Playing and singing

[nowgypsy]

I tend to learn both the singing and playing at the same time on a new song. Even the songs that I write. Especially the songs I write. I don't particular try to play strumming patterns. I just play the song. It'll all come together in the end.

[Chris1226]

Originally Posted by rllink

It is in the mind. I have friends that struggle with it. It has been my observation of the people I know that have trouble with singing and playing is that they think that singing is accompaniment for the guitar, which is backward thinking. Instead, guitar is accompaniment for the song. I have not experienced that inability and I think it is because from the very beginning I knew that I wanted to sing songs and that the instrument, whatever it is, is there to support the song. I play the guitar because I want to sing and my singing dictates the strum pattern, the rhythm, the timing, everything revolves around the singing. I suggest trying to think of it in those terms and see what happens.

I have recently come to learn this as well, well said rllink !!

[wguitar]

Sometimes it's good just to focus on the singing (no guitar), get to know the song, and then add guitar. Others may invert this, but either way I have found it helpful to separate the 2 at times. It's amazing the difference in what you hear when you separate the vocals from the guitar. When in a group of guitar players & singers, and the song is just not clicking, we'll just do the vocals for a bit (maybe have only 1 guitar playing for rhythm and tempo) and it doesn't take long to figure out where the vocals are "off" and make any needed adjustments. While there is no right or wrong here (IMHO anyway), this tends to work for me. Good luck!

[jschmitz54]

A bit of background. In high school I was an elite singer in our choir and vocal groups. In college I auditioned and was accepted into the choir but decided it wasn’t in my best interest, in hindsight that was probably a bad decision. I’m 65 now but still able to sing pretty well a cappella and with songs on the radio. I do practice singing songs sans guitar playing. What is so difficult is to sing anywhere near my ability while playing.
I think there’s some great advice here. Practice is one I likely need to do more of. I’ve been hyper focused on learning guitar skills and songs and thought I’d just be able to sing up to my ability when I learned a song on guitar but I’m finding out this is a whole different skill set, doing both at once.
One piece of advice that seems worth trying is to prioritize vocals and use the guitar as accompaniment seems like a different mind set and might help but I do want to play well.
This forum is such a wealth of information and inspiration for me and thank you all for your advice and opinions.

[emtsteve]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

Ok, practice, sure that’s a safe bit of advice. Let’s try another approach.

Forget something called a “strumming pattern”. Allow yourself more freedom to interpret the ebb and flow of the song. You are playing a rhythm instrument that should do more than brush across the strings, up and down, saying nothing.

The pick needs to pick out notes, individual notes, as it makes it’s way across the strings. You mentioned Neil Young and if you hadn’t I would have. He’s the best example I can think of that illustrates there’s no strumming pattern with an accomplished guitar player, it’s a weaving together of melody and rhythm.

Needle and The Damage Done will be a great song for you to learn because it will force you to stop strumming and begin picking. There’s where the magic happens and the door opens to sounding like yourself instead of everybody else.

With Neil Young it seem every song demands a strong and regular right hand, but with picking individual notes and partial strums as needed. Neil is so much about feel in that right hand. Learning some of his songs has helped me a bunch.

[dnf777]

Im no good at either, but I find if
I just hum the lyrics when first learning, it doesnt interfere with the strumming, then after many runs, Ill try the lyrics. No idea why that works.