Singing, Whilst Playing...

[Teahead]

Yesterday and today, I had my first experience of singing backing vocals with the band. It was pretty strange, but not at all alien or as difficult as I had imagined.

 

In fact I found the "splitting" my brain thing quite easy and soon found that I didn't need to watch my hand that much at all. Who would have thought, after all these years of hunched fretboard and pedal watching, suddenly I had posture!

 

I know I didn't hit every note and I could feel my general discipline slip slightly because of the extra duties, but the sheer enjoyment far outweighed that.

 

This takes us one step closer to being a working band again. I can't wait to get back to playing live, singing seems like it would be a blast too. Bring on the acid test!

 

How about you? Did you start late? Have you yet to start? Have you resolved never to sing?

 

Share your stories and spread the guitar related love as far and wide as these pages can reach.

 

Thanks...

 

Tea.

[BiC]

Other than a little Elvis... I can't sing.

[Teahead]

I never said I could sing!

[Big Red 67]

The Little Elvis, or a Little Elvis? hehehe

 

I played bass and had a really hard time. I bought a acoustic to get girls cause the bass players didn't get much play. Learned to play a few tunes and sing them just a strummin' Then found that it helped with the bass and sing thing. I tend to either sing between the notes or match the guitar part. (guitar goes bop bop, voice goes bop bop yeah)

[Funk Jazz]

@ Elvis

 

i always get asked to sing backup, and always politely decline. i can carry a tune by myself, but tend to get lost when it comes to singing harmony.

[NMcGuitar]

I've been working on this exact thing lately. My singing is pretty much passable at it's best, so I'm obviously not going to be doing tons of it. On the other hand, with my band I'm doing a fair bit of backing stuff, and even singing lead on 3 or 4 numbers.

The problem I usually tend to have is that playing while I sing detracts from my singing, and singing while I play detracts from my playing. What I've done to try and combat this is to keep going over a part again and again until doing both at the same time is the thing that feels natural to me (instead of just one or the other).

 

So far, so good, but I've still got a lot of work to do on this...

[Big Red 67]

When singing, the guitar (or Bass) part can and should be simplified. This makes it easier to sing and lets the singing be out front and the guitar be a support to the vocals.

[Tedster]

My two centavos...

 

First of all, the voice is an instrument, and, like any other, it takes practice to develop. Find a style of singing that fits your natural range and ability and go with it. IMO, damn near everyone that picks up a guitar should be singing, at least a little. And, unless you start, you won't get better.

 

Our young friend Jedi suggested recording yourself. Good advice. You probably won't like what you hear, even if you're a good singer. Think of the first time you heard your speaking voice on tape. So, work with recording yourself until you get something that you don't think sucks too bad. It'll probably sound better to others than it will to you. Keep at it. If you're a natural baritone, don't go trying to sing Geddy Lee tunes.

 

On harmonies...harmonies must be rehearsed...and rehearsed a lot. Not ONE of the bands you think have good harmonies got that way by just walking up to a mic and going at it. You've got to learn your parts. Come up with a part, and practice it over and over and over. Record the lead vocalist singing, and practice with it. Then record the lead vocalist AND the other person doing harmony and rehearse with THAT. You can pop it in your CD player as you drive to work. Can't do that with a guitar!!

[Reverse the Curse]

I always always always always sing when I'm playing IF! I know the words (or at least I try) I find it very fun I work on a vocal part and a guitar part separately and combine them.

[Dak Lander]

Mi Tres Centavos...

Do what Ted says.

 

I had trouble listening to my voice for too long a time. I then came to the realization that what I have is what I have & I need to accept it and make the most of it. That drops perfectly into Ted's remark that pertains to singing out of range. Learn your vocal range and, unless at practice, stay within it. You won't be sorry, nor will your audience.

