Strumming...singing = ARGH!

MIKE iam pretty new at this but just keep at it i have found that singing helps my playing over and over and over you get kinda sick of the same song . it will all come together.

It helps when you learn them together. A lot of songs (not all) have chord changes that will help you. You will find that the song will strum a chord for a little bit and on the next lyric line you will have a chord change.

It is tough to describe, but a good tip is to have the whole song printed on paper so you can look at it and fully review it before even attempting to play it.

Hi,

This seems to be a very common problem. My guess is that it's because we're suddenly trying to play two instruments at once. The guitar which we've put a fair bit of work into, and the voice which we just expect to be able to get to do what we want, without doing much work beforehand.

I've started trying to build voice work into my daily practice. Doing similar stuff that I'd do if I was learning any other instrument. I.e a few scales, a bit of work on timing, singing to the bar structure, learning to sing in tune and so on.

If in doubt I always break things down into small steps first and then build up. That might mean getting both parts solid before combining them, or working on it a bar at a time, or whatever.

Good luck. (Oh, and check out the forum here for Singing too, there might be some tips there. :)

Cheers, Chris

"If in doubt I always break things down into small steps first and then build up. "

Absolute gem of an advice! I constantly use it myself along with dilated beat ( 4/4 becomes 8/8 for e.g).

Mike, I would have the strumming down perfectly before attempting to sing. As when you have got the strumming and the chord changes are in time; you would be able to "hear" the song in your head. Singing will then become easier.

Cheers

Yeah, it's pretty funny. I sing a my church band, and am learning to play guitar so I can do that, too. Not that i'm the most versatile singer, and there are quite a few songs that are beyond me no matter what I do, but never mind.

But whenever I try and play guitar and sing a song, my wife tells me to please stop, because I sing completely out of key when I play guitar at the same time. Even if it's a song I've otherwise mastered.

There is one song I can play "perfectly" and sing "perfectly", for a given value of perfect, but when I put the two together, the cats complain :)

I'll need to work on that at some stage, but first I have to get my timing working...now where did I put that metronome.

It helps me to have the strum pattern and chord changes down to the point that they are second nature. Then I add the lyrics.

But whenever I try and play guitar and sing a song, my wife tells me to please stop, because I sing completely out of key when I play guitar at the same time. Even if it's a song I've otherwise mastered.

Sounds like your playing in one key and singing in another. If you can't match your voice to the key your playing in try the opposite. Use a capo to change the key your playing in. Love that capo.

I bought a chromatic tuner a couple of days ago and have discovered that it's handy for checking my voice as well as my guitar.

I can just stop playing and keep singing and then see if I'm anywhere near the note that I'm supposed to be hitting. :oops:

Cheers, Chris.

I play and sing wish you were here with my band.The melody and strum pattern are a little different so until you get used to singing the melody in time and in tune just strum along with the melody.You'll probably find the original strum pattern (ie whats on the record) will come naturally in time.I doubt Dave Gilmour plays it the same as the record these days.
Hope this helps.

Hey Mike,

Singing and playing, it's a killer. Once I start singing, I stop playing, start playing stop singing, circle jerk over and over again.

However with time it can be beat. I am a horrible singer, real flat most of the time.

But I finally learned to play and sing my first song a couple of months ago. No real secret or trick to it, just lot's of playing and then singing in my head and then loud humming while playing and then finally the words came.

It's easier if you know the song and melody already. Just don't give up or get too frustrated about it. In time it will come.

Good luck,

Kenny

BTW, the song I chose to learn to play and sing is "Angel of Montgomery". It was a gift for my wife and youngest daughter (when she turned five).

As expected, this forums advice is...golden! I'm going to nail the strum first, then move on to the singing. Should be interesting (and fun!)...take care all, thanks again!

Mike

I find doing both at the same time, or doing the strumming first, both work.

A really important aspect is matching the strumming with the words. Knowing that when you say "____" you switch to a ___ chord. And when you say "____" you switch to a ___ chord.

sing and strum at the same time. work it out together.

your vocal phrasing can be timed and emphasized by your rhythm choices.
one actually helps the other.
tricky at first, but doing it makes it better.

oh,, cover your dogs ears if you have any ability like mine starting off...they howl.

Singing and playing, it's a killer. Once I start singing, I stop playing, start playing stop singing, circle jerk over and over again.

And, here, I thought that term meant something else altogether :lol: :lol:

Same problem for me, though. It's like the "pat your head, rub your belly" thing only way worse. I'm trying though.