How it feels to play bass and sing at the same time ( with 5 PRO tips) 

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As a Bassist/Vocalist you need to practice, practice, PRACTICE !!!!!!! Learn the Bass part first and hinge the vocals on the changes. A technique I've developed I call whisper mode. Drop the vocal melody from your mind and whisper the vocals until you build up muscle memory. This will also help save your voice to put in the 50 to 80 hours a cover can take to learn.

I find it easier to sing with bass if I play with a pick, even though I'm predominantly a fingerstyle and slap player. I think it goes back to that strumming up and down motion, which is why guitar is easier to do both.

I was in a very shitty garage punk band years ago, playing bass. One day the drummer, who was the lead singer said I, had to sing too. I'm like wtf? So I gave it a shot. I was amazed that I was able to to it! Granted, it was punk so, my vocals were less than stellar. The only way I can describe what I felt while, singing and playing is this... It's like 69-ing. Your brain is trying to concentrate on two things at once and, you are trying to balance them both!

Great video but just goes to show bassists like Mark King (level 42) who can sing lead and play complex basslines are just exceptional musicians

Another excellent example specially for the odd times signatures of the songs was John Wetton (R.I.P.)

Another thing you can do is record your self singing the part and then record yourself playing the bassline and chart out out where the bass notes go in relation to the vocal part: figure out what syllables you are singing when you play certain notes (and the notes that fall between syllables) Then slow it down in your DAW and practice it over and over until you can get it at full speed. If it's still too hard, Tip 4 (change the bass part). You can never go wrong with simplifying a bass part.

Its a thing to praise and admire from anyone... but what Geddy and Les do its just unearthly... unreal. Great vid.

Brilliant video. I am currently learning the bass and loving it but also would love to sing. This video made me realise that it is HARD but it is not impossible.

Superb video picking up a really big issue for us bass players. I just forget that I’m playing then I can sing. It does help though with crowd participation too as when not singing you can keep your head up and in their eyeline! All the best Paul

I started as a drummer then played guitar and sing.Now I'm playing bass guitar and singing lead in a classic rock band. There's a kind of push and pull feeling I can feel when I'm trying to sing and play bass at the same time. I think I'm aware of the notes being played in tune and in time with the lyrics. Some songs are easier than others but practice practice practice.

Once I got good at singing while playing bass, I became a much stronger vocalist.

Generally, with any form of multitasking, the hard part is syncopation. It's easy to play a note, let it ring, and sing on top, because you're still just doing two different things at different times. So you have to get used to, slowly, strumming or picking while doing syllables and staccato with your voice in sequence. Piano and drums are easy this way. Just get used to what it feels like to do the rhythm in unison, then start removing notes from one or the other until the rhythms are no longer totally syncopated. You'll trick your plan into the hard part, doing multiple things at once, because you're doing one complete process but skipping steps at times, if that makes sense.

Great video Paul!

I play bass and sing covers. Some tunes are more difficult than others and altering the bass line isn't an option if your doing covers but I find that playing just the 1st (root note) at various stages helps this process. Some of the bass lines Sting used in Police tracks are quite simple to sing and play. Although I also find some bass lines like John Taylor plays in Rio are definitely not singable on bass !! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

My favorite bass player/ lead singer Mark king of Level 42

Thank you Paul, this has helped me so much!! ✌️😁

I’ve been playing bass almost 20 years. I started singing when I started playing but I was teaching myself both and got frustrated with the sound of my voice and let my voice take the back seat. I’ve been working my voice, consistently, the last few years and have noticed improvement while singing+playing since my muscle memory is better than it was. I don’t if I’ll ever sing in front of people but at least I can hear/feel progress through consistent practice.. It’s like patting your head while rubbing your belly while you say the abc’s backwards,

Didn't expect the mention of Jeff Walker. His vocals are badass and he plays bass to some crazy songs. He deserves more credit 🤘

This is the video i need!

Mark King said he can do them both at the same time because he learns them at the same time. In a way it sort of makes sense more than learning them separately if you start really slow and slap like Mark King does. With melodic lines maybe not so much.

another thing is with how heavy the bass is. It weighs down on the torso and whatver biomechanics we use to sing

Un grande esempio era Chris Squire che armonizzava la voce di Jon Anderson con linee di basso pazzesche e spesso totalmente indipendenti dalla melodia

An interesting and unexpected post. Thank you !

Suzi Quattro is another player you should feature. The original bass playing female front person and she has some great RU-vid content about playing bass.

Very interesting and well done.

The Geddy method is spot on. I play bass and sing lead at the same time too. Try doing some EarthWindFire stuff you'll brain will try to reboot. wont be able to hit the second note on either vocal or bass. Both parts are syncopated. IF for some reason you need to sing and play bass for the first time. You have to learn the accents of both bass and vocals. where they hit at the same time and where they syncopate againts each other. need to get to the point were you can sing the song with just the bass and vocals so what ever happens. Your vocal part and bass part is always together.

