How Hard Is It, Really, to Sing While Playing Bass or Drums?

Exactly how hard is it for an individual bass guitarist or drummer to simultaneously sing and keep the beat?

There are several exceptions here

Drummers who can sing, too:
Ringo Starr (The Beatles)
Levon Helm (The Band)
Phil Collins (Genesis)
Roger Taylor (Queen)
Jade Lee (Book of Love)

Bassists who can sing, too:
Paul McCartney (The Beatles)
John Entwistle (The Who)
Jack Bruce (Cream)
Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)
Geddy Lee (Rush)
Kelly Groucutt (Electric Light Orchestra)
Sting (The Police)
Tony Lewis (The Outfield)

~Ben

 

I've been playing bass for 20 years, and I've always found it very difficult to sing and play bass, especially if one has fairly elaborate basslines.

 

It's difficult to sing and play the bass unless your bass line is really, really basic. I got to the point where I can front a band comfortably but I have to really dumb down the bass lines. Guys like Geddy Lee who just blast off a flurry of notes while singing just astound me, I don't know how they do it.

 

Most of these candidates do not sing lead vocals -- you have to try very hard to be like a Paul McCartney (when on bass) or a Phil Collins (when on drums).

~Ben

 

Well I mean, as opposed to just simply playing rhythm guitar and singing, which is easy. For some reason, singing and playing bass is significantly harder to do than singing and playing rhythm guitar. Don't know why, both are rhythmic instruments that should fall into intuitive playing... Maybe it's just me, idk.

 

Did Phil Collins ever sing lead and play drums live at the same time? He had some complicated backing vocals he sang while drumming when Peter Gabriel was in Genesis.

 

Singing isn't easy. Playing an instrument isn't easy. Doing both at the same time isn't easy.

 

A good example. The Beatles appearing on Ed Sullivan in front of millions.
Then watching Paul playing the bass line of "All My Loving" while singing effortlessly.

 

Jack Bruce said Politician was one the hardest songs to sing and play as the melody and bass line are doing much different things.

 

Don Henley sings lead and drums at the same time. Didn't the dude in Night Ranger sing and drum? These are not especially complicated drummers, however. Collins sometimes sings from behind the kit, but not during the most difficult moments of Genesis's live sets. That's when Chester Thompson plays solo. Right? Or are there some significant exceptions?

I find it incredibly difficult to sing and drum at the same time. Singing and playing rhythm guitar is of course easy. I've never played bass in earnest, but for some reason I assume it isn't easy.

 

Nick Lowe does a good job of bass/vocals:
Nick Lowe Dave Edmunds Rockpile I KNEW THE BRIDE

 

Been playing drums for over 30 years and I find it extremely difficult to carry the lead line. Back up vocals are not so tough for me although the band gets out the 'Barney Fife' mike. "Just sing real soft and the mike will take care of the rest."

 

I only saw it once, but in that CNN Chicago doc one of the band members said Peter Cetera would sometimes stop playing notes on his bass while singing live.

So I think a lot of people have trouble with it. Myself included.

 

Not difficult if you've been doing it for a long time (bass and singing).

 

The drummer from The Deadbeat Poets sings from behind the kit. He wrote this tune.
On this recording he also played the rhythm guitar and some of the guitar fills, too.

 

I played bass and sang in a band for years and as long as the vocal melody was similar to the bass line, I had no problem. If the bass part didn't quite follow the vocal line it was a whole other story!! I remember trying to sing/play "I Saw Her Standing There" and finding a whole new appreciation for Mr. McCartney!

 

Just wanted to add one more to the list...

 

In terms of this century I'd say the drummer/singer from Whitney does a good job:

 

Bass player here. I find it damn near impossible to sing in tune unless I'm just riding a single note. Tony Lewis of The Outfield is an excellent singer but he nearly always kept it very simple.

 

From my own experience, playing bass and singing used to feel sort of like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time. Once you get used to doing two different things, it gets easier. I always liked the challenge of playing a nice walking bass line and singing. Silly Love Songs may not be your cup of tea to listen to, but it's a lot of fun to play and sing.

 

Hey, even I can handle that one!

 

It depends. As a veteran bass player, I can tell with confidence that there are lots of stuff to which it's pretty easy to sing and play at the same time. Sometimes I've even played march or waltz-type stuff on keyboards (backbeats) with my right hand while playing bass with my left hand alone (left hand tapping) AND singing backing vocals. But the music styles on which I've done that are very simple. On the other hand, you definitely need two brains to do something like this:

 

Did the drummer from the Shaggs ever sing? If so, it can't be that hard.

 

I've never found keeping a beat on drums and singing particularly hard (my voice is garbage, but that's another story), but when you get into the tricky fills, it's easy to lose your way.

 

Drumming seems like the outlier to me. Hard to keep your mouth in front a microphone while beating the far edges of a kit. As for bass, guitar, or keyboard -- it's all about multitasking.

You could play a wind instrument and sing in sequence.