Strumming pattern + chord changes + singing, is tough!

[Chas007]

I'm a beginner teaching myself Bad Moon Rising from the Justin guitar series on the internet. D, A, G chords no capo, strumming pattern is down down down up down up. Strumming the pattern while changing chords is tough, but if I start out slow and then build up speed I can get into a rhythm, but then if I open my mouth to sing it all goes to crap. It's worse than rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time.
Suggestions welcome.......

[reeve21]

Nothing a few decades of practice won't fix

In the meantime, does your strumming hand go up and down twice on every beat, even if you are not strumming on the upstroke? That may help with timing. One day you will wake up and it will work if you keep at it. Then you can try it while fingerpicking and start all over!!!

[Coler]

Bob is right.

Practice, practice, practice. Justinguitar is a good choice.

It can be motivating to record yourself now, and then again in say 4 - 6 weeks playing the same thing. You will make very good progress if you can put aside 30 - 45 minutes a day but don't worry if you miss one here or there.

It's fun - enjoy it.

[egordon99]

You just need to keep practicing until it becomes second nature. Then you can add in the singing.

There are no shortcuts besides putting in the practice time.

[jazzereh]

What you are experiencing is familiar to me [and many others 'round these parts] and in my case it was many, many years ago.

Welcome to the club. As already noted, practice, practice and more practice!

If it gets boring doing the one song get another to work on just for the break. But, keep at it.

Have fun!!!

[davidbeinct]

You will have a lot of people suggesting you get the strumming down first then add in the singing. Clearly that works for a lot of people. Tom Feldman, who is an excellent player and instructor, suggested to me I try learning both simultaneously, even if I have to take it a couple bars at a time. He said that for him if he learns the playing first and then adds the singing it’s more like he’s learning a new thing, so why not just learn that new thing from the start?
I find this approach works better for me.
See if you can just get the opening phrase down. Play the chords and sing “I see a bad moon rising.” Do that over and over before you go on to “I see trouble on the way.”
Maybe this way will work better for you, maybe not. The first phrase is so short I suspect you will find out pretty quickly if it’s working for you.

[Jamolay]

I am also working through Justin Guitar and have recently run into a similar problem! The course material is great, but it doesn’t make up for my poor singing skills and general clumsy ineptitude.

For me, as soon as I try to sing, my strumming hand goes all wonky. I suddenly have no idea how or if I am strumming a pattern.

I think this is normal. We probably should slow down, even just back to single downstrums per bar and bring in the singing slowly. Practice the strumming and rhythm separately until you feel ready to slowly combine them.

It will be hard, but remember, we have learned to strum and fret at the same time, so we will get this!

[Robin, Wales]

Rhythm and timing are what playing guitar is all about. But we all tend to concentrate on what the left hand is doing (the chord shapes and changes) and ignore specific training for the right hand.

Strumming is a complex motor skill - it need practice. Particularly when you will be singing in a cross rhythm to your strumming!

So, have a go at this exercise:

Hold the guitar as normal. Place your left hand fingers gently across the strings to mute them (not forming a chord). Now practice your strumming pattern and singing phrases on the muted strings. You should find it easier to get the right hand rhythm down solid now you have isolated it from the chord changes. Then add the chords back in.

And, yes, it is hard. And, yes, it is like rubbing your tummy while patting your head! We have all been there and, with practice, come out the other side.

[Chas007]

Originally Posted by reeve21

Nothing a few decades of practice won't fix

In the meantime, does your strumming hand go up and down twice on every beat, even if you are not strumming on the upstroke? That may help with timing.

I'm working on keeping my arm constantly moving. It's difficult to only hit the strings on certain strokes to create different patterns. Trying to sing while playing seems to be double difficult because to me it seems the rhythm of the words sometimes doesn't match the rhythm of the strumming.

[Coler]

Oh yeah, can’t believe I forgot to say this, practice with a metronome - you can just download an app for your phone or tablet.

Set it nice and slow. Sing and change chords in time with it. Then speed it up. You must always, always, stay in time and the metronome will keep you honest.

And every time you see/listen to a player who plays and sings well, just remember, every single one of them once stood where you are standing now.

[Horseflesh]

Beginner here too.

Guitar is the hardest thing I have ever tried to learn, by far. I am having a lot of fun but I can't say it isn't extremely frustrating sometimes.

Another vote for the metronome here, but be warned... Just when you think you might be doing something OK, the metronome will prove you fooled yourself!

[egordon99]

Originally Posted by Chas007

I'm working on keeping my arm constantly moving. It's difficult to only hit the strings on certain strokes to create different patterns. Trying to sing while playing seems to be double difficult because to me it seems the rhythm of the words sometimes doesn't match the rhythm of the strumming.

That's why you need to be able to strum on "auto-pilot".

I've been playing for so long that I can be singing and playing a song while I "zone out" and think about something completely random (like what I want to eat for dinner that night) My playing and singing doesn't miss a beat (pun intended) because I really am on auto-pilot.

[rmp]

You're on the right track if you're trying and findng it tricky, because at first it is.

However, over time it will come, much like what egordon99 states.

It's all about feeling it too, don't be too concerned right off about getting the strum pattern exactly right. Get the chord changes smooth, and clean while trying to stay in time.

Songs like Bad Moon are very basic, so what is really going on there, isn't anything a little bit of patience and persistence wont sort out.

Proud Mary may be a good one to alternate with, it's not quite so "percussive".

What's really important is making clean chord changes on time.

for now, think about placing the "Bass note" fingers down first and follow w/the others. Set a slow tempo at first, speed up over time

[jseth]

You will definitely get better with more practice - "no substitute for time behind the box", as Norman Blake says!

You want to get to the point where you don't even think about a strumming "pattern"; you'll just know what sort of feel and groove the song has, and you just do it. You can not possibly play, strum, and sing effectively while you're thinking about what you're doing! So, put in the time to make as much of the endeavor automatic. You will find that, as you go along and learn various songs, that soon you will far less trouble just "feeling it" and playing a multitude of songs and styles.

Lots of fun!

"The road goes on forever, and the party never ends..."!!!

[Chas007]

Lots of great advice, even from other beginners; which is especially nice to recieve. Thank you all very much.
I love this forum. The best forum I've ever been on for anything. I'm retired now, so I hope to stick with the guitar long enough to pay some of it forward like you guys.