advice on singing AND playing... at the same time.

[Tony W]

Ok, most people find this astounding when I ask, but I never get an answer that works. I can strum the guitar, I can change chords, I can do both at the same time! The problem is, every time I open my mouth, either one or both of my hands stop working. Obviously I'm a noob in every aspect of music.

Some people tell me that it's just unnatural to play without singing, they can't wrap their mind around it. Others tell me to just practice. I've hit some sort of mental barrier. I can only tell you this, I am consciously aware of what both hands are doing, and concentrate on changes. I'm assuming if this became second nature, almost an involuntary action that I could focus on moving my lips?

[Greeny]

Well... with the BR you have the luxury of being able to record both separately! But for me, I couldn't write songs or play live without doing both at the same time 

I think it's just practice - and as you say, being at a level of ease where your hands are taking care of the chords automatically whilst your mind is focused on nailing the vocal.

And remember, it's not unnatural to play without singing - there are plenty of top-notch guitarists on here who won't be doing both at the same time. It just depends on what you want from your own music 

[Bluesberry]

I am working on this very thing.  About a year ago I really struggled with this.  I consider myself a much better guitar player than singer, so I never focused on singing before.  But, I really want to be able to play and sing at the same time because when it is clicking it just feels so great.  So I started, slowly at first, just keep practicing.  Pick songs with really easy chord progressions (like G-C-D nothing else for example) and sing with these.  Have tab music printed out (don't rely on your memory), and go over a few songs over and over for days, weeks, months.  It takes a lot of practice.  Go over the same song 5 times in a row for example.  One thing I have done is make backing tracks with my MBR, drums and just the acoustic strumming chords, nothing fancy.  Make a MP3 and sing along with this.  If you get lost on the chords you stop strumming for a bit, but keep singing, then pick up with your strumming on the next line, verse.  This way you can concentrate more on the singing than the guitar, and if you loose your guitar thread you don't have to stop.  After a few times like this it gets much easier.  Then try it without the backer.  It takes a lot, lot, lot of practice to be able to do this.  It is not easy, but when it starts to come it is so rewarding.  I love to play and sing at the same time now, great way to unwind after a shitty day at work.

[hewhoiscalledj]

Not an uncommon thing for sure. I've found that some songs are just easier than others to sing along too. It's especially tough when the vocal melody varies greatly from the chordal melody. Not sure if thats what I mean but for example, I love playing Dave Matthews' "Crash" on acoustic but I'll be darned if I can hit the notes right, or follow along the was Dave sings it. But I dont let it stop me... On pretty much every song that I sing and play on, I've found its much easier to just follow your own voice and internal melody as opposed to trying to sing/sound just like the original. On the same note, I dont try to play the guitar the exact same way either. It's better to do it naturally; however it winds up sounding vs. the original. If it means skipping a strum or a whole chord altogether, just keep playing/singing and you'll work it out on your own and to your own style.

My point here is to relax and find your own way thru the song. If belting the words out is difficult, then start with just humming along and feeling how the vocal melody sits with the guitar. Another big suggestion is to play along with a metronome or even just a generic drum beat using the MBR or whatever is on hand. It's amazing how much simpler playing/singing becomes when you dont have to think about the tempo and just go with the flow. My last suggestion as I mention above, is to play the song with your own voice and style (in my case, i usually end up using a punk sensibility to make the song my own...)

Good luck and keep it up!

[Tony W]

Great, GREAT advice, thank you all. I think my approach to playing has been off. I've been mechanical about the whole process, and not so much spiritual. On occasion, I cut loose and "feel" it, its so much more satisfying.

A few of the songs I work on regularly are:

Patience - Guns N' Roses
Every Rose Has its Thorn - Poison
Ramblin' Man - Allman Brothers
Take it Easy - Eagles

The last 2 I can almost sing and play, because the strum pattern and syllables line up quite nicely. (great substitution for 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and).

I'm looking forward to one day exploring the fret board beyond the 3rd Fret too. As far as singing goes... I can empty a bar on karaoke night.

[Kody]

Hey man, I'd say practice~ I know there's some songs where at first it feels like there's no way I could ever sing and play! But if there's a will, there's a way! You can do it if you set your mind to it sort of thing~ If Kurt Cobain could do it (with his weird ryhthms) so can you and I! The only song on your list that I haven't been playing(and singing ) for years is Ramblin' Man... Glad to have you aboard bro

[Tony]

And don't forget that B.B.King very rarely manages both.  He overlaps his singing with a little guitar but pretty much keeps them separate.  And he hasn't done too badly for himself - although he generally has the luxury of a rhythm guitarist for the chords.

[BossMicroBRew]

Yeah, that's a luxury of some styles; some call and answer kind of stuff. I think it's a simple answer. Practice, and a lot of it. Some it comes to very easily. Some not. It has to be pretty basic for me to do both at the same time, but then again, I don;t practice enough at it either. Good luck! ac

[Wiley]

You will get there.  Just keep your songs simple.  Through Google and other search sites you can search for the words & lyrics to songs.  A lot of them rate them by difficulty.  You don't always have to make a song have a kazillion chords and still sound nice.  there are many simple options. LOL As  I can play basic rythm chords. Not bar chords and can follow a lot.  Just work at it and it will come and yes the Br is nice as you can do one and then add the other. And Kody Ramblin Man is the only one I knew LOL

[Dmann]

 I've been a guitar player for nearly 20 years, was always the lead or rhythm in the band and never even gave vocals much thought at all. After quitting music completely for a few years, I got back into it again about 6 months ago and started jamming with a drummer, my old bass player and my son playing rhythm guitar. While jamming out some riffs is fun after a few sessions it starts to get boring without vocals so I decided to give it a shot, took the plunge bought a cheap PA and a Mic.

 I really suprised myself at first as I didn't have much trouble blurting out the lyrics for songs I knew already. First thing I came to realize after a few jams is the most important thing... your voice and guitar are 2 completely seperate instruments.

 Once I came to grips with that, I found it easier for me to make sure I had the guitar riffs down 100% prior to trying to sing along. One major change I made was whenever I practice now, I always ALWAYS attempt to sing it while playing... getting used to it made a huge difference.

 I'm still no pro or nothing and my singing is a major work in progress, but I have pretty much overcome the obstacle of working both instruments at the same time. My major issue now is learning how to breathe properly so I can sing better and clearer. I posted a thing a few weeks ago here which I removed but I got a lot of tips from the community and the general tip that pretty much everyone kept saying was practice practice practice and posture and breathing are very important.

 hopefully this helps.

 Dmann.