Singing

[JonathanOsborn]

Hi, I’ve struggled my way up guitar playing from my early years of campfire strumming. I’ve been working on learning from my looper. Ok? So my question is if you can sing a guitar solo?

I’ve been struggling with trying to create my own lead playing and it always reverts to the same tired old phrases that I’ve known for years. I just couldn’t come up with much of anything.

Then I had a brainstorm. I was going to sing my guitar lead as a way to learn it. Once I learnedI it vocally, I could transfer that to the strings-

what do you think? Is singing what I want to use a# a teacher for my strings? If it’s a useful tool, I should be able to devote more spare time developing this.

Thanks for any help!

 

[BraylonJennings]

It's a legitimate way to write and learn, definitely a positive thing. Griff always wants you to listen to the solos before trying to learn them. If you can hum it, then you can probably count it, then you're on your way. My problem is I always sing the same old tired phrases.

 

[CaptainMoto]

YES!
If you can sing it, hum it, or whistle it, you can play it!

 

[Elwood]

I was going to sing my guitar lead as a way to learn it. Once I learnedI it vocally, I could transfer that to the strings-

what do you think? Is singing what I want to use a# a teacher for my strings?

Sometimes if I am trying to get a vocal line right (as close as I get) I find that playing the line on strings or keys helps me to "properly" hear what I am trying to sing. This helps if part of a sung phrase turns into some kind of modal yodel, at least I can find where I lost the melody....

Here is the rub as I see it. Note density. A solo played on an instrument will "usually" contain way way more notes packed into each measure than a solo vocal. I think a person might be able to sing "an outline" of the intended solo, but the actual execution will require many more notes to be sounded, to sound like most instrument solos. (exceptions abound, yup)

I think the concept is useful, just not as a panacea. I betcha most of us do it to some extent. The pentatonic boxes being planted solidly in your head will help both your "singer" and "player" to work together to work it out. Turning that "struggling" into "having fun with" should come right along, it sounds like you have ideas, and that is the hardest part.

 

[ChrisGSP]

oh, man, if I could have recorded myself singing some of the solos that I've imagined in my head in the middle of the night, or listening to a song on the radio, and then gone back and figured out how to play them, I wouldn't need no goddam BGU , for sure.

I think it's a good idea, and it's one that I've dreamed of doing many times; never actually done it. Give it a try - can't do any harm, can it? Of course, if your voice is as crap as mine, it might do MORE Harm than good. Don't forget to report back with results.