How To Sing And Play Bass At The Same Time
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- becomeabassist.com/how-to-sing...
Click the link to get the 7-Step Guide To Playing Bass And Singing At The Same Time. You'll get the 13 page guide for learning how to sing and play at the same time, plus a bonus audio track to walk you through the whole process and 3 super easy songs you can get started with right now.
If you’ve ever tried to sing and play bass at the same time, you’ll know it can be challenging. In fact, us bass players often have a more difficult time than other musicians who play and sing.
For example, you see guitarists - even drummers - doing it all the time. Bass players - not so much…
So how can we do the same thing? How can we sing beautifully and lay down a solid groove at the same time? Is it possible to do both? Or is singing and playing bass at the same time some magical skill that some people are just born with?
I can tell you that it's very much a skill - and skills can be learned. It's a matter of practice and knowing how to think about doing these 2 things at once.
This lesson will give you a solid place to start, but if you want take your singing and playing abilities to the next level, download my 7-Step Guide To Singing And Playing Bass At The Same Time.
becomeabassist.com/how-to-sing...
I'll show you how to systematically improve your ability to sing and play bass using real-world songs. Things will start off pretty easy and get quite advanced. If you get stuck though, I've included a bonus audio track that you can use when you find yourself stuck.
Of course if you have any questions about the guide or anything else bass-related, let me know by filling out the contact form on the website or emailing me directly.
I'd be more than happy to help out however I can.
Cheers,
Luke
becomeabassist.com/how-to-sing...
"Nobody's born able to sing and play bass at the same time"
Paul McCartney : Hold my scrambled eggs.
Tom Araya
Zild Benitez
Les claypool
Les claypool from primus
les claypool is a GOD
Excellent advice. I've been a lead singing bassist for (gulp) 30+ years. The only thing I would like to add to this is my attention is never exclusively on any 1 instrument. I am continuously flip flopping between putting the bass and vocals on auto pilot depending on the part of the song. For example, if you're holding a vocal whole note (and provided you have good pitch), that's an excellent time to focus on the bass lines and "embellish" them if needed.
Kinda works like a fugue!
Dude the fact ur still learning after 30+ years is inspirational to me
All this is why Geddy rules. I can't stomach his voice but to sing all that and destroy a complex baseline at the same time is pretty damn impressive. Nice lesson. Thank you.
No worries Ron. Thanks so much for watching. His music isn't for everyone, but Geddy is definitely impressive as hell!
And play keyboard with his feet! Talk about multitasking.
Who else starts trying to sing the lyrics at the same tempo as their bass or vice versa
So true. And I am trying to sing high harmony while playing a bass line. So, conflicting notes and conflicting rhythms.
In my band I need to play slap bass and rap at the same time
@@MrMillions69 sheesh, is there somewhere I can hear your band I'm intrigued
Yep!... I find this very tricky. I moved from playing violin, a highly melodic instrument to bass about 3 years ago. I played Violin for 47 years before moving... the big problem I have is laying down a groove with the level of beat discipline needed by the continuo. Melodic parts be they vocal or instrumental mean you sometimes play fast and loose with the rhythm as part of your expression toolkit. In fact, this is the sign of a great soloist.
I find this plays havoc with my bass and the kitchenware department (drummer) shouts at me!
@@MrMillions69 this is where a multiple personality disorder would work!😉
I'm tyring to master Beastie Boy's Sabotage both vocal and bass...
“Do i practice it or just can’t do it?”
-“yes” 🤨
I never had any problem before to play the guitar and sing at the same time, but since I became a bassist, I just can't do both things together. I'm gonna try to sing with your tips, Luke !
Nice! Let me know how you go Maria - and thanks for watching.
Its a nice lesson but i dont have problems to sing over straight rythms, the problem starts when i play a tricky funk groove and then try to sing.
Glow co. Hysteria isn't actually too hard to sing along to lol its a fairly simple rhythm it's just fast
I'm trying to do Saviour (Jacob Collier)
I’m learning to sing and play Pump It Up by Elvis Costello. It’s quite a challenge. I thought it would be easier to sing the chorus than the verse over the bass line but it’s the opposite.
The same principle applies, learn one of the things so it's automatic and then add the vocals
So difficult
great video... sting does some tricky bass while singing... "nothin bout me" etc. his advice was practice it very slowly at first and build up to speed
its kind of just doing it till it works
Masterful lesson!
Been wanting to play bass and sing simultaneously since I first saw Mark King slap his way through the lead vocals for "Lessons in Love"... CHEERS!
