I'm wanting to learn how to play bass and sing at the same time. Which I hear is harder then guitar because it's harder to sing and keep the rhythm at the same time. Sometimes I can do backing vocal parts, if the riff is easy, like when me and my friends jam to "Highway to Hell" I can sing along during the chorus no problem. But it's mainly because the chorus riff is EXTREMELY easy.

Written by Xim on 22.06.2010 at 02:21

I'm wanting to learn how to play bass and sing at the same time. Which I hear is harder then guitar because it's harder to sing and keep the rhythm at the same time.

i found that to be quite the opposite. playing rhythm is imo not at all hard while singing. on the other hand if you have "lead" bass lines like Steve Harris then yeah it would be pretty hard to play and sing at the same time.

if a guy so bad at playing bass as Cronos from Venom can do both at the same time, how hard can it possibly be?

Written by Valentin B on 22.06.2010 at 18:58

Written by Xim on 22.06.2010 at 02:21

I'm wanting to learn how to play bass and sing at the same time. Which I hear is harder then guitar because it's harder to sing and keep the rhythm at the same time.

i found that to be quite the opposite. playing rhythm is imo not at all hard while singing. on the other hand if you have "lead" bass lines like Steve Harris then yeah it would be pretty hard to play and sing at the same time.

if a guy so bad at playing bass as Cronos from Venom can do both at the same time, how hard can it possibly be?

Maybe he's bad BECAUSE he's doing both at the same time?

I'm gonna have to agree with Valentin B, singing and playing rhythm has been much easier for me than the other way around. Not that it's easy, necessarily, in any case. It just takes practice, like anything else. The best way for me to do it was to be familiar with a song to such a point where I could play most or all of it without having to think about it much -- muscle memory. Once you're used to playing it that much, your body can kinda go on autopilot. Maybe try just picking one song and when you knock that one down, move on to the next? I'm speaking from a guitarist point of view though, I can see that it might be a somewhat different with bass, especially if you're playing something that sorta syncopates more with the drums and kinda moves around more irregularly, like something you might hear in progressive music.

In any case I still think memorizing the song with your hands with help a great deal.

Written by Eddie Misery on 23.06.2010 at 14:03

The best way for me to do it was to be familiar with a song to such a point where I could play most or all of it without having to think about it much -- muscle memory. Once you're used to playing it that much, your body can kinda go on autopilot.

Yeah this is the advice i wouldve given, thats what works for me, i obsess over a song and play it over and over till i can play it in my sleep, then the singing should come easy enough after that as there is no need to think about what your hands are doing

Well, I suppose that memorizing the song is the best way, that explains why I can't sing on simple riffs like Smoke On The Water's riff but I can sing on my band's most more complicated riffs. Still I don't like the idea of memorizing every song I want to sing and play in same time

Yeah it may not be the easiest way to do it, but if it doesnt come naturally to you like it does to some people then, that may be the only way, i know it is for me personally

Dave Mustaine is a god! No doubt! Its just mindblowing what the guy does!

Written by thewall30 on 22.07.2010 at 00:00

Dave Mustaine is a god! No doubt! Its just mindblowing what the guy does!

Yesterday, I sang the verse and chorus part of "Head Crusher" while playing it on guitar. I never thought Id be able to play something fast like that, and sing with it at the same time! xD

Dave is a god, and I have a great admiration for his skills. He makes it look so easy, which is the thing! lol <3

Written by Angelic Storm on 22.07.2010 at 00:31

Written by thewall30 on 22.07.2010 at 00:00

Dave Mustaine is a god! No doubt! Its just mindblowing what the guy does!

Yesterday, I sang the verse and chorus part of "Head Crusher" while playing it on guitar. I never thought Id be able to play something fast like that, and sing with it at the same time! xD

Dave is a god, and I have a great admiration for his skills. He makes it look so easy, which is the thing! lol <3

haha nice! yeah i mean this guy is ridicouisly talented, i dont know if everyone notices that or not, or they just dont like him, but yeah Dave Mustaine is a god!!! haha

I started off practicing just backup vocals and more like 1 line of lyrics at a time, still working on it though. But like everyone has mentioned practice is the only way to get better.

Besides... who the hell wants to hear a Cape Breton accent in a metal song???? LOL

It gets easier the more you practice it. It's particularly easy when you're singing and playing the same rhythm. For a pretty simple example, try playing the main riff to Iron Man while you're singing the vocal line. As you get better and better, try songs in which the vocal and guitar rhythms aren't the same. It's a pain at first, but with practice you get better and better man

I love singing / playing WASP songs at the same time, like Chainsaw Charlie(which i only learned last night haha) or Wild Child. i find it to be a thoroughly good and awesome experience, they're not difficult at all either

The best example for this are both Mustaine and Rush's Geddy lee. they are just genius. i play guitar and sing in my band and the best way for me to exercise this is linking one of the notes of the riff with the melody that it holds when you sing above it. like... when i play this riff, and strum the note C, then i have to sing this note and word. i dont know if i make myself clear but if u understand me then give it a try, it really helps. you dont have to like all of the notes of the riff, just the most important ones and then everything will flow.

