JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Microphone and Vocalist Forum Singing while playing the guitar??

In another year or two I would like to be able to perform my songs live. I am just learning to play the guitar and was wondering if there are any excercises I could to do practice sing/playing the guitar?

Thank you
Jamie

Hi Jamie!

Sorry I can't give you any advice, except to practice doing it. When I started playing piano and singing at the same time, I had to make the playing pretty simple in order to sing well. But with practice I've progressed to playing more complicated stuff. I still play differently when I sing than when I play alone, and I probably sing better when I don't have to think about playing. It's fun to do both, though. I wish you luck! And hopefully someone here who actually plays guitar and sings can give you some better advice! --Jean

Hi Jamie:

What it takes is like JL said, practice, practice, practice. Keep in mind that even with a lot of practice, it takes a while and some people still can't do it.

Typically, when you see artists who sing and play guitar, you'll notice that they don't play many complicated patterns while they are actually singing. Sometimes, they don't play at all while singing. Some are very good at inserting guitar licks in between the lines that they are singing and/or playing solos during the songs.

By far, most of us who sing while playing guitar are simply strumming rhythm parts that support the phrasing of the song we are playing/singing. This makes it easier to do both at the same time.

When first learning to play guitar, this is not easy to do. You should get comfortable making basic chord changes without looking at your fingers before you try to sing along. After that, you'll still need more practice but you should start trying to sing songs that have easy chord changes first and get a good feel for those. Then start adding more complicated songs as you go.

If you practice enough, you'll eventually find that it gets easier to play and sing over time. After a while, your brain kind of "splits" between the tasks of singing and playing and before you know it, you don't even realize you're doing it. You just do it. Once you get there, you are on your way...

A good friend of mine has always insisted that when you play and sing at the same time, you are taking something away from both your playing and your singing. I see his point but I'm not sure I agree with that.

I find that if I'm just singing without my guitar, I think too much and don't know what to do with my hands. When I play and sing at the same time, my brain just takes over and I tend to relax more and enjoy the act of performing.

In the end, I suppose it just depends on your musical ability. I still think pretty much anyone can do it with enough practice. Hope all this long-winded stuff is a little helpful.

Van



[This message has been edited by Buzz Grudge (edited 04-12-2004).]

Whatever you do, please try to keep the guitar in the same position all night. People seem to think that feedback only happens on one mic: trust me, if the guitar moves, it will feedback through the vocal mic. Keep that sound hole away from your vocal mic.

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We are professionals: do not attempt this at home.

Jamie, I found it best to practice guitar & train my voice seperately. Then once a week pick one song and fumble thru it doing both at the same time. Each week when you practice that one song don't really concentrate on how well you are doing each thing seperately but rather just the process of doing the two things at the same time. Each month add a new song... things will be slow at first but one day you will amaze yourself if you keep at it. If you train each seperately the song will improve as you put the two together each week. You are training your muscles and your brain to work together without having to think about it... Just like an athlete practices a jump shot over & over till it becomes second nature. Above all, be patient with yourself. It takes time to develope "muscle memory." Enjoy the process. Hope this helps.

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