So our guitarist left the band and we couldn't find good ones. I have been playing guitars since last 4-5 years. Turns out our bassist is a very good guitarist. So i the bass along with vocals and the bassist became the guitarist. Thanks it helped.
Great, great lesson. I have just begun to seriously explore songs on bass while singing. I had doubts that what I was trying to practice was correct in its approach, but you settled a lot of questions and doubts I had going through my head. Thank you so much and all the best.
With that 6 string bass I thought you were gonna play some Primus
Really very helpful indeed - thank you very much for sharing the expertise :)
I am a Bassist who was thrust into singing and playing bass. The trouble is that I screech like a poorly tuned violin with very little rosin on the bow in the hands of someone who can't play.
The first song I learned to screech along with and play on the bass is
Escape (Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes. Your video has helped me to nail it. Thank you.
You’ve done it again, Luke! I just pretty much decided I’ll be the quiet bass player standing well away from the mic. You’ve given me hope (and made practice more fun). Thanks again, mate! PS - do you ever gig around Brisbane?
Nice, thank you !
My opera friend states, before singing a note of vocals, get the words nailed down. This will allow you to concentrate on the pitch of the vocals. If you memorize the lyrics (without singing) along with learning the bass line, then the singing will just fall into place with practice.
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH
Love you Luke, that's what should be called a great content!
For those who don't know you can turn the speed down on UA-cam settings from normal to 0.75. Thanks a lot for the video.
Great tip - awesome for learning trickier bass lines. Glad you liked the video!
Very useful,Thanks!!!
Thank you, Luke!! Good lesson!
Very good tutorial, detailed enough to know how to do it, but simple enough for a begginer to understand
Great tutorial, thanks!
Thank you for the information ✌
I needed this, thank you!! 😌👍
I have been singing and playing bass in a band for years but I still find it hard to play when the beat is "off beat" as it were. Once you get half notes or notes of different length, it gets harder. All I can say is, as this boy says, you have to get the playing as near automatic as possible. Singing is more important to concentrate on
Very nice bass by the way.👍
Thanks Bro! I was able to get down Tommy the Cat by Primus!
I'm mainly a vocalist, but sometimes have to fill in on the bass when our bass player can't make it ti band practice. It's really damn hard though since the basslines are never straight 8ths or 16ths, and my lyrics are quite wordy and the vocals have somewhat unusual melodies or bluesy improvisational rhythms. I guess I should just practice more with the bass, pretty much the only song I can accurately sing and play is sabbaths hand of doom.
Roger Lima of Less Than Jake is proof that anything is possible in regards to singing and playing bass. They have songs where he plays really long, complex basslines AND sings the lead vocals at the same time. It just takes a LOT of practice.
At first, I was thrown off by the title which, for someone from the U.S., sounds a bit like an infomercial or something. However, this guy is actually excellent. He's great.
I am a bass player. I can tell this : IMExp it is easier to sing and play when strumming the strings (I sometimes do) or playing with a pick (I dont use pick) than actually picking with the fingers, which requires more attention to keep the rhythm.
It's good tutorial
And I also suggest watching mark king/level42 he's the master when it comes to playing bass and singing.
And mark does it to an exceptionally high standard.
here are couple of tips how to learn to sing and play at the same time:
1) think of it as playing a piano. I initially started on keyboards but quickly gave up because i couldn't learn how to play different things with my hands. Lucky for me it was a good thing because i generally enjoy guitar and bass a lot more. But to learn how to play different melodies at the same time - just imagine your hands a single tool and just learn in very very small chunks. Now apply this to bass and singing ... or any instrument actually.
2) not all songs can be so easily done in method 1. So learn how to listen to the drums. Oh and learn your bass lines so good that you don't need to think when playing them - Geddy Lee said something like that.
3) as addition to point 2, if necessary tap your foot, and i don't mean lightly, i mean stomp if you need to or do w/e body movement you need to do to maintain your own undestranding of the song tempo, while allowing your mouth to stay near the microphone so you can be heard and you hands are still in the correct position on the bass so you can play the proper notes. If you can dance and sing, you should definitely be able to play the bass and sing.
PS. Sadly i can't sing well at all and at this point i don't even know if vocal lessons are an option, but it is what it is. I have kind of accepted that i am simply not a gifter singer and there's no way around it.
