Hello folks.

Once again I would like to state I am a newbe to guitar and this forum. I know this has been brought up in the past threads . . . . so here it goes:

I do have a metronome . . . however . . . it is still difficult to sing and play guitar at the same time . . . Does anyone here have any advice. Perhaps someone here has method that has helped in the past.

Again, the song s I am playing are the basic chords on the 1st 4 frets.


Songs I am playing are:

Stand by me (Ben E. King)
Imagine (John Lennon)
Mother (Pink Floyd)
There is a light that never goes out (The Smiths)
Running to stand still (U2)

The only advice i can give you is start doing so whilst your learning.....I waited 15 years plus to start singing properly and playing and i wish to god i had started when i started playing.....

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It's like rubbing your belly and patting your head. Practice and coordination.

GTG is making light of the subject. But he is on the money, Picking & singing is a learned discipline, a conditioned response and requires Practice. If you really hope to develop the skill go at it heard and heavy. Get some privacy and quiet (No Distractions). don't worry what you sound like at first it will come to you in time. Good luck and give us a sample when you've gained some confidence.
----Danny,

still struggling with it myself, but like others said practice in a quiet area.

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--- John

Perhaps the best way to learn to sing and play at the same time is to tune your guitar to whatever song you want to play and then sit down and play along with it a few times to get the feel of it and then start to sing and play along with the record .You'll find that much easier than trying to go it alone.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

+1.

I have deep respect for someone who can play well and sing well simultaneously.

That's what works for me.

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Rated "M" for meaty.

I wish I could give you a helpful hint, but I started singing and playing simultaneously during my first guitar lesson.

However, I was singing for years before I ever picked up a guitar...that may have something to do with it.

I can't explain what I do if I don't know how I do it...

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Isn't it amazing how this works? I'd just been concentrating on playing for a few years before I decided to try and play and sing my wife a song. Good thing I practiced in the basement first because the second I opened my mouth my hands were lost lol. I was fascinated by it. It's definitely a learned skill.

I had been singing a long time before I started playing guitar, but I never had any trouble doing both... except... when trying to sing and play a guitar LEAD, especially something sort of syncopated, like Fast As You, One Way Out or Satisfaction, just as examples. When your words don't line up with your guitar notes at all, then you really have some work to do.

Just keep plugging away - you'll simply start being about to sing when playing or you won't. A man's got to know his limitations. That's why some people just sing and don't even try to bang a tambourine at the same time.

If you can do both, you can be a star!

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

[quote="CRGuitarMan"]I had been singing a long time before I started playing guitar, but I never had any trouble doing both... except... when trying to sing and play a guitar LEAD, especially something sort of syncopated, like Fast As You, One Way Out or Satisfaction, just as examples. When your words don't line up with your guitar notes at all, then you really have some work to do.[/quite]
simpler leads aren't a problem, but you're right about the syncopated rhythms (I always call them "stumble rhythms" because they make me stumble if I try to sing while playing them).
Fast As You killed me rhyhmically, but I never had a problem with the other two you mentioned...although several other Stones songs and even a few I wrote and recorded have stumbled me...I generally get another guitarist or the bassist to play those rhythms and I'll play the leads when we perform those songs live...

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Reno,

Being new to playing guitar myself, I can only tell you how I worked on playing two completely different things with each hand on piano and then singing on top of that. The key is to get really good at each thing individually and then to slowly add the other thing(s) in. By slowly, I mean playing the song slowly and paying attention to where certain phrases fit together between your voice and what you're playing.

Once you've got each part worked out individually, just start slow (and I mean REALLY slow at first) and slowly increase it toward regular speed as you feel more comfortable. Then when you really feel good, go even faster than normal just so that when you go back down to regular speed, it seems that much easier.

I hope that helps and let us know how it goes.

One bunch of guys that I work with like to do
Fast As You a little faster than usual and it's tough, no doubt!

I started with the cowboy chords (open strings) and playing like:
G-D-Am7 / G-D-C / G-D-Am7 / G-D-C

Knockin' on Heaven's Door and others until I could play and sing
to more complicated tunes. Practice, practice, practice and yes
it does get easier with time.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

What works for me is practicing a song to the point I dont have to think about it.

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