Learning to Sing AND play (Page 1 of 2)

It just comes to you. I'm sure you thought you were never going to be able to switch chords and strum at the sametime, but now you can I'm sure.

My wife wanted me to be able to strum something other then just down.  I told her, she has to give me time to be able to play chords and strum. I have a pretty good feel now about strumming and playing chords. I try and get the chords and the strumming down first then try and sing the song. I bigest problem is my voice doesn't sound good at all.

Hi Mikeward,

Welcome to Chordie.

Instead of counting the beats when you practice, sing the song in your mind instead. To sing the song you have to have the correct beat and words are more interesting than repeating one, two, three ,four.........

It then comes easy when you do actually sing it.

Roger

I agree with Roger about singing in your head first, before you do it out loud, and also with the point about try songs that you already know well. I am a beginner also, been playing about 7 months now, and my follow-up question is this. I have noticed that I tend to sing exactly like I'm strumming. Some songs sound fine like that (Jim Croce's Leroy Brown), but others require more freedom with the vocals (Billy Joel's Piano Man). So if anyone has any tips on separating singing from strumming, let me know, thanks.

Hi CGT,

Welcome to Chordie. My answer to you question would be virtually the same as my answer to Mike. Sing in your mind and play, but in this case listen carefully with your ears to your guitar and experiment with different strumming until you find what sounds good to you. I do not advocate trying to copy 'parrot fashion' any artist but to put your own stamp on a song and make it your own.

Roger

Remember that  you don't always just strum - fill in by picking (randomly if you must) the other strings in rhthym to the song you are singing.  Just be sure to strum the whole chord when you are changing to a new chord.  Have fun!

It's been awhile since I went through the transition from "singing or playing" to "singing and playing", but I remember taking a different route.  I played the guitar and started talking while playing.  Probably sounded like a real boob to anyone that may have heard me, but it progressed fairly quickly to where the playing was automatic and the singing blended right in.

mike, try this
first sing the song, then play the music, then try playing them together.
the second thing is to set the guitar down and tap out the beat with your foot. Now with the music in front of you, you make little tick marks for the strumming pattern. It doesn't matter if it counts one, two, three, or four, just tap it out and sing with the tapping. For instance: if the song counts on a four count, just sing the song and everytime your foot taps (1) tick mark, two three four, (1) tick mark, two three four, and just keep on going.
Now once you think you've got it done, I said think. Go back and do it again. Sing through your song a couple of times, then try playing it without singing, then build yourself up to where you can sing and play at the same time.
About the only problem with this is that you know where you strum downward and where you would strum upward, but if you know this then it is of course a slow process, but it will work.

Pick a really easy song, for example Nirvana's About a Girl, and do it slowly. Put the song on your mp3 player and stick it in the car on repeat. Sing it until you know the lyrics  so you don't have to think about them. Then sit with your guitar and play the song through humming the vocal line. Then just do it. It helps if you have somebody else there who can sing the song while you play and then just join in when you feel comfortable. Took me ages for it to click but when it did it felt bloody marvellous.

mikeward100 I know its frustrating and really did my head in trying to do both. An easy song piece of cake but quick chord or note transitition and I really lost it. Still I persevered and it paid off. Its a bit like when I wanted to strum up as well as down, I thought it was going to be impossible then overnight one night I just got it. I think theres a lot in musical instruments like that.

I listen to a song for a only few times, learn the chords.  Practice the guitar part over and over until I know it without thinking much about it. I add different chords in between.  Then I sing the song but I sing it my way.  Many of the songs I sing and play are not exactly as the original.  I like to experiment with different strums, beats and it really is so much more enjoyable to take a song and it's music and make it your own.