Written by Auntie Sahar on 13.08.2010 at 02:58

It gets easier the more you practice it. It's particularly easy when you're singing and playing the same rhythm. For a pretty simple example, try playing the main riff to Iron Man while you're singing the vocal line. As you get better and better, try songs in which the vocal and guitar rhythms aren't the same. It's a pain at first, but with practice you get better and better man

Yes, its always better to start doing it with songs that are easier to play, then gradually progress to more complex songs later on. It is immensely fun, and I love doing it, even though Im not really a good singer. hehe

It's true that is very different if you are on the bass or on the guitar.And also depend of what kind of riff you play. And your way to sing too, if you follow the lead and sing with the notes you play you have to take care of the rythm and listen carefully the others to stay in. Personnaly i create some "memory tricks" in the riff remember that a this time i sing this word and i think it's a good way....But also to be as Geddy Lee,Mustaine or Mickael Akerfeldt you have to work and work x].....

Now i sing and play lead guitar in my band, and i found its alot easier to sing and play at the same time when you write the music and lyrics obviously, but i think its also a thing that just comes to you as well.

Not that its an especially hard song but playing and singing The Return of Darkness and Evil (by Bathory )is quite difficult....its to damn...FAST! although the chorus is quite easy for playing and "singing" simultaneously...

Don't forget that alot of the musicians who sings and plays guitar/bass modifies their playing when they play live.
- They turn the volume on their instrument down
- They play an easier version of the riff
- They stop playing when they sing, and start playing again as soon as the vocal part stops.

Example on this is Akerfeldt, Mustaine, Hetfield etc. etc. i mentioned this guys becasue they masters at this, and even they have to make things simpler for themself alot of the time live.

Devin townsend and Max Cavalera is well known for turning the volum on their guitars way down when they play live.. Cavalera also take of the strings he don't use.

I don't know for Devin townsend project, but in SYL he did that all the time

Since I first replied to this thread I became a huge fan of the band WASP. WASP are notorious for being shocking and omg so evil and sexually lewd in the 80s, but imo one of their most defining features is their amazing use of vocal lines.

"Hellion", "Chainsaw Charlie", "Wild Child" and so many other great songs' choruses would sound hollow if not for those great harmonized live parts, especially Wild Child. At one point in the chorus the 3 guys (Blackie, Doug and the bassist) even do a harmonized falsetto, which imo just shows that even though it might be hard to hit those amazing notes, the end result is fantastic. Almost the same thing goes for Machine Head, only they have far fewer songs that do that.

I definitely should try and incorporate some of WASP's chorus ideas in my own band's songs.

Yeah as mentioned before the key to singing and playing an instrument simultaniously is practice, only by practicing you will achieve it.
Geddy Lee of Rush sometimes plays bass, sings and triggers keyboard with his feet, all at the same time

I guess it's also up to practice. A dude in my local band who plays guitar and sings in the same time used to be much worse in it than he is now - you don't have to go to a gig and wonder will he hit most of the notes, he does it perfectly now.

Practice makes perfect
You can't really expect to pick up the bass and be able to play the shit outta it in a week. Same with doing vocals with bass. I remember I found it extremely hard to sing while playing, but I can manage a bit better now. Anyway I don't sing in a band I just play bass, I only sing when we just jam on random stuff.

As for awesome guitarists who sing and play some crazy shit, I think Daniel Mongrain from Martyr(canada) is one of my favourites. He plays some complex shit, sings in english (not his first language) so he has to have training to sing it right But he still does an amazing job. Alot of people don't like his vocals but I think they're alright, still takes immense talent to do what he does.

It's nice to know that so many people care enough to give a total stranger advices, but I gotta say that I gave up this thing. I mean, I can't even sing more than a few minutes without straining my voice, not to mention that my vocal range is pretty low and extremely narrow, so I focus on sharpening my guitar playing which at least seems to have great progress lately. Anyway, thank you guys.

Written by Panterica on 30.12.2011 at 14:22
It's nice to know that so many people care enough to give a total stranger advices, but I gotta say that I gave up this thing. I mean, I can't even sing more than a few minutes without straining my voice, not to mention that my vocal range is pretty low and extremely narrow, so I focus on sharpening my guitar playing which at least seems to have great progress lately. Anyway, thank you guys.

Before you completely give up, you should check out the various YouTube videos that help with this issue.

Written by thewall30 on 22.07.2010 at 00:00

Dave Mustaine is a god! No doubt! Its just mindblowing what the guy does!

The funny thing is that when Megadeth was in it's early days he was looking for someone else to sing. He initially didn't want to, but damn he got good at it... I can't even IMAGINE being able to play the title track from Killing Is My Business AND singing at the same time... He's a machine!!

For me it's not a big problem anymore. I do backing vocals in my bands Synarchy and Heljareyga..

I the beginning it was tough as hell, but i just practiced the vocals and bass parts separately a lot, then slowly combined them..

Written by Troy Killjoy on 31.12.2011 at 03:34

Written by Panterica on 30.12.2011 at 14:22
It's nice to know that so many people care enough to give a total stranger advices, but I gotta say that I gave up this thing. I mean, I can't even sing more than a few minutes without straining my voice, not to mention that my vocal range is pretty low and extremely narrow, so I focus on sharpening my guitar playing which at least seems to have great progress lately. Anyway, thank you guys.

Before you completely give up, you should check out the various YouTube videos that help with this issue.

I looked for some, but they all didn't seem to have the solutions I was loooking for.

heres what happens when you cant play guitar, or sing, but then you try them at the same time.