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Tips for singing and playing guitar?


joewp

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Hey All,

 

Just found this forum! I've been playing guitar for 20 years, I've moved on to advanced finger style techiques but have always had a hang up about singing. Every time I've usually sung and played guitar it's been drab and somewhat out of key. I started taking vocal lessons and was instantly able to do lip trills and match pitch with ease. When I sit down with a guitar however, there is still a bit of an issue. I'm not sure if it's because I'm mentally holding myself back or what. Any general tips for singing and playing a guitar?

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Hi joewp, welcome to the forum.

 

What kind of specific issues are you having for singing and playing a guitar? Usually a common issue for some people is maintaining proper rhythm of both singing and guitar, especially if the guitar part is complex. This is one of the main reasons why singer/songwriters perform only rhythm guitar with strumming chords or simple fingerpicking.

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Never hold your breath while singing. The airflow is what creates and carries your vocal tone, so keep it flowing. Avoid Clavicular Breathing and Belly Breathing -- instead, learn the proper way to breathe for singing, called diaphragmatic breathing. Fill the lower portion of your lungs as if you had an inner tube around your waist that you were evenly filling.

 

Breathing properly for singing requires the shoulders to remain down and relaxed, not rise with the breath intake. A singer will gain power to their voice by strengthening the muscles in their ribcage and back.

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Thanks guys! I do need to start with a metronome again. As far as breathing, I am taking lessons, so I'm working on that! When I'm back home and near a guitar maybe I'll post a file of how I sound. Thanks for the tips guys.

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  • 4 weeks later...
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since you've been playing guitar for 20 years, it's not as difficult for you to get good compared to a newbie on both guitar and singing. Just play simple chords and focus on your singing. The guitar playing should be automatic for you, so you only have to work on the singing.

 

Good luck, man. Singing while playing guitar is a lot more fun than just doing one or the other.

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If you do singing exercises, start playing chords on your guitar along with your exercises. That way you associate good singing technique with having a guitar strapped-on and while playing that guitar. You'll also be able to take note of where the different areas are in your voice that you have to make changes or adjustments. You can stop the playback of your CD or mp3 and go over certain portions that need more attention and do that with your guitar. Gradually you will associate singing with playing guitar, and it will seem more natural. You will start reaching for your guitar whenever it's time to sing,

 

: ^)

 

Bob

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