I just put on this old sad song and played along. I eventually started doing the backing vocals, then I started doing lead vocals and messed up a bit. Anyways, I'd like to thank Riley for the advice he gave me yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLueApswPPM

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

I can't sing and play at the same time. I get into this mental block and end up either strumming in syllables or messing up the vocals. I guess it takes a lot of time to get good at it.

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"Music is what feelings sound like"

It's easier when you play with a pick.. a good strumming pattern while singing is good... I used to sing before while playing the bass.. but then again we added a good vocalist and eventually i lost it..

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If I Like It...
I Just Do It...

Some styles just don't lend themselves to singing as they are too demanding, yet you can try it slow then slowly speed it up.

I've found that singing and playing at the same time is a little like learning the left hand and right hand parts on a piano piece. It can be tricky because you're kind of asking your brain to do two things at the same time. Especially if the guitar part is more complicated than simple strumming, it can take a bit of practice to get it right.

The best way to practice a guitar accompaniment to your vocals: 1) make sure you have the guitar part down cold -- if you can't play it right without singing there's no way you'll get it correct with singing, 2) start practicing the guitar part with the vocal part at a slow tempo and work your way up to speed, and 3) isolate and drill any parts that give you trouble. With enough practice, the whole thing will eventually become automatic.

That is great advice. That is exactly what I have done!

I think it really helps to start when you are young, or maybe it helps if you've been singing pretty much all your life. My first band only did instrumentals because no one wanted to sing, but eventually I just started doing the singing and I've been doing it ever since.

It can get trickier when you are singing while playing lead or playing serious bass, but practice overcomes even that in a relatively short time.

Maybe it's one of those skills you are just born with...

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

Depends on the strum pattern. On simple 1/4 note strums I can sing no problem, or even 1/8 note strums per measure, now once it starts to mix up I get all jacked up lol.

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"Music is what feelings sound like"

And by the way . . . I do miss the RAMONES ! ! !

Glad that you're getting the hang of it James. Learning the guitar parts so you can play them without too much thought then the singing parts will be alot easier.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.