Singing while playing

[MikeMurray]

Hey guys

So this is yet another one of those things I am AWFUL at. I can sing alright, nothing great, but I have a very good ear so I am ok.

Does anyone have tips on singing while playing? I can somehow play Dust in the wind, but Imagine elludes me.. Any easy songs that anyone can think of off hand which I can practice? Preferable not awful ones :P

Cheers
Mike

[Colt W. Knight]

You should practice playing your chords to where they come second nature. You'll want to play along without singing to get the hang of where the words go according to the beat. If you have to think about where your fingers go and the words, it will be next to impossible to play In sync and in time. I struggled with this and couldn't do it til I became proficient at chirping the guitar. Practice while watching tv. When you can strum and pick well without thinkin, then your ready. Easy songs will expedite the process.

[MikeMurray]

The chords I have down, like I said I can nail Dust In The Wind by Kansas, I am just struggling with the rhythm, so I was thinking of starting on some easy songs to get into the swing of things.

[strat a various]

Here's the fastest way to get a handle on this. Learn the song completely on guitar and lyric/melody. Start out playing one or two chords per measure, or just change when there is a change, but only strum the chord once. Once you have it down perfect that way, slowly get a little busier on guitar. If you keep the vocal steady, as you practice, you'll get better at strumming rhythmically.

[Califiddler]

Do a search - there have been prior threads on this topic.

[MikeMurray]

I looked at the similar threads at the bottom of this thread and picked up a few tips :) I decided not to change this thread though as there were not many good examples of songs with easy rhythms.

One I noted and knew was Mr Brightside by the killers.

Strat a Various, great tip :) Will help as I do struggle when to change. Thanks!

[jkingma]

Singing while playing... I can't do it!

[strat a various]

Originally Posted by MikeMurray

I looked at the similar threads at the bottom of this thread and picked up a few tips :) I decided not to change this thread though as there were not many good examples of songs with easy rhythms.

One I noted and knew was Mr Brightside by the killers.

Strat a Various, great tip :) Will help as I do struggle when to change. Thanks!

Cool. I just think that way is better than learning to play a busy part, then trying to sing over it.

[Joe-Bob]

The guitar part has to be memorized down cold, so you can play on "auto-pilot" as it were. Then you can concentrate on all the things you have to do to sing, like breathe. Not everyone can do it.

[Leon Grizzard]

Originally Posted by Joe-Bob

The guitar part has to be memorized down cold, so you can play on "auto-pilot" as it were. Then you can concentrate on all the things you have to do to sing, like breathe. Not everyone can do it.

On a related note, get singing the song down pat, too. Walk or drive around singing it until you have it; you have to memorize the lyrics, know the phrasing, etc. I am often struck by how often I stumble trying to sing some seemingly simple song. But I agree with the mighty Joe-Bob, the guitar part has to be on autopilot.

[homerzeppelin]

Guns and Roses - Used to Love Her -- that's a simple one to strum and sing.

Another recommendation is to try a piano song. That way you can get the chord progression down, but strum it the way you feel natural while singing. This way you can develop your own style as well. A good example to do this with that is very very easy is "don't let it bring you down" by Neil Young.

[warmingtone]

It's a perennial problem...I am struggling with this again as in the past, as soon as someone knows you can carry a tune, suddenly you are promoted to "vocalist" in my experience...oh well.

Practice, Practice, etc...

...

One thing that I find helps is a bit of "creative visualization"...try and hear both parts without playing either in your head. It's a good skill to develop for anyone, being able to "hear" a melody while you are playing chords and how it fits, or being able to "hear" a progression while you are working on a solo or vocal part away from it....or playing guitar when there's not one handy!

Otherwise, simplify things and build up to it. Some things I really can't do both parts...

I've been playing with a bass player, and I had a go at some of his bass parts and I really couldn't play them and sing...don't know if I ever could. Still, there are a bunch of piano players around who can play chords, a bass line, fills and often the melody and sing that I try to keep in mind as I struggle with this kind of thing.

