Singing and Playing

Jam10 · July 2008

I have a tough time singing and playing guitar at the same time. I'm not by any means a good singer at all but I think it would add interest to other people listening to me especially my wife when I play my acoustic guitar. It's one thing to just strum some chords to say.....Man of the Hour but if I could sing it at the same time it would sound so much better. The last 2 years I have really been focusing my attention to being a good guitar player by doing......scales, appregios, picking excerises, difficult chords, learning different licks but Inever spent the time to sing while I play. I find it pretty difficult to do. Even the simpliest 3 chord songs. I have never been a singer and I don't really remember all the lyrics to songs so that could have something to do with it.
Do you think over time I'll just be able to sing while I play or is it something that I should practice daily and is there any good practicing techniques to be able to sing and play?

Thanks

xtremehardy388 · July 2008

I learned to sing and play by just singing with chords. Eventually, I could play single notes with a different rhythm and sing. It just takes practice, to be honest. Good PJ songs to work with...

Yellow Ledbetter(Stone's part)
Black
Not For You
Masters of War(PJ Cover)

A GOOD Nirvana song to try is "Aneurysm" (though it's a TON of screaming)

After, you can work your way up with songs.

Anon · July 2008

Mostly it's just about practicing, the more you do it, the better you'll get at it. You need to know your lyrics back to front. Learn to play the guitar part so well that you can do it in your sleep and then learn to sing the song so you don't have to think about it, without the guitar.

Like extreme already mentioned, start with the simple stuff. Better to be simple and right than complicated and not right. Don't ask your fingers (or your voice) to do more than they're capable of, with practice you will eventually become soooo much better.

To start off, you can just hum the melody (it can be anything) whatever comes out

, to the melody while playing through the chord progressions on your guitar. That way you are not having to concentrate on the words as well as your playing simultaneously.

Adapt your guitar track to your voice, use a capo if you have too. Forget the solos and watch out for picking. It's really, really hard to pick and sing at the same time so keep away from that.

Practice, practice, practice, then after you've worked out both versions, just combine the two, and it should go pretty smooth. You can also start to practice to a metronome. (It's gonna seem a bit hard at first but you'll get used to it). That's always worked for me.

Also, recording yourself so you can really hear what you sound like can be kick ass, (or not so kick ass), depending on what you hear!

Have fun and enjoy!

jcmark611 · July 2008

Let go and just play. Don't think about it and just play. Sit down with your guitar and start strumming out a song but, don't look at the guitar. Look out the window. Watch the people going by on the street or the birds in the trees. Get to where you are playing without thinking. Once you get to the point where you can play without thinking you can start singing.

It helps if you sing the song in your car or something so that you are familiar with the song so you can sing it without thinking too.

Jam10 · July 2008

Pj_Gurl wrote:

Mostly it's just about practicing, the more you do it, the better you'll get at it. You need to know your lyrics back to front. Learn to play the guitar part so well that you can do it in your sleep and then learn to sing the song so you don't have to think about it, without the guitar.

Like extreme already mentioned, start with the simple stuff. Better to be simple and right than complicated and not right. Don't ask your fingers (or your voice) to do more than they're capable of, with practice you will eventually become soooo much better.

To start off, you can just hum the melody (it can be anything) whatever comes out , to the melody while playing through the chord progressions on your guitar. That way you are not having to concentrate on the words as well as your playing simultaneously.

Adapt your guitar track to your voice, use a capo if you have too. Forget the solos and watch out for picking. It's really, really hard to pick and sing at the same time so keep away from that.

Practice, practice, practice, then after you've worked out both versions, just combine the two, and it should go pretty smooth. You can also start to practice to a metronome. (It's gonna seem a bit hard at first but you'll get used to it). That's always worked for me.

Also, recording yourself so you can really hear what you sound like can be kick ass, (or not so kick ass), depending on what you hear!

Have fun and enjoy!

Thanks a lot Pj Gurl. That all makes so much sense. I think the trouble is that I find myself forgetting the words and then I'm thinking about the lyrics and that's what makes it difficult. I know the guitar parts really well, but if I'm thinking to hard about the lyrics, it's like it's too hard to think about 2 things at the same time. I think if I just make up my own lyrics while strumming some chords that would help as well.

Stone Is God · July 2008

Jam10 wrote:

Thanks a lot Pj Gurl. That all makes so much sense. I think the trouble is that I find myself forgetting the words and then I'm thinking about the lyrics and that's what makes it difficult. I know the guitar parts really well, but if I'm thinking to hard about the lyrics, it's like it's too hard to think about 2 things at the same time. I think if I just make up my own lyrics while strumming some chords that would help as well.

If you have trouble with the lyrics just hum along when you're playing. I started to do that and once I got comfortable with the words I started to sing.

It takes some confidence and practice. I always asked my teacher how he did it and he basically said what Pj_Gurl said.

Once to get comfortable, watch out. You'll be able to pick things up fast.

If you know Elderly Woman, try that one. That's the first one I learn to sing/play on.

keeponrockin · July 2008

Yeah, basically it's just practice. There are some songs that are still difficult, but the campfire songs, once you can do one, you can do it all!

Keiran · July 2008

Good luck Jam10 - I love to listen to people who can both sing and play and instrument at the same time. I can only play the piano (guitar was waaaaay too hard for me)!!! I find that if I simplify what my hands are doing, the singing comes easier and fills in the parts of the song that I think sound empty.