As to the harmonies. They are likely the toughest thing to do, singing. Our Dakota Night CD gets lots of positive remarks about the harmonies, and how the add so much to the CD. Well, it was a bitch, especially for me, coming from a solo performer background. I still have a hard time with it.

 

What's all that meandering diatribe mean?

Practice, Practice, Practice.

When you think you've got it down, practice more.

[BiC]

Originally posted by Big Red 67:

 

The Little Elvis, or a Little Elvis? hehehe

__________________________

 

The One & Only... E !

 

http://www.csucsposta.hu/snagy/pictures/elvis/elvis68b.jpg

 

Actually, the closest I came to Elvis was playing with his 2nd cousins. They lived in our neighborhood.

 

I have this on my desk at work:

 

http://altura.speedera.net/ccimg.catalogcity.com/210000/214000/214018/Products/6797363.jpg

 

Thank you... thank you very much!

[Hound Dog]

I have always found it easy to sing while playing the piano, but difficult to sing while playing guitar. I have always thought that it was probably the way my brain was wired and attributed to the areas of the brain I use to process each instrument.

[A String]

As with anything music related, practice is the key. Funny though, you eventually reach a point where you're not paying attention anymore. I used to think about my grocery list or things I had done that day etc. Then suddenly I would realize I wasn't paying attention and forget where I was in the song. I wouldn't know which verse I was in.

 

There's something to strive for eh?

[Shannon]

Originally posted by Tedster:

My two centavos...

 

First of all, the voice is an instrument, and, like any other, it takes practice to develop. Find a style of singing that fits your natural range and ability and go with it. IMO, damn near everyone that picks up a guitar should be singing, at least a little. And, unless you start, you won't get better.

 

Our young friend Jedi suggested recording yourself. Good advice. You probably won't like what you hear, even if you're a good singer. Think of the first time you heard your speaking voice on tape. So, work with recording yourself until you get something that you don't think sucks too bad. It'll probably sound better to others than it will to you. Keep at it. If you're a natural baritone, don't go trying to sing Geddy Lee tunes.

 

On harmonies...harmonies must be rehearsed...and rehearsed a lot. Not ONE of the bands you think have good harmonies got that way by just walking up to a mic and going at it. You've got to learn your parts. Come up with a part, and practice it over and over and over. Record the lead vocalist singing, and practice with it. Then record the lead vocalist AND the other person doing harmony and rehearse with THAT. You can pop it in your CD player as you drive to work. Can't do that with a guitar!!

As usual Tedster's imput is very useful. I especially like the bit about hearing your own voice. As a kid I was ALWAYS singing. When I was at home I'd break out my tapes and pretend I was on stage I was in a lot of talent shows and plays at school. I had always been praised for my singing and loved doing it but now that I'm older and I've heard myself recorded... I don't sing except for in the car by myself and in the shower. I hate the way my voice sounds when I hear it played back to me whether I'm talking or singing. I have refused to sing in front of anyone for years so I dont know what other peoples opinion is. My mom who has always been big on "constructive critisism" heard my rendition of Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee" one day when I was feeling really good and fearless, and she loved it. Floored me, now I'm considering singing again.

[Werewolf by Night]

Funny; I dreamt last night about, among many other things, singing old Muddy Waters songs like "Mannish Boy"!

 

I can't speak to anyone while playing, I have to completely change gears (no, not those "gears"! ) to do so. Can't sing while playing, though I'm not much of a singer anyways! BUT, I can hum or play a kazoo while playing guitar... what does that say about my faculties and processes?

[guitar god lol]

singing backup was fine until i heard what i sounded like on tape. now i avoid the mic like the plaque.

[Guitarzan]

Originally posted by daklander:

Mi Tres Centavos...

Do what Ted says.

 

I had trouble listening to my voice for too long a time. I then came to the realization that what I have is what I have & I need to accept it and make the most of it. That drops perfectly into Ted's remark that pertains to singing out of range. Learn your vocal range and, unless at practice, stay within it. You won't be sorry, nor will your audience.