PS. I went from not being able to play and sing on guitar (which for some reason is much easier), to being able to play and sing Rush - Fly by night, which in my opinion is insane
EDIT: in point 3 "your own understanding of the song's tempo" - i mean that sometimes, i personally, don't count with the drums but rather in my own way. There are cases where i furiously tap my foot in a slow ballad or w/e just so i can maintain some weird mesurement. Basically i have to brute force it and it looks weird but if it works - it works :) . Looking from aside you'd think that i have no understanding of rhythm in general, but it's not exactly like that :). This method is mostly needed when singing and playing, but rarely when i only play
Essential viewing, thank you.
Glad you like it Jack Torrance. This might be a good one for you to try singing and playing:
ua-cam.com/video/TuRinpQmAIA/v-deo.html
you're lassons are great ! keep it up!
Thanks Ela! Glad you like them!
Logical solid advice 👍🏼
Those peavey six strings look great may have to get one.
Very Professional
I've been playing bass (4, or 5 string) and singing lead, and backup for a very long time. Here's what works for me :
* I'll learn to play the bass part.
* I'll learn the basic lead vocal or backup vocal MELODY LINE - I DON'T bother learning off the lyric at first, just in case the song is dropped from the setlist.
I think this allows me to just synchronize the musical notes, and not worry about trying to remember the words while playing.
* To link the two can be easy if the bassline is straightforward, and keeps pumping in regular step with the rhythm. But it can be tough, too, if the bassline seems counter to the vocal melody.
* The thing to motivate you - well it motivates me - is to remember that whatever the bass and vocals are for the song, no matter how tough it seems at first, it has already worked before, and therefore it can work for you. You just have to put in the effort.
Easy songs I've done are like
With Or Without You,
Viva La Vida,
where the bass rhythm is pretty constant throughout the song.
Tough songs I've played are like
Rio,
Spirits In The Material World,
Abracadabra.
And many more, both easy and tough. I think if you keep at it long enough, you'll get it.
Go slow at first and then try to speed up to the song's tempo.
But when I work them out, they stay with me.
oh my lord a peavey. that looks amazing
Les Claypool : the GOD TIER
He narrates. not so much singing per se
@@THuang-lt1ob, in Tommy the cat he does but he does sing and play in most songs.
Best youtube bass teacher. Do you have any tips on hand stamina? My left and right hands hurt after a while while slapping a song like Higher Ground by rhcp.
Practice different slap techniques, and slap closer to the bridge.
StillGotShit4Brains I'm working on playing higher ground on the bass and singing at the same time... The bassline isn't easy to begin with... But put the vocals and bassline together and it's really hard
Play it faster and longer and do it every morning. How do you improve your stamina in running and sporting? You start running and doing sports. Same with the bass
Just practice. Try to do a slap marathon or something. Slap until you can't anymore. It's helped me a lot with my stamina.
StillGotShit4Brains
Same. I was playing it for a band practice and my popping finger ended up getting peeled...
I love when I see other people playing a Cirrus. I've had my 5 string for almost 15 years now and I'll never get rid of it
They're great basses. I've had this one for 6 or 7 years now and I don't have any plans to sell it any time soon.
I was hoping to hear "Sleight of Hand and twist of fate" but didn't quite get there ; ) cool song
I can speak a word when playing,even songs I've been playing since the begining of playing bass
is it easier to use 1 finger rather than alternating index and middle fingers when singing and playing bass? Geddy Lee is one of the best in the business and he rarely alternates on his right hand.
It depends what's easier for you. If using 1 finger feels more natural than 2, then do that. But if 2 makes more sense, that's fine too. That goes for playing without singing as well.
I’m wanting to learn how to do the back up vocals for Feel Good Hit Of The Summer. Easy Bassline and the only thing I need to do is whisper/scream “COCAINE” and I still can’t do it ahah
Does a 6 string have 2 strings that go lower, higher, or both?
The 'standard' 6-string has both a lower and higher-sounding string. The lower one is a low B, just like a regular 5-string, and the higher one is a C. It means all the strings are a 4th apart.
love that bass! :)
She's a beauty!
I've got a Peavey Grind 6 that looks pretty similar... passive pickups and black hardware... Great playing instrument... :)
Some people are definitely born with that skill, but anyone with sense can learn it. I was a natural, because my father was a natural. I was born with it. I did it the moment I learned to play bass without any thought. I came here to see how many others have that skill, because I have friends that finds it to be impossible.
this doesn’t help when i’m playing billy cox part in band of gypsys “who knows”
Auto pilot , very good way to understand, thanks
I came here bc of , Zild of IVOS band is playing bass while singing go check their band out it's amazing :oo
Take that Man*****!!