On a side note, what does Eddie do? Does he just chord when he sings? I've tried to watch concert videos and it's hard for me to tell - it all looks difficult and complicated!!!!

jcmark611 · July 2008

Eddie pretty much does it all when he plays and sings, except lead. On "Better Man" he starts out with a odd fingerpicking and then strums once the song gets going. He plays the riff for "Rear View Mirror" and sings at the same time.

stevieraveon · July 2008

jcmark611 wrote:

He plays the riff for "Rear View Mirror" and sings at the same time.

That is a bitch to do.

keeponrockin · July 2008

stevieraveon wrote:

That is a bitch to do.

It's like 'Day Tripper'

FinsburyParkCarrots · July 2008

It depends what you're playing. I've a song in 5/4, with some fiddly bits, and it's a fucker to try to sing along to, especially as the vocal line is different from the main melody. I'd love to do it live, but I'm simply not good enough. If I had a band rather than being a solo performer, I might crack it, though.

ianvomsaal · July 2008

Practice . . . It's the best way to get better.
You've just got to learn to separate your head from your hands (a lot of Dave
Matthews songs are great for learning to do this - as said, practice practice).

However, a really good exercise for you will be for you to play spider scales
(starting on the low-E) at a tempo like 96bpm. Each beat consists of 4-notes
on each string, thus when you've heard 6 beats you've completed the scale
on all 6-strings ending on the high-E (G#note on the 4th fret) - it shouldn't be
tooo difficult for you to do this since you've said you spent the better part of
the last two years on scales, appregios, picking exercises, different licks, etc).
* Now here's the TRICK - while you're playing this spider scale, read out-loud
from a book/magazine - this is where the separation of head/hands comes in.
I had to do this in Music School at 144bpm (while reading Shakespeare, ughh).
Mind you it works, and really helps you get a grasp on hands/head separation.
I can now play a solo and talk to a cute girl in the front row at the same time

Spider Scales are played with all fingers (index, middle, annular, pinky). Notes are
played consecutively resulting in a chromatic passage on each string - then it's
moved up a fret at the end of each phrase (playing it up 1 fret for each passage.
(I slide either my pinky or index up depending on which e-string I'm on at the end).

slide up a fret from 4 to 5 with pinky
e|-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-3-2-|-3-4-5-6-| . . . etc, etc
B|-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-3-2-|-3-4-5-6-| . . . etc, etc
G|-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-3-2-|-3-4-5-6-| . . . etc, etc
D|-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-3-2-|-3-4-5-6-| . . . etc, etc
A|-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-3-2-|-3-4-5-6-| . . . etc, etc
E|-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-3-2-|-3-4-5-6-| . . . etc, etc

slide up a fret from 2 to 3 with index

Cheers . . . Ian

StuffnJunk · July 2008

the easiest songs to start with are songs where the chords change on a word....for example "elderly woman behind the counter in a small town"....i'd say start with this

"I seem to recognize your face" over D-Cadd9-G-Cadd9-G

D chord on "I"
Cadd9 on "seem"
G on "recognize"
Cadd9 on "face"
G at the end

and the whole song is basically like that...i really think this is THE best possible song to start with

All Those Yesterdays · July 2008

It's just another one of those humps in the road of guitar playing. Out of know where you just will get it. But yes practice is requried for sure.

Jam10 · July 2008

ianvomsaal wrote:

Practice . . . It's the best way to get better.
You've just got to learn to separate your head from your hands (a lot of Dave
Matthews songs are great for learning to do this - as said, practice practice).

However, a really good exercise for you will be for you to play spider scales
(starting on the low-E) at a tempo like 96bpm. Each beat consists of 4-notes
on each string, thus when you've heard 6 beats you've completed the scale
on all 6-strings ending on the high-E (G#note on the 4th fret) - it shouldn't be
tooo difficult for you to do this since you've said you spent the better part of
the last two years on scales, appregios, picking exercises, different licks, etc).
* Now here's the TRICK - while you're playing this spider scale, read out-loud
from a book/magazine - this is where the separation of head/hands comes in.
I had to do this in Music School at 144bpm (while reading Shakespeare, ughh).
Mind you it works, and really helps you get a grasp on hands/head separation.
I can now play a solo and talk to a cute girl in the front row at the same time

Spider Scales are played with all fingers (index, middle, annular, pinky). Notes are
played consecutively resulting in a chromatic passage on each string - then it's
moved up a fret at the end of each phrase (playing it up 1 fret for each passage.
(I slide either my pinky or index up depending on which e-string I'm on at the end).
slide up a fret from 4 to 5 with pinky
e|-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-3-2-|-3-4-5-6-| . . . etc, etc
B|-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-3-2-|-3-4-5-6-| . . . etc, etc
G|-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-3-2-|-3-4-5-6-| . . . etc, etc
D|-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-3-2-|-3-4-5-6-| . . . etc, etc
A|-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-3-2-|-3-4-5-6-| . . . etc, etc
E|-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-3-2-|-3-4-5-6-| . . . etc, etc
slide up a fret from 2 to 3 with index

Cheers . . . Ian

Thanks for this exercise Ian. I'll give it a try!

Jam10 · July 2008

StuffnJunk wrote:

the easiest songs to start with are songs where the chords change on a word....for example "elderly woman behind the counter in a small town"....i'd say start with this

"I seem to recognize your face" over D-Cadd9-G-Cadd9-G

D chord on "I"
Cadd9 on "seem"
G on "recognize"
Cadd9 on "face"
G at the end

and the whole song is basically like that...i really think this is THE best possible song to start with

Yeh you're right. This song is pretty simple to sing and play at the same time. It's pretty much the only song I can do this to. I can sing parts of Betterman and play at the same time as well but Elderly Woman.....I can pretty much do the whole song. It just seems to flow really simple with the chords.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Singing and Playing

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