Alex Gehring on Singing While Playing Bass | Technique of the Week | Fender

We teamed up with Fender artists to share their favorite riffs, techniques and tips. This week, Alex Gehring from Ringo Deathstarr breaks down her tips on how to keep in time and rhythm when singing and playing bass in tandem. Learn more with this #FenderPlay lesson: bit.ly/3h0WLqh
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Alex Gehring on Singing While Playing Bass | Technique of the Week | Fender
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[@gilbertspader7974]

As vocalist/ Bassist the number one technique I’ve developed beyond practice practice practice is Whisper Mode. Play the riff on the Bass and whisper the lyrics over the bass line. Basically deactivate your vocal chords and drop the vocal melody from your mind till you build up muscle memory. Conversely Whistle Mode . Play the Bass riff and whistle the vocal melody till you can combine it with the lyrics. Also these techniques will save your vocal chords when you put in the 50 to 100 hours it takes to get song up to performance level.

[@stephenmurillo2161]

That’s good!! Singing while playing bass is WAY harder than singing while playing guitar. I’m gonna try that whisper technique, thanks!!

[@onzkicg]

Thanks man will try that. One time, I was all prepared with playing bass and on the day of event backup singer didn’t make it so have no choice but help sing. But I messed up a lot of bass during that haha it really surprised me how difficult if is even the songs are simple.. that’s why I ended up here searching for tips.

[@razabquasemchowdhury2109]

this is what I do

[@PantheonLincoln]

I love Ringo Deathstarr. Excellent band. Been into them ever since I saw them open for Smashing Pumpkins over 10 years ago.

[@JoseLopez-gj3lm]

Mmm,

[@sanuzeliang8775]

Sis says see if i'm assuming they got home email security guards is also see i'm thinking cap gown on see i'm thinking cap gown and send money tomorrow afternoon ms w's said he's pretty some some stuff around lunch somewhere nearby restaurants serving god forbid we got say something special guest speakers sis got married tomorrow said he's pretty easy commute everyday as soon thereafter destroy everything except formal invitation letters total price reduced sodium bicarbonate

[@sanuzeliang8775]

See them here tonight please notify she said yes sir awaiting approval please notify she said yes tomorrow evening hours ago said yes sir awaiting approval please notify she down there should put into

[@DorothyOzmaLover]

Alex has really down to earth tips along w/ honesty and examples that's so useful.

[@TheFriendlyPsychopath]

She's automatically cool because she plays bass!

[@dallassurfersclub8872]

This really helps! Sometimes the line changes notes in the middle of a word, so practice, practice, practice. It's challenging but fun and worth it!

[@SkarrKrow]

YES! I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE RINGO DEATHSTARR and am so glad to see Fender give Alex a moment to shine on her own!

[@fuzzboi2712]

Definitely did not expect to see anyone from Ringo in a fender video. What a pleasant surprise! She rocks!

[@gcvrsa]

After our original bassist left the band, I moved from rhythm guitar and vocals to bass guitar and vocals, and playing bass well and singing well simultaneously is probably the hardest thing to do in popular music, because the bass is primarily a rhythmic and harmonic instrument, while the voice is primarily a melodic instrument, and those two things are often juxtaposed with each other to create interesting compositions. It takes a lot of practice. Sometimes it means simplifying the bass part, or at least keeping it simple during sung passages and mixing it up in-between so you don’t just look like a bad bassist. This is especially important for women, because of the common tropes that portray female bassists as only being in the band because her boyfriend couldn’t find a male bassist.

[@TheMetaidea]

You are awesome Alex, I am gonna show this to my daughters. Long live our #TexanShoegazeQueen !

[@ianmitchell-gill7393]

This was a fantastic tutorial. Many thanks to Ms. Gehring and Fender.

[@riffs5352]

Heavy Metal Suicide has been my fav Ringo track since it came out!!

[@agdgdgwngo]

Wow, its Alex from Ringo Deathstarr!! Great tips, I've noticed on the last 2 RD albums the bass parts seem to be getting more complex and intricate, I was thinking "Those must be appalling hard to play AND sing". What I've always wondered, is why I can sing and play guitar but not the same with bass. Even if the bass part is identical to the guitar I just can't do it.

[@jamesheron8163]

Goood Morning Madame! You have won, 56'000 Ugandan dollars sir! Now please just give me your details, your sort code, and your bank account number, and i will wire you the money's, immediately!

[@billb5029]

I always sang and played bass from the beginning..I never struggled with it as much as some..ABSOLUTELY agree learn the instrument part first and play it in your sleep. Also playing with the band I always play and sing together ( even when recording)..never separately that way it always seems second nature..its never easy even after 40 years, the vocal parts are always harder than the bass playing. Good job great video!