Hey everyone! I am a bassist for a band that I am apart of and I really would love to be able to sing but I just can't! Will I ever be able to sing or what? Is it something I should just give up hope on or should I keep trying? I want to be a bassist first and foremost just want to be able to sing because I want to be able to sing and feel good about it. If that makes sense?
Hey Brad! Thanks for the comment. I totally understand what you mean about wanting to be able to sing and feel good about it. Tell me though, what have you done so far to try and learn to sing?
Oh wow. I got a reply! Thanks man! Well, I haven't been doing it long to be very honest. But I've been doing breathing exercises that open up my lungs so that I get used to singing and using my lungs instead of singing from the throat only - if that makes sense. Also I've been doing the odd vocal warm ups with the other vocalist within my band - which is just doing scales.
Nice! It sounds like you're on the right track. As far as actually improving your singing, I'm always a fan of getting some lessons from a great teacher. You'll learn more from one in-person lesson with a great teacher than you will from trying to teach yourself - at least at the start. An experienced teacher will be able to pick up on tons of things that you may miss and will be able to give you specific, individualized feedback on exactly what to do.
As far as combining your bass playing and your singing, I'd recommend following the process I outline in this video. Start as simply as possible and try to make one part - either the bass part or the vocals - automatic. Although I recommend making the bass part automatic so you can really focus on the vocals. That's what people will normally pay more attention to.
Above all, consistency is king. If you're practicing every day and practicing the right things, then you've got no choice but to improve.
Okay will do thank you! 😊
No worries! Let me know what you’ve done and how you’re going in a few months. I’d love to hear from you.
trying Beartooth - Rock is dead
but its not easy maaan
Geddy and Les are why I'm here
I'll be able to sing and play Karn Evil 9 one day!
You're making a point of explaining how to learn this. That only means that people who are able to learn this learn it like this. It doesn't say anything about the amount of people who can learn this all together. A lot of people can only concentrate on one thing at a time - sometimes less...
Sorry @Felix Midas, but I’m not entirely sure what you’re trying to communicate with this comment. Could you clarify for me?
@@BecomeABassist At the beginning of your video you answer the question whether playing bass and singing simultaneously is something only some people are capable of or something everybody can learn. You answer that you can learn that ability. Then you lay out a good way to learn it. My point is, yes some people will learn it that way but many people even if they try would never learn it because they're not capable of doing two completely different things at the same time. You definitely have to have a talent for it too.
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then @Felix Midas. You mention in your original comment that many people can only concentrate on one thing at a time - and that part I actually _do_ agree with. That's why I say in the video to make one of the things (usually the bass playing) as automatic as possible so you don't have to concentrate on it at all and focus all your attention on the vocals. I'm a huge believer in dedicated focused practice trumping natural talent. It may take a while, but it's definitely a learnable skill - nobody is born knowing how to sing OR play bass, but with practice, you can learn to do both separately _and_ simultaneously.
@@BecomeABassist That's a fair point but it's been my experience in life that a lot of talented people cannot really imagine what it's like being without that talent, so they automatically assume that what they can learn everybody else can learn too, the same way people can't understand what the problem with reading and writing is when they're not dyslexic. In your sphere you probably have contact with many talented musicians so it's hard to imagine other kinds of people.
Again @Felix Midas - I disagree. I'm not sure if you're putting me in the 'talented' pool, but I can tell you that I practiced super hard to be able to do the things I do now. There was a time in my life where I was practicing 6-8 hours a day, and that's not including rehearsals and gigs. That's just personal practice time. Nobody ever sees people slaving away in the practice room though. They may see the _result_ of those thousands of hours of practice and say things like 'Must be nice to be so talented', but putting it all down to 'talent' is fairly dismissive of the sheer amount of time and dedication that so many musicians put in.
All the people I gig with regularly have put in the hours of practice in order to do what they do. The ones that try to get by solely on talent alone don't often get that far because the first time they come up against some challenge that requires them to actually work on something they don't naturally find easy, they either give up, or they stop relying on their talent and actually learn to practice.
It's like students in high school who are 'naturally' smart, and don't really have to try in order to get good grades. But when they go to university and try to coast on just being smart, they falter and realize they might actually have to try. In some cases, they give up or drop out, and in others they get into the habit of studying (the academic equivalent of practicing).
I'm not saying people don't have natural predilections for music or that some people take to it a little easier than others, but seeing skilled practitioners of anything (music, art, writing, photography, cooking - literally anything) and chalking it _all_ up to talent misses a big part of the process.