As to the harmonies. They are likely the toughest thing to do, singing. Our Dakota Night CD gets lots of positive remarks about the harmonies, and how the add so much to the CD. Well, it was a bitch, especially for me, coming from a solo performer background. I still have a hard time with it.

 

What's all that meandering diatribe mean?

Practice, Practice, Practice.

When you think you've got it down, practice more.

thats what i like about your stuff Dak, its the natural timbre of your voice. more people should sing like themselves.

[Teahead]

Thanks for the replies guys!

 

I had another couple of hours this evening and I can see many months/years of practice ahead. Matching the pitch is one thing, remembering the order of the pitches (i.e the melody) is much more difficult!

 

Something nice about just me, my acoustic guitar and an empty house. I was able to "open up" after a while, although an audience would soon knock me down a few measures.

 

The physical aspect is fine, I can play and sing without difficulty, singing in tune and nailing harmonies will of course take time.

 

Maybe one day you'll even be cursed with listening!

 

Tea.

[musicalhair]

Originally posted by guitar god lol:

now i avoid the mic like the plaque.

Well, I'm glad to hear that you floss a lot

[guitar god lol]

i never claimed to be a good speeler i'm a guitar god lol

[Werewolf by Night]

One thing about listening to your own voice on recording playback: it will always sound weird- and probably bad- to yourself, because you are used to hearing yourself resonating through the flesh, blood, and bone of your own head. The recording removes all of that from the equation.

[Dak Lander]

Originally posted by Shannon:

As a kid I was ALWAYS singing. When I was at home I'd break out my tapes and pretend I was on stage I was in a lot of talent shows and plays at school. I had always been praised for my singing and loved doing it but now that I'm older and I've heard myself recorded... I don't sing except for in the car by myself and in the shower. I hate the way my voice sounds when I hear it played back to me whether I'm talking or singing. I have refused to sing in front of anyone for years so I dont know what other peoples opinion is. My mom who has always been big on "constructive critisism" heard my rendition of Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee" one day when I was feeling really good and fearless, and she loved it. Floored me, now I'm considering singing again.

Well, you should start again. record into anything. It will help with phrasing and enunciation to fit the song's needs.

I too used to sing alot as a youngster. I was heavily encouraged by many but a couple of remarks by my mother caused me to stop for years.

What got me playing and singing in public again was "put up or shut" thing. I hung out at a great little shit-kickin' tavern that was owned by people that knew lots of performers and the Drew, one of the owners was a player himself. Well, anyway they had some live music in there now and again, sometimes guys sitting at the bar playing. Being half in the bag one night I made a chance remark to a buddy drinking with me about "I could do better". Well, Drew heard it and said, if you can do better, prove it and handed me his guitar. Well, it was time to fish or cut bait. I guess I caught some fish.

[guit-it]

I was actually lamenting the fact that I had somehow became the lead singer of the band. It began with the change from covers to all original music. I wrote the songs and then would try to teach them to the other band members. Instrument wise it was very easy but to get the lyrics across was very tedious and I would end up singing the songs on tape so the regular vocalist could emulate what I was doing. After doing this for a number of months my voice actually got into shape and we ditched the other vocalist. Now what once seemed foreign is now commonplace.

[Shoes]

This is something I'm working on and it's almost like I have to start at the very beginning for some reason. Simple songs, simple lyrics, single syllables

 

I can sing not to badly but the minute I start playing guitar all I can muster is a yawn!

 

B.B. & me have the same defect!

[Big Red 67]

Try Momma's don't let yer babies grow up to be cowboy's. Starts out in GMaj second verse mods to EMaj. The words are easy and the song is a crowd pleaser no matter where you play it. Great pratice song.

[revolead]

Originally posted by Hound Dog:

I have always found it easy to sing while playing the piano, but difficult to sing while playing guitar. I have always thought that it was probably the way my brain was wired and attributed to the areas of the brain I use to process each instrument.

