Singing while playing guitar

flatfourfan

For a while now, I've been singing a bit with some songs that I've been playing. I was wondering if there are any exercises that one can do to improve this?

Sat night while jamming a bit with guidopimp, I decided to bust loose and stretch the voice a bit and sing to paranoid. I must be crap, because guido was smiling...............aka, grinning. But I enjoyed it and it adds a bit more to the music. :? :? :? :? :? ? ? ?

So any advice?

DonovanB

Scales.... and practice.

We all spend so much time practising to be "average" guitar players but expect our voices to fall in line instantly.

Try some scales, just like you would on your guitar.

singemonkey

Are you comfortable with your singing without playing guitar? If so, it's a coordination issue which comes from practise (I struggle with anything that's not rhythmically simple).

If it's singing, that's a different story. It takes just as much practise as guitar. The only difference is, singing can be practised in situation in which guitar cannot, such as while driving. If you're starting out, and you're not able to really project your voice and you're unsure of hitting the right notes, it's almost certainly worth getting lessons.

If you can sing ok, what I do is sing along with challenging singers and try to do what they do. I do this regularly in the car where I can belt it out as loud as I like, I can miss all the notes I like, and no one can hear it.

flatfourfan

singemonkey wrote: Are you comfortable with your singing without playing guitar? If so, it's a coordination issue which comes from practise (I struggle with anything that's not rhythmically simple).

If it's singing, that's a different story. It takes just as much practise as guitar. The only difference is, singing can be practised in situation in which guitar cannot, such as while driving. If you're starting out, and you're not able to really project your voice and you're unsure of hitting the right notes, it's almost certainly worth getting lessons.

If you can sing ok, what I do is sing along with challenging singers and try to do what they do. I do this regularly in the car where I can belt it out as loud as I like, I can miss all the notes I like, and no one can hear it.

I can sing ok and used to sing (caffsforthechurchkeepthatonthedownlow) a few years back, but more than anything, it's the co-ordination issue ( I should of mentioned that). I've started on easy stuff, where parts of the rythmn line up with parts of the lyrics, but I'm busting to pick it up a notch. I've found that since I've been practising the drums, I've noticed that it shares a lot in common with being able to work the right separate from the left.

Malkav

I know this isn't entirely what's meant here, but I like to sing while I play in terms of improvisation ?

I've found that if you can loop a simple chord change and sing a melody over it and then play that melody simultaneously on guitar it can really help with your ability to improvise more directly ? It's a great way to train one's ears and grow accustomed to the different shapes your hand can follow when trying to bridge certain intervals ?

I know that's a bit off topic but it relates to singing while playing the guitar ?

I've found the biggest issue with regards to singing and playing, when we're talking lyrics here, is the timing. I struggle majorly to do both at once, if anyone maybe had some independence exercises that assisted in breaking the barrier between the two activities I'm sure we'd all greatly appreciate it ?

Also earlier I posted this in Youtube videos but I'm gonna repost it here cause it sorta relates to this in terms of independence ?

It's a guy who beatboxes, while playing bass and guitar - all at the same time (cause he's got one of those funky Novak guitars) ?

DaFiz

I practice my singing while watering the garden (iPod & earphones)... ?
no one's yet told me to shuddup, so I must be doing ok... ???

Tonedef

If the daisies start wilting then you will have your first clue ?