[@ronny-2112]

I love Ringo Deathstarr ❤️

Great lesson Thanks Well Executed

[@billmeriwether605]

You are …..delightful! I am an older guy in Texas who played standup bass a long time ago and switched to electric- never went too far with it/ but this ….made me Smile! -Thank you!!

[@h.p.brownsaucecraft7966]

Great tip and great song.

[@robertjones6324]

Great video. You are spot on with muscle memory vs. thinking about the part. And PRACTICE! I learned all 4 versus of "I've Been Everywhere" Asleep at the wheel version. I broke it into pieces, and practice sang while walking to work! The rhythm guitar part is simple though. Same theory, different instrument. Singing and playing bass is not easy for me. Now the cities just flow like water.

[@chasbodaniels1744]

Big thumbs up for the great Ray Benson. Saw Asleep in July 1973, supporting their debut LP.

[@mayhemresurrection]

Wow wow wow Thanks for sharing these tips. Guitar and singing is so easy but bass was a question mark. I will definitely practice what you have shown. Thank you ❣️

[@TheMKEWERBY]

Nice tip, Alex, thank you.

[@alexbostelle287]

The third step is actually a tip for life in its entirety.....the first two are like preaching to the choir....good to be reminded as well.

[@existDFN]

Thanks for the tip Alex

[@marumaruko6512]

This lady is so so lovely

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

This applies to virtually all instruments

[@fabthomaz]

She looks like a fairy. Beautiful.

[@theloniouscoltrane3778]

Why so talented & pretty Alex? Life's unfair 😢

[@franciscoriosrobalino3996]

Thank u thank u thank u

[@alexgehring1623]

You are really awesome. I'm glad we share the same same

[@robertobrien2903]

Figure a song that had a bass player and seperate singer who just sings then those two parts will probably be very disjunct. Take Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin as examples. Anybody who figures they can be Mick Jagger/ Bill Wyman or Robert Plant/ John Paul Jones at the same time is like a contractor who under bids a job so much that they lose money. I can play and sing a lot of songs but some very disjunct bass to vocal songs have seemed unworkable for me still even with the bass line internalized and lyrics memorized like Steppenworf's Magic Carpet Ride. The bass line is easy and only a few verses of lyrics but the rhythmic groove of the bass is so different from the vocal rhythm that I've never quite got it perfected enough to do by myself in public despite dedicated breakdown practice like seen in this video on it at different times over the years...Weird but true.

[@johanreis1525]

Hola 🎩🐧

[@abacadaniel04]

I always play the bass line to begin with, then the lyrics come next. 😀👍

[@larryhall2805]

In my experience, the hardest coordination was sing background vocals while playing a steady 1-5-1-5 line on the bass (9 to 5 by Dolly Patton) while often it was easier to sing over a melodic bass line.

[@erstwhilerambler]

Yes, I also find it surprisingly difficult to play “simple” country songs while singing. It’s like there’s not as much to peg the melody (of the vocals) to in terms of where you are in the bass line, if that makes sense. In other words, sometimes a slightly more complicated (or varied) bass line lends itself to the technique of pegging certain lyrical phrases to my playing. Of course, this is only true to a point. Once the vocals and bass get too complicated or too dissimilar… That’s just hard.

[@oleksandrone]

So cute!

[@goodboyringo9716]

I say hold off on buying a guitar are now while prices are over the moon for even cheap guitars, fight back.

[@dancassidy7471]

i feel like your vocals should be heard more in your mix luv

[@ScottJamesHicks]

Your song sounds like Kurt Cobain wrote it. I like that. 👍🏻

[@buddywilliams5650]

Do you wanna start a band?

[@FarmerSlideJoeBob]

a hipshot tuner🤔😃

[@larryyork1146]

Her fingers are incredibly long which is a big plus for her.

[@kertjohnbanico3152]

kinda sounds like marceline

[@Werner747]

Ушастенькая милфа.

[@jaco7675]

No, no, no. It’s simply not possible to sing and play bass at the same time! (haha). Unless you’re Geddy Lee, Chris Squire, Mark King, or… OK, I guess it is possible. 🤷‍♂️

[@pstrokeslibsarctic]

shoegaze simps assemble

[@Hauteclaire16]

No you

[@drwatson32bit]

well, if the shoe fits...

[@TinkerToneworks]

@foxgirl yeah, he's one of the shoegaze simps calling his brethren

[@steveoare2574]

Guttingly... :P