Question about singing and playing guitar

[Axezilla32]

Hey guys only been playing about 7 months and I have several of Dave's songs down pretty good but I was wondering as far as singing the tunes should I wait till I have the songs down to where there basically muscle memory playing them or should I be learning to sing them as I'm learning to play them. Whats easier.

[matts420music]

Hey guys only been playing about 7 months and I have several of Dave's songs down pretty good but I was wondering as far as singing the tunes should I wait till I have the songs down to where there basically muscle memory playing them or should I be learning to sing them as I'm learning to play them. Whats easier.

I think thats up for you to decide which is best. Personally, for songs such as The Stone and Trippin Billies (aka more difficult riffs), I learned the riffs first until they were muscle memory (i like that), then began to tack on the lyrics.

[charliemike]

Hey guys only been playing about 7 months and I have several of Dave's songs down pretty good but I was wondering as far as singing the tunes should I wait till I have the songs down to where there basically muscle memory playing them or should I be learning to sing them as I'm learning to play them. Whats easier.

Ultimately, I think singing and playing at the same time is the best way to go. Yes, getting the riffs down makes it easier on you not to have to concentrate on two things at once BUT I think that when you start singing you'll realize there are nuances and pauses in the riffs you didn't realize.

Timing the singing and playing on those songs (The Stone, etc) is not as easy as say Song That Jane Likes. The sooner you start singing and playing the better off you'll be IMO.

BTW, I did it the other way. Played until I got it down and then started singing and realized that I was practicing with the wrong motions and timing.

[SPOTLIGHT5584]

i play LIOG and try to sing it...my problem is maybe emotion being put into the song. as far as timing goes i dont know the first thing about singing and playing i just try and match it the best i can to how the song is sang and played.....does anyone have any tips as far as timing goes???

[Kahn]

There is no trick to getting it down. Its just practice practice practice. You'll get it down soon enough

[SPOTLIGHT5584]

yea im sure theres no trick really......i just cant keep the rythm yet

[Kahn]

You will, it'll just click one day

[charliemike]

i play LIOG and try to sing it...my problem is maybe emotion being put into the song. as far as timing goes i dont know the first thing about singing and playing i just try and match it the best i can to how the song is sang and played.....does anyone have any tips as far as timing goes???

Doing both will give you a good advantage to trying to learn to play first and then sing it ... Practice your ass off and you'll get there sooner than you think.

[Joruus]

I have the issue that I'm tone deaf when I play... separately I can sing fine and play guitar fine. It's when I try to do them together that I fail miserably.

What my mind tries to do is sing the entire chord (as in every note) instead of just the root note (or whatever is supposed to be sung).

Anyone else have this problem and if they did, how did they fix it?

[geo3217]

Spotlight and Axezilla: one of the best things a new musician can do for any instrument is buy a metronome and USE IT OFTEN. Metronomes are a great way to get the rhythm and timing right, and it is essential if you want to play with others (like in a band). Once you have the rhythm and timing right, just slow the song down enough to where you can sing it. On some songs I have to slow the song down to more than 3 or four times less the initial speed before I can get the singing right.

[blinkage]

For the longest time I thought that I was simply not capable of playing and singing at the same time, that my brain just would never be able to wrap itself around the concept. Then one day I was playing and all of a sudden it just "clicked" and I started singing and playing Satellite of all songs, singing over the main riff the on to the chorus and the bridge. From discussions with many other players this is apparently a pretty common way that it happens to people.

Oh and heres a little tip that may help you that took me a while to realize. Most people in this thread have said that it helps when you make the song muscle memory and then start working on singing it, but I've found the opposite to work much better. Making the words, er, "vocal(?)" memory the first priority allows me to then concentrate on playing the riff correctly on the songs where the riff is initially tricky to get down (The Stone, Satellite, JTR, Warehouse, etc).

[iggysoccer20]

Yea, I had the same "click" experience. At first, i would begin to sing and forget to keep playing, or focus on the playing and forget to sing. One day, i just kinda got it. There are still songs that i will have trouble with, but I give them time off then come back and often times i will all of the sudden get them too.