play this and sing that - how?

S

smirky

New member
I play guitar and bass and have a question: how can it be learned to play (for instance) a complicated bass line while singing a differently phrased melody (you know, like Sting for example)? in other words, how can I make my singing independent of what I play?
thanks for any tips, smirky
 
It's a matter of practise, mostly. I can't do very complex stuff, but at least my hands have some independance from my mouth. And it didn't when I started playing music 15 years ago. And I haven't really practised. :)
 
and when you practice.. start off by either saying or whispering the lyric while you play as opposing to singing it outright.. that allows you to focus on your playing and the coordination..
 
Its like learning to seperate your hands on piano or you limbs on drums, playing (thinking, feeling) two different timings or beats at the same time. It can be very frustrating I know, even the simplest melodies and chord progressions seem almost insurmountable due to this but, just keep at it. Soon you will get it right every now and then and then more often until you cant imagin how you never could do it. Then comes the next one and you start all over.
 
Break them both down into the smallest unit of time.

Walk through them together as slow as is necessary to play and talk it perfectly - and that can be one syllable at a time and one note at a time.

Keep doing it - VERY SLOWLY - until you can walk through the entire lick, line, whatever, flawlessly.

Once you have it in time, work it up to speed.

Always play it at a tempo that you can play/sing it perfectly. You'll bring it up to tempo and then you're good to go.

Oh, by the way, did I mention SLOWLY!!!!

foo

P.S. SLOWLY, goddammit!!
 
I record the vocal or the guitar peice and practice during playback. Thank god my income isn't reliant on my ability!
 
As said before, practice, practice, practice...
(I'm no whiz at this, but I have found that with repetition, I get better)

I'm hoping that eventually that little light will come on....

Like the first time I was skiing and realized that I was looking 20ft ahead instead of at my skis.
 
I was in that same situation many moons ago. I played bass for a progressive/melodic speedmetal band and sang. ( Think Rush basslines meets Testament ) It was difficult at first. I practiced by twiddleing my thumbs. Really. Take your right hand and point your index finger to your left. Now start making a circle with it - like you're cranking a bicylcle pedal. Take your left index finger and point it to your right and go the opposite direction in a circle. One finger is rotating away from you and the other is rotating towards you. Once you can do this without thinking about it start singing a melody while doing it. What this does is force the left and right side of your brain as well as the frontal and rear lobes to work independantly.

When you apply this to playing bass and singing you will not even be aware of playing bass anymore - it will be automatic and you will be amazed
 
Good technique:

If you find just practicing both together slowly even difficult, here's a technique that I used to employ:

Break the section down to single measures or less and analyze what words are sang over which notes (or lack thereof). For example, if a word is sang on the third beat of a measure, figure out what note you are playing on the bass at that beat. Then remember to sing the word when you hit that note. You can then play the next few notes while you let the word sustain. Analyze each word similarly.

Thus, as you are playing the bass line, you will know which notes (or rests) to sing which words over. Therefore you can concentrate on the bass line and use the concentration to remind you of when to sing.

This can take some time, but if you are really struggling, it may be necessary.


Matt
 
Take your right hand and point your index finger to your left. Now start making a circle with it - like you're cranking a bicylcle pedal. Take your left index finger and point it to your right and go the opposite direction in a circle. One finger is rotating away from you and the other is rotating towards you. Once you can do this without thinking about it start singing a melody while doing it.
Click to expand...

I can't even do the circles right without the singing!

Brad
 
xtremedb said:


I can't even do the circles right without the singing!

Brad
Click to expand...

Most people can't. The key is to not think about it. And practice. 8th grade detention ( many, many, maaaanny moons ago ) was a great place to practice it.:D
 
It works, really

I saw a guitar clinic with Paul Gilbert once and he gave a great practice exercise to help with this. Practice on the beginning of the AC/DC song TNT. You know, the one with guitar/bass and the word OYE(sp???). The OYE's stay constant but the guitar is changing. Both parts are incredibly simple by themselves, but you put them together and it can be a pain. I think the chord progression for the song is:

E-----G-A---GAG %%%%

That should be close

Mark
 
I think a lot of it has to do with knowing the material really well. If I'm playing a complex guitar part and trying to sing, I find it helpful to record the guitar part, then overdub the vocal just how you want it to sound. Then, just by listening to the song over and over, you start to realize how the two parts need to work together. Once you get that pounded into your head, its a lot easier to do both at the same time. Start with easier stuff, and work your way up.
 
Most of us play an instrument and tack on vocals as an afterthought.Here's a radical thought,screw what you are already good at and make vocals your FOCUS.
I have been gigging live for years (on guitar mostly but a little bass) and have recently begun applying this idea in my band.I sing lead about 20-30 % of the set,backups the rest of the tunes.
Because of all my previous instrumental focus,the level of my playing didn't really drop off so noticeably.But my vocals are LOTS better by concentrating on them.Trying something new like this and getting feedback from folks familiar with the "old me" convinces me they are noticing also.
Think like a lead vocalist.Not only hit the pitches but with the right emotional intensity and the technical "gloss" of vibrato and sustain.You won't lose what you have already learned on your bass,but you will quickly bring the other area up to snuff.
Squeaky wheel gets the grease...

Tom
 
PRACTICE... and lots of it

I am purchasing a bass on Friday. I'm always plunking around on them. But i am making it a POINT to sing and play at the SAME TIME from the GET GO while LEARNING how to play the Bass! I HAD the same problem when i taught myself how to play the piano. I could sing and play simple stuff, but when the songs vocal melody and the piano tune were...off or complicated, i'd either start singing the piano part, or playing the vocal part. To correct this problem, i started SPEAKING the vocal part to get the phrasing correct while playing the piano part...when i got that down, i would then HUM the vocal part while playing the piano part, then would break the song down into smaller sections and REPEAT...SLOWLY playing and singing. Then gradually speed up as i got more comfortable with the tune...then move onto the next chunk. It's time consuming and tedious and takes a lot of dedication, but it can be done. I have faith in you. I STILL have to do that with EVERY song that I write or perform and need to sing and play. However. Once you 'GET' the song. You've GOT it, you'd be surprised at how well it 'STICKS' if you use that method or one similar. Plus, the process gets quicker and quicker the more you use it. Good Luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top