How many sing while they play? Or only play with no singing?

[DetroitDave]

Originally Posted by Bob from Brooklyn

Get your pipes ready. Tomorrow is World Singing Day!

https://worldsingingday.org/

Thanks for that! Going to celebrate the twin granddaughters 3rd birthdays tomorrow, and I'll make sure to bring a guitar along. The girls like to warble along with me.
"Key? We don't need to sing in no stinkin' key!"

[My Angel]

I hum a little because like you, my voice lacks…shall we say…aesthetics. Lol. I sang happy. Irthday to my son when he turned 2 and he put his hand over my mouth and said, “no mommy, don’t ‘thing’”.

[The Bard Rocks]

I spend more time singing than doing instrumentals. I know I don't have a particularly enjoyable voice, nor do I always sing perfectly on pitch. Been that way all my life and long ago decided that since it gives me joy, I was going to sing anyhow.

Along the way, I have learned some things:

1) When you first hear your recorded voice, the natural reaction is to cringe. It's not the sound you are used to hearing. BUT, it is the voice others are used to hearing. Listen more to that strange voice and think how you would like it if it was a stranger you hear instead of you. I decided that my voice was at least serviceable.

2) The more practiced I am on any song, the better I sing it. Duh.It took me a while to figure that out as I have always been learning new material.

3) If I sing with confidence and adequate volume, it sounds better and is more on pitch. Being hesitant works against you.

4) Good song selection and good presentation goes a very long way to make up for a great natural voice. In fact, these are often far more important.

[EZYPIKINS]

Absolutely. Been playing since the mid 70's. Learned to sing on stage by 79 I guess. Been doing it ever since.

Band did lots of harmony. Covering all the music of the day. Doobies, Eagles, Little River Band, just to name a few. Back then most music had harmony parts.

Music today is much more stale. Harder to "Autotune" 5 voices than one.

I not saying EVERY newer artist is autotuned but...

I have seen behind the curtain, for a long time.

If you know what to listen for you can hear it in the recordings. The more work it has to do, the more you can hear it.

Guess I got off track.

Yes, I sing when I play

[pinweasel]

I play and sing. Was a lead singer in bands in the 70’s, played drums and sang so yes I sing while playing guitar.

[PassingThru]

I play and sing. Why? I don't play well enough to be entertaining and I certainly don't sing well enough to compete on American Idol. But doing both at the same time, works well enough people don't fight to get to the door.

[Joe Beamish]

To me the single greatest use of a guitar is accompaniment to a voice. Especially an acoustic guitar. Voice plus guitar = magic.

[tbirdman]

I actually take singing lesson in addition to guitar and piano lessons. I’ve learned quite a bit. I’ve been taking lessons for singing for 1.5 years.

[Rosewood99]

4,330 who,sing and play. 5,234 who just play.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by PassingThru

I play and sing. Why? I don't play well enough to be entertaining and I certainly don't sing well enough to compete on American Idol. But doing both at the same time, works well enough people don't fight to get to the door.

My singing used to be so bad that people would trample each other trying to get out, me among them. Now, I’m greatly improved - they walk out in a civilized single file line - I count that as progress…

-Ray

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by Rosewood99

4,330 who,sing and play. 5,234 who just play.

I don't know where you got those figures from, but they do illustrate something that I have noticed on AGF. And that is that many threads get responded to from these two biases.

I have seen quite a lot of cross purpose answers because either the respondent was thinking about the OPs questions from the perspective of playing instrumentals on guitar or from the perspective of singing with the guitar.

For example: A number of questions arise asking about how to start learning "bluegrass" or "flatpickin". The "singer" is going to have a very different take on answering such a question compared to the "instrumentalist". Both perspectives are valid, but it sure does lead to some confusing threads!

[Joe Beamish]

Originally Posted by tbirdman

I actually take singing lesson in addition to guitar and piano lessons. I’ve learned quite a bit. I’ve been taking lessons for singing for 1.5 years.

What advice do you have for people who want to improve (besides practice)?

[Jdogblues]

Think I replied to this thread earlier, but I can now semi sing and play fingerstyle tunes. It seems to get easier.

[Yrksman]

Probably replied but here’s a recent example of the answer:

https://youtu.be/KbU7U-hIwhs

[jp2558]

I've got about ten songs under my belt where I can sing and play. I figure if Bob, Neil, Keef, and Axle can sing why not me?