So you want to be able to sing and play at the same time?
Pretty hard, huh?
It is, but it doesn’t have to be. It all boils down to timing (doesn’t everything?)
Here’s the deal; when you are strumming a song there is a certain rhythm and groove that’s going on…
When you sing, your voice is an instrument and it is performing a melody and that melody has its own rhythm – the notes that you sing are meant to be sung at a specific time.
Now in the blues, that time can get pretty loose and the vocal can almost sit on top of the beat and just float around. This tends to happen a lot in a slow blues especially… and it happens less as the tempo gets a little faster.
If you want to be able to play a song and sing it at the same time, both things need to happen basically on autopilot.
Now for playing the guitar part, we tend to be pretty good about that because we know we need to be able to play it well. And of course if you’ve followed my emails and ramblings for any length of time then by now I’ve impressed upon you the importance of timing so you’ve got that going on 😉
However, with singing we all tend to forget that our voice is also an instrument and the melody that we sing is also formed with notes and rhythm and beats and timing.
So before you try to sing and play, need to get the singing down rhythmically and correct… that does NOT mean you sing along with the song on the recording.
For one thing, when you play it on guitar, it won’t sound like the recording. So all the little audible cues you are used to won’t be there.
So first, record yourself playing the song with no vocal so you can use it as your practice track.
Second, listen to the track (don’t sing) and count the beat along with it. Most songs are in 4/4 time so if you aren’t able to count to 4 consistently throughout the recording along with your own playing… that may be the problem right there. And in that case you need to go back to the guitar playing part of this equation.
But assuming you are playing it correctly and in time, and you can count along to confirm that, the last step is to try singing along with that practice track.
If you can’t do it right away, try clapping the beats instead of using your voice, that may be easier.
But at the end of the day, singing requires as much patience and regard to rhythm as any instrument. You don’t want to be the singer instrumentalists joke about that “doesn’t know when to come in and can’t find the key.”
And one last little tip is to try choosing songs that have a melody that sits “in the pocket” as opposed to floating around the time. A lot of songs by artists like Johnny Cash, The Eagles, and Tom Petty are pretty straightforward melodies.
On the other hand, trying to sing something like “Stormy Monday,” “Red House,” or even “Brown Eyed Girl” might not be the best choice from a singing standpoint.
For us blues lovers, check out something like “Move It On Over” as done by George Thorogood or maybe even “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry. The melodies in those tunes fit right in with the guitar playing and the general rhythm of the song.
Some other good, popular songs are, “I’m Tore Down” as Clapton does it, and “Walking By Myself” as Gary Moore did it.
Those are just some ideas but hopefully you’ll listen to them and hear the characteristics of a song that is setting you up for success instead of one that is setting you up for failure.
43 replies to "Why Can’t I Sing And Play At The Same Time?"
Nathan when you play day tripper bass line (lead line) when you hit the e note to start the riff start singing as we’ll “got a good reason” as you sing reason and the rest will follow I sing it easily but I had a lot of Prato e to get it right also you should play that riff over and ofer so you can fire it out at any speed fast sllow medium it’s like griff said you gotta be able to play it on outo pilot it’s the second hardest son I ever learnt to play and sing the hardest is American wowon by guess who what a rock tune you can look up how to play it online but they don’t come close all the best
Hi Griff,
Well great tips. I do sing the words of the songs that I am learning so that it helps me to know when to change the chords or notes, such as That’ll be the Day by Buddy Holly, Johnny B Goode by Chuck Berry, and Move It On Over etc. When I was a drummer back in the 60″s I used to be able to sing simple songs in 12 Bar blues back then such as Kansas City ( Beatles), now that I am learning Blues Guitar etc I have the rhythm and timing and it just comes down to practice I guess to get better at it but it is challenging when you have to concentrate on the solo part of the song and then back in to the singing..
I really liked the Saga of Life from Ron Hoag so cool….
Hey Griff , maybe you can provide some Gigs ( Video Lessons) that you do the singing while playing so we can all follow our teacher in this area…
Thanks
Michael-Sydney Australia
Long time solo singer/player, I have, and continue to benefit from your courses, videos and blogs. Not a pro, just love to play and sing. I agree it must be on auto-pilot to do both, and I have to practice new songs to the point I don’t think about timing, and changes. Obviously, some songs are harder than others, both on guitar, and vocally. I try to pick songs I can make complete as a solo. Thanks, Griff!
Thanks Teach ! It’s just like the same method of playing and counting with the backing tracks for the guitar part, except singing instead. In the past when I sang the timing on the guitar when out the window, best to get the timing down one at a time, and eventually combine them. Thanks again !