That's kinda weird. I think much the opposite. Guitar tends to be more of a rhtyhm instrument, especially for my range, so it's hard to sing piano when the notes are octaves above my register. I tend to play piano around C4/C5 I sing at more like C2/C3. It's harder to blend the two. I have a hard enough time blending the guitar with my voice, becuase I naturally want to sing around the same octave as the majority of the insturment is voiced. (If that makes sense.) I never thought singing an A at 220 Hz sounded good when your playing at 440 Hz.

[Tedster]

Originally posted by Guitarzan:

Originally posted by daklander:

Mi Tres Centavos...

Do what Ted says.

 

I had trouble listening to my voice for too long a time. I then came to the realization that what I have is what I have & I need to accept it and make the most of it. That drops perfectly into Ted's remark that pertains to singing out of range. Learn your vocal range and, unless at practice, stay within it. You won't be sorry, nor will your audience.

As to the harmonies. They are likely the toughest thing to do, singing. Our Dakota Night CD gets lots of positive remarks about the harmonies, and how the add so much to the CD. Well, it was a bitch, especially for me, coming from a solo performer background. I still have a hard time with it.

 

What's all that meandering diatribe mean?

Practice, Practice, Practice.

When you think you've got it down, practice more.

thats what i like about your stuff Dak, its the natural timbre of your voice. more people should sing like themselves.

A couple more thoughts here...

 

If Tom Waits were to try to sing like Steve Perry, two things would happen...

 

1) It wouldn't be very good, and

 

2) We really wouldn't have Tom Waits

 

On that note, I wish I hadn't wasted so much f'ing time as a youngster wishing I could sing like the male sopranos of the day (Robert Plant, that guy from Boston, etc.) and gotten on a kick of bringing the more natural male baritone range into fashion. It took another (at least) 10-15 years before the Eddie Vedders of the world started coming into vogue. Perhaps I could have been a trendsetter rather than a follower.

 

The purpose? Be true to yourself. If you don't sound like anyone out there, sound like yourself and learn to kick ass with it.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

I've never had any trouble playing and singing guitar, but I'll be darned if I can figure out how bass players do it.

 

(and the subject of one of my favorite humorous songs, Jay Livingston's "Everybody Knows It's Impossible to Sing and Play the Bass")

 

Bill

[Base]

I've always hated my 'singing' (and I use the term loosely), and have never been able to play anything but the simplest melodies while mumbling along the words to them. But in the last few weeks, the only guitar playing I've done is with my acoustic I kept with me so I could strum it occasionally (helped to keep me together), I found a couple of songs I could sing along to my playing.

 

I tried recording it at the weekend and actually wasn't too horrified at the results (Summer of '69 if anyone's interested). I'll never be able to sing in front of an audience, but nice to think I could record the odd demo instead of trying to explain how I think stuff I write could be sung to my bands singer.

 

Although, I am still getting over a stinking cold and it is making my voice huskier than usual, I may be back to being just plain awful when it's cleared up (didn't this happen with Phoebe on Friends???)

[Billster]

Well, here's my book on the matter at hand:

 

When I tell "lay" people play, they usually ask if I sing. I usually say "only at gunpoint". Back in the rock band days, singers tended to be problematic, and since I wrote the stuff, I ended up singing. Eventually, I felt I did a passable job. The songs were mostly original, so if I missed a note, sho knew? Now I play mostly instrumental, but I'm less self-conscious about singing.

 

Keep in mind, that you will not sound like a modern record album without a lot of processing - echo, reverb, doubling, etc. Imagine Madonna without studio sound systems (Wait - don't, it's too horrible). The other thing is, when you hear a recording of your voice, you don't hear your head resonating with the vibrations you create when you sing.

 

Just practice as you would any instrument. And remember that you have more courage to share your gift with others, than the critics sitting on their hands not participating.