Singing whilst playing (at the same time)

[ShReDdA]

Hi guys.
Bit of a strange post here not sure if its in the right part of the forum but here goes.
I was wondering if any of you jemsiters ever had problems with singing whilst playing guitar? Through a long time of not being able to find a singer i've decided to give it a go myself. I've been told i can sing by a friend, but it comes to great dissapointment that when i try to play and sing together, i end up singing to the same rythmm as what i am playing, or my hands or voice get completely lost.
So my question is can anyone else relate to this problem?And does anyone have any tips/advice on how to overcome it?

many thanks
peace

[ScottB]

I can play easy rhythm parts and sing backup vocals quite well, but when it comes to singing lead, forget it. I have a hard time, even with the simplest chord progressions.

I once asked the lead vocalist in my band how he learned to play rhythm and sing. He stated that whenever he practices his vocals, he always has a guitar in hand and plays the rhythm of the song, even if it's just strumming once on each chord change. I'm sure if you practice enough and are dedicated to the task, you'll be able to work through it. It's definitely harder than walking and chewing gum at the same time!

[Gurj]

I find it very difficult to sing and play guitar at the same time. But if you've heard my singing, you'd agree that is not a bad thing at all

[Tom Gilroy]

I can't sing so I don't but I can't sing at all when I play. I can just barely speak.

[fettouhi]

Originally Posted by Tom Gilroy

I can't sing so I don't but I can't sing at all when I play. I can just barely speak.

I do neither (when I play I mean hm....).

Regards

André

[ShReDdA]

Thanks dudes, it would appear this is a common problem. Can you think of any songs to learn that would help me on my way?i've had a go at simple Bob Dylan and Coldplay stuff, thats a bit easier but i still found i do sing and play better seperately.

[Eddie88]

Hi

I have no problem singing and playing guitar at the same time. I just can. Probably because I've been very involved in music from an early age.

Anyways, my guitar teacher told me he used to practice the riffs until he could play them upside down and backwards. Hehe, in other words, completely automatically. His fingers were just moving, he didnt even have "control" of it, hehe. And then, logically, "just" sing the vocal line.

A pretty funny thing; when he tried to relearn some of his old songs, he COULDNT look at the guitar while he played it. The fingers were playing the song, but he actually didnt remember the songs by looking. Pretty crazy !! So he had to kind of "sneak peak" (or something) at the fretboard, and TRY to see what he was doing!!

So you could say the songs were in his fingers :P

Plays metal btw.

PS: He is a pretty famous person with very very long experience etc. So he absolutely knows what he's saying...!

[MehYam]

Eddie's advice is good - being able to play the song "automatically" helps. There are three more things that I think will work:

1) If the guitar and singing part have different rhythms, superimpose the rhythms onto each other such that they make a single "super" rhythm. Simple example - suppose you strum on beats 2 and 4 and sing on 1 and 3, then together you have a 1,2,3,4 where you trade beats between your voice and your guitar. Try playing a scale like this, trading notes between your voice and fretboard

2) Slow the bitch down REAL slow so that you nail the rhythm. You may have to write it down on paper. Don't worry if you dunno sheet music, just write the words with ticks for beats on the guitar

3) Lotsa practice. It'll become natural to the point where you can concentrate on your voice, volume, and inflection w/o worrying about the guitar

[jemaholic]

I've had difficulty playing and singing "Over the Hills an Far Away" by Zeppelin.
Somw days I'm right on, and other days I'm good.....