Singing AND Playing

[platypus]

Hey SOFTies, i think some of you also have the same problem as me: we can't sing properly while playing our instrument OR we can't play our instrument properly while singing OR both . Yeah, so do any of you guys have any advice on how to train ourselves to be able to sing while playing our instruments without making any mistakes?

thanks!

 

[Guest]

i can play and sing, since i'm my band's vocalist/bassist. at first i couldn't even sing and play properly due to overplaying/underplaying/messing up. but wad i did (not necesarily good for u) was play along to the song, then sing AND play along to the song (not in a band context, but to music frm ur com/stereo) and practice for hours. i still can't play complex basslines and sing though. gotta work on that :?

 

[jon__]

learn your parts really, really well. i'm lead guitarist and lead singer for my band, anna perenna, and i always try and write guitar parts that are interesting by themselves. i've found that if i practice my guitar parts enough they just become muscle memory. tapping and sweeping and singing at the same time becomes possible once you know the part so well that it becomes muscle memory and you can play it without thinking.

it helps to be pretty proficient at both singing and playing seperately, as well as being able to coordinate yourself/multitask.

 

[bin4christ]

if u're playing rhythm guitar,i think it's easy.imo(at least for me) i think it's even easier to sing n play than singing with anthr mate playing for ya-u'll be less likely to sing off-tune..

but heck, i'm much much less a vocalist than i am a guitarist..
but sometimes i do sing(or rather, lip-synch) wen playing for some1 to get the 'feel' of the song so i wont play like an unfeeling robot..

 

[atee]

Takes practice, really. It's like playing the drums, and coordinating 3 or even 4 different beats at the same time.

One reason could be maybe you're not natural enough playing the guitar. Wait till it becomes easy and smooth, then take up the singing part(since it normally requires less energy to get singing right).

 

[AEnimic]

learn the song...remember the lyrics...and u'll be able to nail it...learn the melody of the song...know which part needs a different chord and such.

 

[sage]

i'd suggest just practicing... works for me
i started to suck only when i stopped

 

[smintz]

practice

yup.. practice practice and practice... :wink:
and u have to know the song that you are playing very well..
listen to it over and over .. sing with it.. practice!

 

[Phanto]

i have a dedicated guitarist who doesnt sing. he can play lead/rhythm but he says lead guitar is boring, rhythm is exciiting. thus he refuses to play any fills and solos, and just wants to strum the chords. is this being inflexible? and he says hes scared he'll screw up lead guitar, when lead is only some fills here and there,. and rhtyhm requires u to have a really steady strumming pattern. i think its easxier to screw up bigger time in rhythm.

 

[Santa]

i already gave you my reason why i didn't want to play lead. its not because i dont think its exciting, its because i don't want to screw up.

secondly, i didn't say you were a noob.

stop changing the facts. if you want to call me a fag, then do so.

i'm only doing how i think i can be more useful to the band. u have dinesh and the other guy who can play lead. its not me only.

and i did take ur words into consideration, i am practicing both lead and rhythm, so how bout some niceness and less judgement?

 

[Phanto]

fight fight fight. well doen clement.

 

[Fooddha]

dont know about you guys, but i still have problems singing and playing the flute at the same time :roll:

 

[fictionaire_gse]

...

dont know about you guys, but i still have problems singing and playing the flute at the same time :roll:

hahahahaha..

PRACTISE.

 

[Santa]

oh, there was this guy that played two trumpets at the same time. and at different pitches.

then he played them through his nose. and his ears.

i was like wtf?

i think i saw it on youtube :lol:

 

[Phanto]

i can blow whistle and play guitar

 

[smintz]

....

i think different ppl hav diff strong points... if you think u r better in lead.. then play the lead.. if you think u'll better in rhythm.. then play the rhythm.. if you can do both.. good for you! hmmm.. anyway, nowadays ppl require you to be good at both.. haa.. for me, i'm kinda more a rhythm player too.. and i'm still working on my lead..
back to the topic... i only can sing if i'm playing rhythm, i can't sing if i'm playing lead... hmm... :lol:

 

[DesertEagle]

1. count the beats of the song.
2. Note when the chord changes are in conjunction with the lyrics.
3. Practise your guitar part very very well ( This helps it to be 2nd nature to you and allows u to focus on singing with more passion too!)
4. Its also good to just keep repeating points at which u r struggling to sing and play at the same time.
5. Make sure you have a solid guitaring ability. This just really takes the stress off having to play and sing at the same time. (This I'm working on too! )
6. Its good to practise singing songs that have different guitaring rhythms just to get used to them.
7. Just for fun, try John Mayer songs..they are pretty hard to sing n play at the same time but sure get u learning to sing n play well.
8. Notice practice seems to be appearing again and again ?

Heh..just my personal opinion on what could be done. Hope its useful!

P.s. This advice is given under the presumption that you play guitar and sing at the same time.

 

[Phanto]

yep practice makes perfect. talent also plays a part of course. but i think vocalists should just do pure vocals or with rhythm guitar, not lead. its just hard to do both well.

 

[Santa]

ya. pt taken. i will practice lead.

phanto ur guitar is Swamp Ash, not Ashbody

 

[Phanto]

whats swamp ash?