This is something I've thought about a lot and there are a few great books about the subject. One is The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle which is super informative about this stuff and *how* to practice. Another one is Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, where the '10,000 hours rule' was popularized - where 10,000 hours of practice is where you can likely say you've 'mastered' any particular skill.
first and love this
i couldn't sing and play guitar at the same time. Then i learned how to do it. Then i switched to bass and went through the same process again. Now my only problem is that i can't sing very well, but neither can the vocalists that i've played with hahahaaaa. I don't know if not being able to sing well is a problem i can fix.
Notable singing bassists
Sting (The Police)
Benjamin Orr (The Cars)
Paul McCartney (The Beatles)
Not very common to for the bass player to sing lead because you are trying to play one melody and sing another. At the very least as far as Sting's case he wrote the material for The Police and his solo work so maybe it's easier for bassist to sing lead as the singer is the bassist the same with Paul McCartney with the Beatles and his solo and Wings material. Benjamin Orr sang lead on a few Cars songs however Ric Ocasek wrote all The Cars material but when the sing required Ben's vocals Ric may have been mindful of that.
Never the less like anything else it still takes practice to be able to do both at the same time.
Don't forget thin lizzys Phil Lynott. one of my favourites.
is that you Kenny
WITH OR WITHOUT YOUU AAAHHAAA
Try All My Loving The Beatles. 156BPM key of E. If you can do that then you'll be a man my son.
I will like to play metal in bass while screaming, wish me luck cause i'm gonna explode of the enjoyness
I been playing bass for 28 years and still can’t sing and play bass at the same time!!
you should have written guitar and bass above because that problem is same for both
so basically it is practicing so much that you got it down to an automatic feel and you can sing it?
Either that or making the singing automatic so you can focus on a tricky bass line. Your focus might shift back and forth between the vocals and the bass line multiple times depending on what's going on in the song.
I guess what I am trying to figure out how to do is to unhook my voice from my fingers so I can sing off beat.
Just think of the right melody for the bassline and sing ez
Lemmy and Tom Araya made me watch this video
Now how do I slap and rap??
I'm starting a Primus cover band. Wish me luck.
Good luck @AlexComixInc!
Now combine this with Dimitry Liseinko style
I know i f***t up his name
There's so many of these killer players who just want to hear themselves talk. Nothing to say here. just do it!
ive only had 2 lessons on bass and i can play with or without you and 3 little birds
Jack Bruce was the master
Check out Nick from Kajagoogoo. After they fired their singer Limahl, Nick took place. And he is slapping. The mist complicatet si geing and playing at the same time.
That is one extracurricular bass.
Sammi California
y is your cam a potato?
Where I live is potato-based economy. Potato cam very common, plus when breaks, we eat. Is good.
That's a big guitar
“It’s a bass” -☝️🤓
6 string bass
Now I can be Les Claypool.
IMPOSSIBLE
Decent commentary though.
Les Claypool
Anyone else tryna learn to the hellfire by Lorna shore ?
The only thing annoying me, is that the camera wont focus on his face..
Haha! I'm just flattered you want to see my face in full focus...
Yes, the bass line is simplistic but does NOT serve the song. The reason I dropped bass & rock years ago. A better song to do this to would be, Drive My Car by The Beatles. Neither the vocals nor the lines are difficult but neither are obtuse. Your advice to start slow is a good one.
his bass has six strings
Having fun with that guitar?
Definitely!
is this you're primary bass or do you have one you use more often?
I don't usually use this one unless I'm playing stuff where I need that high C-string. I think when I recorded this video my 4 and 5-string at the time were in the shop or on loan to someone else. My main gigging bass now is the 4-string Spector in my most recent videos. I still have the 6 though. It's a great instrument.
Thanks, hope you don't mind if i take a shortcut and ask if you have any videos on how to make a bass line more intricate if you have already have chords on guitar?
I have that exact thing! It's called Next Level Bass Lines and it's a bonus video from this lesson: becomeabassist.com/how-to-make-your-own-bass-lines-instantly/
It's all about how to take a 'boring' bass line and give it more life and inject your own personality into it.
jerry was a race car driver...
He drove so goddamned fast...
Never did win no checkered flag
3:48 MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH BEGINS
Been playing the better part of 20 years and no matter how much I practice any song on guitar or bass over & over, it never becomes automatic enough to have a conversation or sing, or do anything but play my part, so I disagree that "anybody" can learn this skill.
Are you out of focus or do I need glasses?
my songs never have simple basslines to be honest
Not with the music i play. Bass is VERY important. Period. Music that is more staccato makes playing bass and singing waaay more difficult. Lagging ultra legato bass playing is well…. You know. Blah.
Annoying cos i can play guitar and sing but not bass.