Playing And Singing?

[cody18]

I have been playing guitar now for about six years, but I still struggle to sing most songs while I play, and I was wondering if any of you have had the same struggle and if so how you overcame it. I don't have a great voice by any means, but it is more enjoyable for me if I can sing along as I play. Thanks.

Cody

[sarNz]

What types of songs? Are they songs with difficult rhythms? As I became a better player and different rhythms came more naturally to me, singing the words got easier. I still can't do it all, but it's much easier. Learning Jack Johnson songs helped a lot because it teaches you to separate the words from the percussive playing.

But it all just comes down to practice.

[66strummer]

Practice practice practice...... I still have songs that I struggle with or gave up on because keeping a difficult rhythm and singing is not easy. Sometimes it seems impossible. Here's a good example. Dont try to do this one and chew bubble gum....... Some people might do this one with their eyes closed, but I find it difficult to do once I start singing. Great practice though IMO.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTprkqljVKk

Ryan

[hann]

u do have to be quite comfortable at doing both I feel.. if you're not very confident a singer/musician, then multitasking can throw you off very easily... so make sure you're confident/consistent at both before tryin to combine it.. that's how i did it and it was much easier...

next up... singing while playing fingerstyle!!

[shawlie]

Originally Posted by cody18

I have been playing guitar now for about six years, but I still struggle to sing most songs while I play, and I was wondering if any of you have had the same struggle and if so how you overcame it. I don't have a great voice by any means, but it is more enjoyable for me if I can sing along as I play. Thanks.

Cody

Good advice given already! My singing has it's share of problems, but I agree with you that singing and playing is a lot of fun and you should really keep at it if you like doing it.

I play and sing mostly fingerstyle stuff, but don't think it's much different the strumming, some advice I've found useful -

Play the song very, very slowly and just think about the words - where they come in, how they're phrased over the rhythm and chord changes.

Play the song slowly and at first just whistle, hum or "la la la" the melody. Then you get used to doing something else while playing, without worrying about the actual words. Messing up words can throw off your playing (until you have lots of practice messing up the words)

Record your guitar part, then record yourself singing to it (I almost always do this when learning to play and sing a new song). Listen to it a couple of times a day - then you're actually hearing yourself playing and singing it, and you get a good idea of how you'll be singing the song as it relates to the guitar part. Seems to help me - I suppose it's a little like "positive visualization", you hear yourself playing and singing, so it's a little easier to put the two together.

And start with a song that's not too hard, maybe. Once you get used to a few songs, the next ones start getting easier. And I never mind changing or dropping (or adding) a word or two if that parts giving me trouble while playing.

Again, I'm no expert on singing, but like to play and sing and hope you have a lot of fun doing it, too!

[plumbgit]

I find it difficult to play without singing .When laying down tracks for recording I have to sing and play rhythm at the same time. I find it difficult to play the guitar part and then sing over it, I guess we all have our challenges!.......Just keep practicing, you'll get better!

[Bob1131]

Originally Posted by plumbgit

I find it difficult to play without singing .When laying down tracks for recording I have to sing and play rhythm at the same time. I find it difficult to play the guitar part and then sing over it, I guess we all have our challenges!.......Just keep practicing, you'll get better!

Same here! I find it very difficult to sing without playing. I know I should record the guitar and then sing over it, which I have done, but there are some songs that I just cannot sing unless I am playing the guitar. I think it is because I learned both simultaneously.

[buzzardwhiskey]

The key for me, and shawlie already said it, is to "la la la" well over the top of the piece. When I get to the point that I can really belt-out and dress-up unintelligible words, then switching to the real words is easier.

I break the tune down into pieces and might work on them individually for weeks.

Perhaps paradoxically, a fingerpicked tune is not the most difficult for me to sing to. It's the really well played strumming with melody notes added that is harder for me.

[3rd_harmonic]

I've sung abcdefg.... occasionally.... just cause I don't have to think about the sounds of the words so much.

[cody18]

Learning Jack Johnson songs helped a lot because it teaches you to separate the words from the percussive playing.

This is definitely something that I struggle with. I have been trying to play and sing Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" and it seems like the strums are on the off beats. I start off okay, but after awhile my singing starts synching up with the percussion instead of the actual rhythm of the song... if that makes any sense. Some of the songs that I can play and sing with a fair degree of competency are:

"Wonderwall" - Oasis
"Wish You Were Here" - Pink Floyd
"Tell Her" - Del Amitri

Thanks for the tips. I think I'll experiment with some of them and see what works. Thanks.

Cody

[jonlee]

i've been wondering the same thing. i've started to play electric guitar and singing while playing all sorts of lead parts is HARD. but nothing a lot of practice wouldn't take care of. =)

[Analogman]

Rehearse the guitar part until it is second nature to you, especially the rhythmic aspects of a song. Practise until you don't need to think about what your fingers are doing or even look at the fretboard at all before you add the singing parts.

I was a singing bass player when I first started playing 40+ years ago. The band used to get pretty sick of playing a song over and over before we would add vocals, but boy was it tight when we did.

We would rehearse the music, then do vocal rehearsals a capella, then add the two together. By the time we would play the song in a live set, no one had to think, we could just perform and entertain the crowd.

I hope this helps and good luck.

[derwoodski]

Playing and singing can be tough, there were songs that we did with the band that I (as the lead singer) had to lay the guitar down, and only sing. Because doing both on some songs was just impossible, even the rythem parts. Now doing the solo thing, if I can't sing it AND play it, kinda throws that song out the window. Practice practice, and learn to subdivide the beat into many smaller subs that 1...2...3....4 and you will find that even if the vocal rythem doesn't match the beat of your strumming, you can find your cues in Part of the beat. I find that repeated listening to the original song solidifies your grasp on the syntax of the lyrics, and you can sing the lines correctly without much thought, even when you are playing something different with yer hands.

Another thought, when doing covers, don't always sweat getting every strum right in the beginning, simplify it, play only the root chord at each change, or only on every other beat, this allows you to get the feel of the changes and the vocal rythem. Ad complexity to the rythem as you learn the song better.

[fulano]

A few months ago I wouldn't have understood this question because I played and sang simultaneously from the beginning and never had much of a problem with it. Maybe when I was first learning to fingerpick but not since that became second natuer.

However, recently I have realized that I was always picking songs that were easy to play and sing. Anything that was harder or that was not kind of custom made for solo guitar/vocal combination was not on my radar screen.

As my playing has improved from singificantly more practice lately, I have started to play songs that I would have never tried before. Songs that, though still only accompanied by one guitar (mine) are more of a combination of lead and rhythm or like has been said the rhythm of the guitar is different from the rhythm of the lyrics. those are tough.

My only suggestion is get the guitar part down forward and backward, then try to sing.

[SlimJim]

To a certain extent it's not just a skill that you only have to learn once; it's a skill you have to re-learn with every new song. I know this because when I write new songs - even though I have the guitar part sorted - and I know the words and melody - I still need to practice - to be comfortable with both together.

I've been playing and singing for a while - so I wouldn't say it's just an issue for people who are new to guitar - its' an issue for everyone.

All the best,
Jim