I find it diff. To play and sing Gloria. I will try your lesson. Thanks Griff.
As a long time singer and relatively recent guitar player, I had always thought that the singing was the easy part. Then I tried to sing and play River of Tears by Clapton……………
Back to counting and clapping.
I think it depends on what you’re singing and playing. I’ve sung all my life, and played guitar (after a fashion) for more than 40 years. Most of the time it’s not a problem to sing and play.
However, when my current instructor taught me to play that rollicking riff from the Beatle’s “Day Tripper,” I cannot sing the lyrics, “Got a good reason for taking the easy way out…..” while also playing the riff at the same time. It’s like patting my head and rubbing my tummy. ARGGHHH.
Hey Nathan ,, Don’t be so hard on yourself….The lead guitar player on Day Tripper (George Harrison)? will not be singing while playing that riff,,,,,only backing vocals when playing rythmn in between riffs… Watch Clapton play…..he only plays rythmn wilst singing,,,,If a song calls for some lead during vocals,,,he has another guitarist in the band playing it…..Check out U TUBE
Griff, if I tried to sing….every dog within five blocks would howl. So out of respect for my neighbors, I’ll stick to playing the guitar……..
Not when he’s playing ‘Outside Woman Blues’, he doesn’t. It took me a long time to sing and play the melody the way he does at the same time, and I still mess it up sometimes. Clapton’s timing was always one of his great assets.
Been playing guitar for 37 years. Never dang a note until a year ago. Now I sing and play every chance I get. When I get together with my guys, who have alway sang, they want me to do all the singing. I love it. No trick to the timing. Just let it go, put your heart in it and don’t hold back.
Lots of little portable recorders out there. Check out Sweetwater. Failng that, my method is to nail the guitar part, then go over the lyrics in my mind while picking the guitar, fitting the phrasing to match the guitar. If you are trying for fancy riffs, fit them between the vocal phrases as accents. Takes time. Lots of time. You can hear me periodically at the Rodeo Tavern in Rodeo, NM. and other venues in the area.
Ha, ha ha, thank U master. I’ll follow your steps and hopefully soon I’ll be able to play and sing I Believe. In Griff we trust!!!!
after 40 years of playing guitar and performing and recording professionaly , all the songs i have written i have never had a problem keeping in time. you can’t count out while your singing and playing. it in my natural metrnome. in the studio it’s diffrant like you say to record your self . yes thats true. but when your singing to a instrument track you have to tap that foot. thats the only time i ever would keep a beat with my foot. for me counting out loud while trying to play is like you said, you need to count out loud. been trying it for years and it just messes me up. i use my foot at times, or i rock my body to the rtyhum.
Yeppers, coordinating vocals with lead guitar playing is a challenge!
Years ago I sang lead in a couple of rock and blue grass groups and prior to that a lead in a Baroque Madrigal choir (LOL!) In the beginning I pretty much screwed up the timing when I tried to play along with a guitar so I focused first on nailing down the vocal using a band bar chart. Bar charts are basic chord to beat outlines (even simpler than what is in a fake book) and I encourage everyone to use them along with Griff’s excellent advice. The main advantage to using band charts is that one doesn’t have to ‘read’ music to use it. The band song chart is specific to the timing covering every aspect of a song from soup to nuts. This includes rest stops, turnarounds, bars for lead riffing. After playing the song a few times the band picks up a ‘body memory’ for the timing and so things go on auto pilot from there on. The best advice I have for any vocalist is do whatever it takes to consistently have the voice on pitch coupled with effortless emotive phrasing and a projection spectrum that preserves the vocal instrument (i.e., learn to use the microphone!). Absolutely nail these 3 things down first before playing the guitar to accompany the song and your band mates will love ya.
Griff my singing voice left some yrs, ago, but I still try. and sure enough, you as always you hit the nail on the head…. thanks for the great advice…
Dale
you put a grate corse but you leave most inportmant part out how to set the amp up keep up the good teaching
Great advice! I have been looking for this kind of idea for a while! Thanks for the encouragement!
Never wanted to sing lesd. Just want to be a back- up rhythm guitar player (Sideman) Low expectations can still be fun!
My vocal chords are weak from non-use. I was lead singer in my garage band in another century (1966-1968) but have not sung much lately and, as a result, cannot carry a tune in a bucket, lol!
Thank you so much for this Griff… much appreciated..!