I have a terrible trouble remembering words, melody and chords seem to be immune. So, I have spent a fair amount of time having to read lyrics or even "charts". This means I have had to play mostly without "looking" and this too can help separate you from what you are doing on the guitar and be able to hear both parts, or at least promote the "auto-pilot".

[homerzeppelin]

Not an easy one, but a worthwhile exercise for me is American Pie. For the life of me, I cannot remember the words or the chords (because they change verse to verse). There is a tab out there that has the words with the chord letters above them. Its a great exercise because it makes me think of which chord I have to play, along with reading the words. The strumming and rhythm starts to come naturally when you are focusing on those 2 things!


http://www.guitaretab.com/m/mclean-don/11654.html

[Papa Joe]

It seems that I misunderstood the problem, as posted..I thought you were talking about playing the lead fills while singing.That is something that takes a lot of time to learn.But playing rhythm and singing at the same time seems like it should come naturaly.It does to me, probably because I started that way.Of course YMMV...

[DavyA]

Lots of good suggestions here. Strumming the chords only once as they come up like Strat-o-Various says is how I teach students, great advice. I personally get to know the melody first and get to sing it with out thinking about it and then go for the chords. It takes a lot of work but if you practice it for a while (long time?) you will be able to do it.

I can even play fills while singing once I really get a song down. I work with a Pedal Steel Player who can sing harmonies while doing fills....now that's concentration!

[warmingtone]

Originally Posted by Papa Joe

It seems that I misunderstood the problem, as posted..I thought you were talking about playing the lead fills while singing.That is something that takes a lot of time to learn.But playing rhythm and singing at the same time seems like it should come naturaly.It does to me, probably because I started that way.Of course YMMV...

Most songs I can get by with a basic style...the fills thing I have trouble with and I have discovered why lately...I sing the guitar lines in my head and my breathing gets all screwed up...hahahha. Seriously, been doing "dock of the bay" lately, not only was it insisted I play it in the original key (doable but not best for my voice on that song) but I arranged it with all these curtis mayfield like fills answering all the vocal lines...sounds great on it's own, can sing the song, but together it's hard not to sound like...

"sitting on the dock of the bay" (doddly, doodle doo) *gasp* "and the lonliness wont leave me alone" (dum, dee dee, doodle bum) *gasp*, (pass out!!!!)

Still, if looking for a song suggestion, that's a pretty good one...you could even attempt whistling and playing too!

[CDKopf]

deleted

[neocaster]

Originally Posted by strat a various

Here's the fastest way to get a handle on this. Learn the song completely on guitar and lyric/melody. Start out playing one or two chords per measure, or just change when there is a change, but only strum the chord once. Once you have it down perfect that way, slowly get a little busier on guitar. If you keep the vocal steady, as you practice, you'll get better at strumming rhythmically.

That's how I do it. Sing and only play the chord on the change. Lyric sheet with chords noted are gold for this. (www.chordie.com is a favorite)

[Tim Bowen]

Originally Posted by MikeMurray

Does anyone have tips on singing while playing? I can somehow play Dust in the wind, but Imagine elludes me..

Those are interesting examples. My question would be as to how you're playing those tunes. As per the recorded track, "Dust in the Wind" is sort of a Travis-picked thing. As for "Imagine", I guess it depends upon whether you wish to ape Lennon's piano part or go for the strummy guitar arrangement that he sometimes offered live. If you want to ape the piano vibe on a guitar, I'd say it's best fingerstyle and second best with hybrid picking. In any event, not really a big deal rhythmically for either tune as to singing and playing simultaneously, if the parts, form, and lyrics have been memorized.

In other words, there are no extreme syncopation challenges here. Simultaneously playing and singing the riff and lyric to "Daytripper", for example, is far more rhythmically challenging.