I believe the person asking the question was me. thank you for your tips

Definitely helps!

I was going to be a bass guitar player because of how many times I was told that I couldn’t be a drummer who sang, along with how my first band didn’t have a bass player at the beginning. When I decided I wanted to be one, I knew there was no way I wasn’t going to play bass and sing at the same time. I want to becoming a guitar player, but I still ended up getting a bass. As I learned how to play it properly, I let nothing stop me from figuring out how to do both. It probably had a lot to do with what was said here about Geddy making sure he had the base parts in pocket before he even came around to the singing. One person that I would’ve liked to have had mentioned here was Peter Cetera. He only ended up getting his own first bass guitar because somebody else with him he was playing acoustic guitar decided he wanted them to start a band, and Peter bought his bass so there would be one. Peter’s priority was singing, although he not only became a first rate bass player but also learn how to very eloquently play it and sing.

Oh my Lord. I sing and play bass. The band at church wanted me to do both and I hadn’t even been playing bass for long. I Bruce Wayned it over a week and a half after about four years of guitar. We really needed both strong lead vocals and bass. I knew it was going to be hard because I understood the differences that were explained in this very video. Convincing the guys was even harder. I managed to pull it off, but dear Lord. I learned that it was a matter of working smarter, not harder. Because I really wanted to do both well.

Slowing down and filling the gaps....thanks Paul

Esperanza Spalding deserves mention here 👌

Early on in Kiss' catalog the bass lines were more melodic. The groove in Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll seems very hard to sing over.

This video is super helpful as a sometime bass player and singer. It also prompted me to look up creator Paul Del Bello's band, Doberman. If you aren't familiar, you must pull it up now! HA ha, so good and so funny at the same time. I'm transported right back to my headbanger days. HUZZAH, I'm a lifelong fan now!

when you think this was hard.... listen to Level 42 from the retroglide album "Dive Into The Sun" or "Sleep Talking"

I'm a bassist myself, Really it depends on the song, I was also a singer, had to learn due to the fact that the singer who was both the lead and sometimes the rhythm guitarist needed my voice since I could scream well, not as much as my best friend the other guitarist but I could sing well and scream well as a backup, my best friend did a lot of death core and metal core screams like me, But I could only take the lead on specific songs, example a song from Static X called "cold", I could play bass and sing it no problem at the same time, but a song from Nirvana called "come as you are" for me it was almost impossible to play and sing at the same time, I think yes, it is possible for a bassist to sing as well at the same time, But for me, it really depends on my level of the song. It is uncommon to see lead singer bassists, I mean not many of those exist. I also play some drums, man, a lead singer drummer has all my respect, because I can't imagine myself playing drums and sing at the same time.

Lemmy used to have his mic up high so he was forced to play without looking at the bass. I think that goes back to his Hawkwind days. Not sure though.

Please make a bass habits video of Tom Araya of Slayer or of Robert Trujillo of Metallica

Hey paul you have taught me several bass lines (I'm a drummer by default) so thank you for that. My main question is where are you and the Dobermman band from?

I may be wrong but I have this feeling that bass and bass guitar music channels on YT are afraid to deal with or even mention Grammy-award winning Esperanza Spalding.

I hate to say it, but Sting's bass playing is much easier to sing to than most other bass grooves ...

Don't get me wrong I don't typically sing but sometimes while I'm thumpin' my bass words just pop out of my mouth and it's "automatic." When I begin thinking about what I'm doing I totally f it all up. But I've come that far, albeit not very far, simply because I've just practiced my bass part excessively that I can just begin to let my words flow. Thanks Paul!

Les Claypool is a master at this.

I actually play bass and I am the lead singer in my band. We are called Magnefix!

I'd like to know how the hell Geddy Lee does it. All those complicated lyrics and time signatures

May I mention Andy McCluskey from OMD

It kinda sounds similar to playing drums, especially polyrhythms or beats/fills using all 4 limbs.

... "without looking at my phone" :D :D :D :D hahahaha killed it

I think geddy is the best at it & sting .... Oh yeah ...& Tom araya with slayer.

“Doing something that involves two sides of your brain” actually I think it’s the opposite. You’re forcing one specific part of your brain to do two very different things simultaneously.

Talking about playing bass AND singing at the same time: Where is dUg Pinnick of KING's X????? Gene Simmons? Troy Sanders?

I found it easier than playing rhythm guitar for some reason i prefer bass when singing

"Even Paul McCartney had to work it out" I see what ya did there.

It's like everything difficult. Do it until you do it.

*It feels like, "Dah dah dah dah, dah doo doo doo..."*

I preferred singing with the bass than guitar lol

Paul....You left out Gene Simmons on this video? 🤔 What...

How does it feel?..Hard and busy but a good challenge

it's underrated... end of video.

You think that's hard? Try singing and playing the saxophone at the same time! (lol)

Once I got good at singing while playing bass, I became a much stronger vocalist.