Singing AND playing?

[Ben Thorpe]

I can only do one or the other. I can never seem to do both. Either I’m playing the guitar just fine and forgetting lyrics or not singing in the correct pitch, or it’s the opposite and I’m getting the vocals perfect and messing up on the guitar. Is that normal? Any tips for developing your aboility to sing and play the guitar at the same time, or will it just come naturally with time? Thanks!

 

[idssdi]

For me I simply have to know really well what my fingers are supposed to do and know what the lyrics are. I can perfeclty fine sing along and play guitar at the same time so i guess it comes with experience and knowing songs well enough

 

[Josh Wright]

I know some people really can’t do it, others it just takes a lot of work. I can’t even clap and sing at the same time, much less play guitar and sing.

 

[Jen Hapke]

You have to be able to play the song without thinking about it before you can sing to it. I can’t do it at all but that’s not my number one goal what means I don’t spend much time trying it.

 

[Tory Capman]

Green Day is a good band for when you first start to sing and play. My first American Idiot I believe

 

[Billie M]

Try first to sing the notes you’re playing. Like try singing only the first word (or syllable) of your song with the note/chord playing while that note is sung. That helped me at first

 

[Matt Wildman]

Well I mean it depends on what your playing on guitar. For example playing rythym on guitar and singing is MUCH easier than playing lead and singing. For me at least

 

[Mervin Moras]

It’s all about multi-tasking dude! Like juggling, dribbling two basketballs, etc.

 

[Tory Capman]

Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom has always impressed me with the lead parts he plays while singing! But it’s all about practice. When I first started trying to sing and play together, I thought I’d never get it. Then I saw Syn singing backups during the chorus of Beast and the Harlot and I said to myself, “It looks so easy! I can do that!” I tried, and now I can. But it’s partially because I’ve been playing that song for a long time and my muscle memory is just automatic for those guitar notes.