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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Chordie's Chat Corner → Can't get it all together.
I'm brand new with a brand new guitar. I 'm trying to learn to play and sing. I have learned some chords but can not get it to sound like I know the melody sounds in the original verson. Ok, do I try to strum each word of the song? Do I try to imatate the sound of each word with a chord? I cant seem to get the strumming with the words of it and all tied together to sound smooth.
Aside from learning to play chords and learning to sing, it seems that doing them together for the first time gives most people fits. Strumming with each word is not necessary. Start out by strumming a chord with each set of words until you get the feel of it. You can strum a chord for each word if you want. You need to feel the rhythm of the song, much the same as you would tap your foot when you sing a song. This usually helps most people. It really is hard to explain. Some others will come on here and explain better, I am sure. Anyway, I'm happy for you and your new guitar. Don't give up. It takes lots of practice. Make it fun, not work. Enjoy it. It will come. And welcome to the site. Check some of the other threads in the forum for this issue. It comes up often and you are not alone. Good luck.
Hey Sonnya,
Start by finding a song you know well that uses the chords you also know. If you can't a song with the chords you know find a song you know and learn the chords, but stick to simple chords at first. Listen and try it, then listen again and try it again....eventually it will click. The more you try the more familiar it will get...good luck. You should think about investing into some actual lessons, but there is nothing wrong with getting your feet wet first on your own. There are also plenty of tips on how to play properly for new players as well which I recommend you also check out.
Good luck and welcome to chordie!
Hi Sonnya and welcome to Chordie,
Perhaps if you let us know what songs and the keys that you intend to sing them in we can give some more specific help.
Merry Christmas.
Roger
I'm brand new with a brand new guitar. I 'm trying to learn to play and sing. I have learned some chords but can not get it to sound like I know the melody sounds in the original verson. Ok, do I try to strum each word of the song? Do I try to imatate the sound of each word with a chord? I cant seem to get the strumming with the words of it and all tied together to sound smooth.
Sound like your getting mixed up with the background structure of the song which are the chords and the overlaying melody which is the tune. Thats the part that's usually sung as the chords are strummed.
The chords are not the melody so when played on their own won't sound to much like the song your trying to play.
If you look up the chords to song you want to learn it will show you where the chord changes happen to the words being sung. I take for granted you know the tune of the song so you will sing this over your stumming chords.
This won't happen overnight it's the old nut of practice pratice practice.....
Good luck
ark
There are a few things going on in a song, and with guitar you can participate in any or all of them. However, just starting out I think you'd do well to limit yourself to beat and melody.
The beat is the underlying structure of the song. All they rhythm takes place over the beat. Most rock songs have four beats that repeat over and over. 1 2 3 4. There may be a lot of rhythmic things happening in those four beats, but overall it's four beats. See if you can listen to something and get the underlying beat of the song. Just listening. When you can clap your hands or tap your feet constantly at the same speed without alteration and keep it going, you understand beat. Strum down once per beat. Sometimes you change chord on the 1 beat and sometimes on the three beat and sometimes on each beat. You have to listen for that. But first... listen for the beat. Often times Country songs - especially the genre now being called Alternate Country or Americana - is easiest to hear the beat.
Then the melody is what you may think of when you sing it. It rises and falls and is the recognizable tune that you would hum if someone said, "I don't know that song. Can you hum a little bit of it?"
If you can sing the melody while strumming down once per beat in time steadily over the song, you've met a significant hurdle for playing and singing. You'll neat rhythmic stuff with the strumming and learn to pick out a melody and enhance it over time. I've seen some guys in bars playing where they keep the beat with a bass line, play rhythm in the middle, and play melody as a lead lick all at the same time on guitar. It's extremely impressive, but that takes years of steady practice to get to that level. As a beginning, playing a steady, smooth strum without having to stop to change chords and being able to sing the melody at the same time is HUGE. As arkady said, it takes a great deal of practice. It also is not something you learn all at the same time. You have to learn the chords, smooth transition between chords, how music is constructed in beats and rhythm, how melody works, and in all likelihood you'll have to learn to sing too. You've got a lifetime of learning ahead of you, and no matter how much you learn and how good you get, there will still be more to learn. It's wonderful.
- Zurf
And another thing to mention is that it is something that takes time.
A friend of mine told me when I started that at the end of the first year, you may be able to play a song. By the end of the second year, people may even recognize the song and you'll be starting to get pretty good. By the end of the third year people will start to ask you to bring your guitar along.
Don't worry if at the end of the first couple months you aren't playing and singing together. If you could, you'd be a rare individual indeed. Most folks at a couple months are still trying to get the basic chords down and be able to transition between them. At three months, I was still having to pause to get to a D chord. So don't let it worry you. Learn at your own pace. Don't pressure yourself. It will all come in time if you practice.
Take your time and practice practice practice.When you get done,practice more.Keep your eyes on the prize and don`t think of it as a chore.If you screw up with yourself,don`t worry. I can play and sing together but my voice is so awful that all the neighborhood dogs probably start howling.Eventually you will notice you are doing it no problem. Try doing it freely at first then throw in upstrums or different fills.It will happen.Don`t get discouraged
Guys, thanks for the good stuff. I have just learned, Waltz across Texas, Ernest Tubb song, not perfect but I now can keep the rythum and no pauses between chords, feels great. I have played it a gillion times. I guess I'm expecting too much from myself too soon, Thanks again, Sonny
Hi Sonnya, welcome to Chordie from across the pond. It's a great place, especially for beginners - just keep up that practice...
Cheers!
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Chordie's Chat Corner → Can't get it all together.
