like that band, I do however appreciate the talent that's involved. I do like them much better now than before though, he doesn't seem to screech like he used to (ducking, haha!) and they actually did a few good old rock n roll tunes lately.

randallflagg · Post by **randallflagg** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 5:57 am

I was always leary of singing and playing (No problem with back-up, though). One day I was told that I would be singing lead on "I'm no Angel". I was scared to death. In all honesty, after the initial shock of "over-compensating" by staring constantly at the fretboard (scared to death I would screw it up!) I just kind of grew into it...now, it's no big deal. Now, that is not to say that I am a singer....nope! But at least I can do it if I have to...which I hope is not very often!!!!

edski · Post by **edski** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:38 am

I used to think that I couldn't sing and play. Then one day (I was in my late 20's) I was playing a fairly complex Genesis tune on the piano, and thinking the vocal part in my head. I stopped and wondered "if I can think it so clearly, why can't I do it?"

And then I did it. I suppose I was able to do it for a long time and was just afraid...wasn't hard to figure out how to sing and play guitar after that.

When I started back up on bass in August I didn't feel nearly as comfortable singing and playing bass, so I just did minimal backups. But our main back up vocalist moved, so in the last month and a half I've been working at it. It's getting better, but I have a long way to go. But I'm convinced that (at least for me) it's mostly mental.

As for singing well, that's really a function of how toned the muscles in my gut are. If I do some situps consistently my range will get better as well as the projection, so my fairly low piched voice can make a go of it. If I don't exercise...well, that's why I mainly do back ups!

jeff_ulmer · Post by **jeff_ulmer** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 10:28 am

Playing while performing vocals is all just part of the gig. The only tricky part is when you are doing two completely different meters. Playing pedals too makes things more challenging.

cdaniel · Post by **cdaniel** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 1:30 pm

As Rush fans from the get-go, my band has been wrenching out our interpretations of their 1974-1984 era songs for over two decades now. Our "interpretations" usually translate as "instrumentals," because my voice can hold out through only a few old Rush songs at a time. ("Sure, we can do 'Red Barchetta' now, but I won't be able to sing 'Bastille Day' later.") Neither my drummer nor my guitarist will go near the mics during Rush songs. I have the highest voice--albeit straining all the way--so I guess they're mine by default.

Anyhoo, the hardest part for me of singing while playing a Rush song seems to be just hitting those sky-high notes, not the fact that I'm playing at the same time. Some "simpler" songs by other bands end up being more difficult to sing & play at the same time. I wonder if Geddy's singing/playing are unconsciously structured so as to "fit" together more easily without thinking about it.

What's weird (to me anyway) is that I'll have little trouble playing & singing some of the more complex Rush songs (you know what they are) but "Working Man" gives me fits EVERY SINGLE TIME. When I'm not singing it, I'm fine, but as soon as I step up to the mic I stumble all the way through it.

What's up with that?

bear · Post by **bear** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 2:24 pm

IIRC right brain left brain comes into play.
There are songs that I can sing but the bass lines suffer tremendously. Then there are songs that I think I can sing and play and can't even come close while on others I think "no way" on first listen and then wind up being able to do both well.

Trial and error then practice, practice, practice is really the only solution.

And then there are player / lead singers like McCartney or Mark King. Since seeing them both live I still shake my my head and just wonder how they do they do it.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:50 pm

Another player who was great at it was Peter Cetera from Chicago. He was a great bass player and singer. He was also one of the best pick players I've ever heard in my life.

relayer · Post by **relayer** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:55 pm

I'm glad I read this thread - like others have mentioned, I practically become mute when trying to play and talk at the same time. I thought I was alone on that one!

As far as singing and playing - I've only ever done lead vox on 2 tunes - Them Bones, and No Excuses, both by Alice In Chains. I don't remember any drama, so it must not have been a problem. I do recall that I would've like to have done Would?, but had a hard time putting it together (on my own - doing it in a band never came up).

Nobody got to hear it, but a couple of my proudest moments were nailing the bass and backing vox for Yes' And You & I (the "turn 'round tailor..." bit behind Anderson's "coins & crosses"), and the mid section of Gates Of Delirium (the non repeating rhythmic bass part during the "listen...your friends have been broken" bit). Funnily enough, I could never get the backing vox during Dire Straits Walk Of Life, which I should've been able to sleepwalk through.

pflash4001 · Post by **pflash4001** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 10:13 pm

In response to Ed's comment about exercises (please excuse my typopign on this thread...I have been having a long conversatuon with my old buddy Jim Beam) Here is an exercise that has helped me greatly with vocals:

Stand with your feet about shoulder with apart...you should feel comfortable...and raise both hands over your head. Then roll up on the balls of your feet. Slowly roll back down on four soles and slowly roll your arms back down to your sides. Take careful note of where your entire upper body is. Your chest should be supported and feel open.. Your shoulders should be relaxed and you should feel some freedom to take a FULL breath using your diaphragm to fill your lungs. Do this several times before you practice (sans instrument) and you will begin to feel the proper position for your upper body while singing. You should notice a higher air capacity and better suppoprt for both your lower range and upper range. I hope this helps. Doing this every time you practice will help this become second nature and you will be able to do this every time you sing.

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 7:43 am

I think the thread should read "Who here can sing-well"

I've tried singing & playing, but I'm surrounded by critics...

dave4004 · Post by **dave4004** » Sun Feb 06, 2005 6:33 pm

I can't sing well with or without the bass, but I can sing and play at the same time as long as I'm playing fingerstyle. Put the pick in my hand and I'm no longer on autopilot. I realize that's the opposite of many others but it's the way my brain is wired.