I can't sing and play at the same time...how should I write?

[bigbluesman]

I am doing the home recording thing. I have a friend who is doing the vocals but his schedule is so tight that I basically am going to give him the songs and he is going to come over and do the vocals.

 

We don't have time to sit down together and work out the tunes so this leaves me doing all the writing.

 

Problem is I suck at singing and playing at the same time.

 

Is there a way around this?

 

I was thinking of sitting down with the lyrics, writing the guitar parts and then recording the guitars. Then I will go back and sing the words overtop of the recording.

 

Any other advice?

[Deef]

 

Originally posted by bigbluesman I was thinking of sitting down with the lyrics, writing the guitar parts and then recording the guitars. Then I will go back and sing the words overtop of the recording.

 

 

that'll do it.

 

Deef

[flickerfade]

you should also practice the singing and playing thing.. i mean it isnt easy.. im not that great at it myself.. but from what it seems like... with enough practice it just becomes as easy as singing without playing... like second nature

[LeGreatOne]

Many people just beginning to play in bands have a similar problem. How do they sing while paying attention to their playing?

 

I've found that the best way to accomplish this is to learn the non-vocal part well. If you can play without thinking about playing, then you go on Auto-pilot in the chording or leads and can concentrate on singing the lyrics.

 

Really! Get the music down first, then sing the lyrics while reading them from a sheet. Learn one verse at a time, and then sing as you play. You'll get it... It just takes practice.

[e-monkey]

Hum the melody while you are playing and sing the lyrics in your head. Sounds weird but it works for me when I play something that I find difficult to sing over. However i do write all my songs so that I can sing and play at the same time, I don't write a song where I can't do the two together.

[Ernest Buckley]

You have to practice. Guess what, you have to practice. Every one is like you when they start to play an instrument (guitar, piano) and sing. Oddly enough the more I practiced, the better I got.

 

Now I can hold my own.

 

You have to practice.

 

Peace,

Ernest

[MikeLewisMusic]

Your brain is capable of a whole hell of a lot more than you give it credit--you can do both. Always-always sing along, even if it's almost just a hum, with the music as you put together a song. Like was said above, practice, practice, practice. But you do need to play with singing in mind. Even when you can play a song down cold, adding singing to the mix will throw you off. Always sing along as you play, it will help you get a better feel for the total composition, even if you are not going to sing it for the band. Before I played guitar, I could always look at my lead guitarist in live performances, and he would be singing along to himself with my vocals. Made him a better player. Once the playing becomes second nature, you can put emphasis on the singing, and do the song justice in live performance.

[A320guy]

I played drums for YEARS and out of shear boredom,would try to sing along but is just sounded like lame humming...Then when I focused on guitar,tried the same thing.Eventually both tasks just meshed so easy.Give you brain time to sort it out.If you really want a cool way to not only to discover lyrics and how to naturally stream them in a melody just do this.....Strum or pick several cords in progression.Develop a song pattern.Then just open up your big mouth and "sing" what ever comes to mind.Just let your brain form words-don't think about it,just wait to see what comes out.This is you subconscious doing the work.

[difference84]

seriously, it's NOT HARD! Just do it, eventually you'll get it. Oddly, I play lead guitar in my band and I sing. That was a little hard for me at first but again........ it's NOT HARD! cliche...*PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE*

[blue2blue]

Hang in there, practice, and practice some more.

 

No one is good at anything at first.

 

 

I was certified as having absolutely no musical talent whatsoever by several music educators. It took me months to figure out how to tune my guitar (before electronic tuners). My voice was a bizarre jumble of poorly controlled ranges. And I apparently had absolutely no concept of playing in time...

 

... but I kept at it.

 

 

And, while I'm certainly no household name, I've had good receptions in front of tough audiences at scores of shows in large and (mostly) small venues -- and had over 60,000 downloads in the last 6 years. (And that and $3 will buy me a cup of coffee. )

[bigbluesman]

Originally posted by blue2blue Hang in there, practice, and practice some more. No one is good at anything at first. I was certified as having absolutely no musical talent whatsoever by several music educators. It took me months to figure out how to tune my guitar (before electronic tuners). My voice was a bizarre jumble of poorly controlled ranges. And I apparently had absolutely no concept of playing in time... ... but I kept at it. And, while I'm certainly no household name, I've had good receptions in front of tough audiences at scores of shows in large and (mostly) small venues -- and had over 60,000 downloads in the last 6 years. (And that and $3 will buy me a cup of coffee. )

 

I think a lot of my problem is I have never played in a "good" band for any length of time. I have had a serious confidence issue in my playing the last few years.

 

Timing is my strong point but coming up with melodies, riffs, etc is where I stumble. I think that is why I find it hard to sing too.

 

But I have found a killer drummer and bass player and we are in the works to set something up. They both played death metal for years but are wanting to branch out. I play a bluesy stoner type thing. Hopefully we will mesh. They have the talent I just hope that I can fit in.