Is my voice 'painful' to listen to at all? Would I be able to sing backup in my band?

[Snakesgonewild]

Hey, guys. I am primarily a bass player who has always wanted to be able to sing, thing is I don't know if I just sound like I'm shouting whenever I'm belting out a higher note (my sister seemed to imply, based on the recording that I'm going to post in this thread, that it sort of does), or whether or not I'll ever have a good enough voice to be able to harmonize/sing backup in my band. I'm very good at knowing/singing the harmonies to a song, I just don't know about how my voice sounds right now. Anyway, I know this isn't a lot to work with but it's the only recording I've got at the moment, and the only reason I was even able to summon the courage to record it is because I was home alone at the time. My question is, would I be able to sing backup in my band and sort of hide behind the lead singer?

[ido1957]

You already answered your own question - you say you can already find and sing the harmonies. Just step up and sing,

[Snakesgonewild]

But do you think, based on the recording I posted, that if I were to sing in front of my band (or anybody at all for that matter) I might embarrass myself? I understand that I definitely need practice because I only just started singing, but the thought of potentially being humiliated is kind of discouraging.

[davie]

It does sound to have a somewhat "shouting" quality. You might be pulling chest voice a bit high. It could work okay as a backing vocal, just as long as you don't overtake the lead vocal's sound. It will depend on how your voice blends with the lead vocalist. If it covers too much of the lead then you can simply back off from the mic a bit.

[ido1957]

Just do it - and then after the song is done ask them if it was ok and if they give you a resounding "Yes" then you're good to go. If they hum and haw then you probably need more practice (it might just be nerves the first go around). Myself I would probably get the band to play just the part that has the harmony section (with a bar or two of lead in so you get the key straight) and sing it and see what they say. You might have to try it a few times to get it solid. Then try the whole song.

1) Bass playing and singing can be really hard if you have bass runs to play while singing (I've done it and I usually keep it pretty simple when singing and bass playing)

2) Harmonies can really improve a song by giving it dynamics and variety. If done right then it will benefit the band. If done wrong...well

3) Your clip is too short to say whether you can sing for extended periods of time but it sounds on pitch for what you have. I would have no problem if you were to sing that specific clip in a band I was in.

 

 

Most people with a decent sense of pitch can tell if they are singing on key or not if they listen to a recording of themselves - it either sounds right or it doesn't IMO. When I started playing in bands years ago we had no way to record ourselves (we didn't own a recorder) so we relied on what we heard coming out of the monitors in relation to the music to stay in key. If you've ever listened to a live band and said "ouch that's off key" then you probably have the ability to tell how you're doing when you sing.

 

 

Another bit of advice I got from a band leader was "Guitar players are a dime a dozen, but if you can sing too then you'll never be out of work."

[Snakesgonewild]

Hey, man. One more thing before I take your advice, I wanted to be more sure than I am now that I wouldn't be embarrassing myself, so I recorded myself singing and playing a verse of a song by Mastodon to give you a better idea of my voice. Sorry the guitar playing is crappy but I was pretty much only concerned with the singing at that point.

 

https://soundcloud.com/clericsgonewild/asleep-in-the-deep-mastodon-cover

[highmtn]

@Snakesgonewild.

 

The link in the "additional clip" is the same as the first one.

 

Don't be so afraid. You have the pitch part down. As ido 1957 said, Bass playing and singing at the same time can be a challenge. But singing bass players are worth a lot. Especially lead singing bass players. If you train your voice and start building some confidence, you will never be without a band.

 

Jump in and start building confidence. If you are afraid of being humiliated, then practice singing the parts to the songs you want to sing backup in, before doing it with your bandmates. Make sure that the part you are adding will not duplicate notes that others are already singing.

 

If you do this first and actually add an additional vocal part, your bandmates will most likely want you to take part from now on. If they just don't want to add you because they think you might become competition for them, then go on and continue to study. Get a good vocal program and rehearse on your own. Get good. Get better than they are. If they won't let you sing, then find a band that will.

 

The more good vocal technique you learn, the better you will be able to contribute to any band you ever play in.

 

Bob

[supersinger]

Sounds like it might be more of a confidence issue. The pitch centering is ok but your phrases do end a bit loud. Don't try so hard. Your natural voice is always your best, unless you're a Metal musician, lol.