Wow! I’ve been playing and singing – accompanying myself – for years and this is still really good information and advice. There are times when it’s hard to fit the lyric to the chords you’re playing. This is the way to work it out so you’re comfortable with it. And, since I’m just beginning to record myself, I see this as a perfect way to prepare. I’ll follow these same steps to gain confidence before I ever hit the ‘record’ button. Thanks for another great tip, Griff! – jk
Oh yeah! It’s tough! Trying to play a rhythm when it’s completely different than the vocals. Can get ugly. Happy new year all
I have a real problem with timing although I have tryied to find a way to get it together I am still off most of the time. I have learned the fret board and scales and do all the right note and chords but still lose time. One other problem is keeping the pick in hand I have lost my pick in the middle of a lot of songs. Maybe I will invent pick glue.
Hi Mason
I had the same problem. Try the Herco pick. It fits loosely on the thumb and helps stop the slippage. Hope that helps.
As always, appreciate all of your blogs and lessons. However, the text in your e-mails is black and the text in your blogs is gray. There may be others like me who are vision impaired and are able to read the black text much easier than the gray. I am wondering if this the way you have set things up or is it the way my computer receives the text.
I surely will take your advice and work on it. I really want to be a good rhythm guitarist. I want to reach the stage, where I can substitute other chords besides the 1 4 and 5 chords.
Any suggestions?
Lionel Bayer
Griff griff griff thank you for nagging me about counting as I play been playing for years
But always out of time then this morning I was playing “on the porch” so to speak and just a blues shuffle in e and I started to cont the beats in the shuffle and especiallyon the fills and I sunddenly realised my singing and playing soun ten times better wish I hadn’t been so pig headed now idealised when I was was watching the lesson on non is b good intro it pays to watch it a few times and count with you and look what your doing on the frets and strings then when you try to play it it’s easier works for me been strumming and trying to play lead for years now fifty thereabouts I’m sixty two now I’ll play till I die best enjoyment of my life your a top guy maybe we’re meet one day
Do you have any programs on singing and playing the blues
Singing and playing is not as easy as most people think. We have a guitar club consisting of 14 members. Three or four sing quite well while playing. Others not so well as they struggle with timing. Your advice to internalize the beat is a great idea. A song that really helped our group is “Feliz Navidad.” Griff thanks again for all your wonderful lessons!
Griff:
I look forward to your (almost) daily communications about all types of music and the information you provide. Thanks again for another gem! Happy new years.
Great advice. Exactly where I need to put some effort. I can play lots of songs and bits of songs but I don’t perform anymore. I almost never play a song all the way thru because I dont sing.
Hey Griff, I have your BGU course, the Acoustic BGU, the Guitar Theory Made Useful,the Blues Gig In A Box,the 5 more Easy Blues Solos,and the Pentatonic Scales & Technique Mastery courses. If I would go to radio shack and get some kind of recording device and send a song or two, could I be sure that you PERSONALLY heard it and give me feed-back on my progress? All I have now are two acoustic guitars. A Goya 518, (made by Martin) and a more expensive Guild GAD-50FNAT acoustic/electric with a Fender Acoustasonic-30 DSP. I’m thinking about getting an electric with amp but budget will only be around 2000.00 Any suggestions?
Thanks Griff.
I just recorded myself playing rhythem for Albert King’s “Matchbox Blues”.
I figured his material would be simple to play and sing along with…ha..hahah…hahaha…..that first blues jam is so much further away than I thought.
How about we sing along with you or do backup vocals to your songs.
Happy holidays.
I was a lead vocalist for many years before picking up the guitar. As Griff states when playing your own music the usual queues are not where you are used to hearing to time the vocal. However I did find that once you get a couple under your belt it starts to get easier. I usually close my eyes while playing and the vocal comes easier. Slow blues us best to start with as you have a chance to piece it all together and it doesn’t have to be spot on
Griff,
I have to work today, but when I get back I plan to put to practice the tips you have just given us. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of you teaching us how to sing and play at the same time.
Happy New Year to you and your family.
Old School and Still Rockin’
some well needed advise…thanks Griff…later.
cowboy
Thanks Griff. Good tips, enjoy the rest of your holiday time.
I don’t have the means to record
Do you have a smartphone?
Geoff, If you have a computer, you have a means to record. My first, play along and record software, was and still is, Band in a Box.
It can build backing tracks and you can record along with your guitar and/or sing.
It took about 40 years to get enough courage to sing with my playing, but I did it. The second time I recorded it with several tracks. You can see and hear my attempts on http://www.opticalguitars.com
Thanks Griff for the lesson
Ron
Ron, I clicked the link above and listened to your “saga” and what a piece of work that is. No doubt in my mind that you are a Zappa fan as I hear “the Central Scrutinizer” a la Joe’s Garage ! Great job!!!!!!!