Perhaps you’re thinking of taking up a new instrument and combining it with vocals. Or the other way around.
Strings are ideal for a singer – they’re portable, affordable and can be used to self-accompany. But is it hard to sing and play the guitar? It can be at first, particularly if you’re new to both. However, mastering them is very achievable and beneficial.
In this article, we’ll explain the possible pitfalls and challenges involved and how to overcome them.
Is it hard to sing and play the guitar?
Learning how to sing and play the guitar is hard, even for the most experienced performers. Getting better at it may seem like a huge challenge, but it is very rewarding. Not to mention useful. And it is absolutely achievable if you put in the work.
You can sing and play the guitar by practising your skills as a singer and guitarist. Begin by working on each discipline individually, until you’re comfortable with both equally. Then you can start bringing the two skills together for performances.
Singing while playing the guitar is not an essential skill. However, it can open many more doors as a musician.
Is it hard to sing and play the guitar at the same time?
You can make it easier on yourself. Start with a simple song, ideally one that you are already familiar with. The more natural it is to sing, the easier it will be to add the guitar part. Likewise, if there is a song you know inside out and backwards on the guitar, begin learning the vocal part to bring the two elements together.
It’s important to always warm up on the guitar using appropriate exercises and to warm up your voice too. This prevents potential injury from occurring.
Playing the guitar and singing
Playing a guitar part will not help your voice stay in tune, or even keep the right rhythm. And it won’t make your chord changes seamless. Once you’ve mastered both parts individually, expect as much practice time to play them both together.
A great way to build autonomy of playing and singing together is to play along with a recording. This can either be through speakers or headphones. When you are learning this can be the easiest way to bluff through your mistakes and keep going.
Keep playing the song over and over and you will make small gains each time. Eventually, you will get to that all-important milestone of having a song in the bag.
Strum and sing
For a lot of players, the difficulty arises because of the contrasting rhythms of the strumming hand and the melody. You will often find yourself singing to the strumming pattern. To train this out, try muting the strings on the guitar, then practising the guitar rhythm and the melody. You can also try singing the song, but clapping the strumming pattern to help you get to grips with it.
This should help you concentrate more on differentiating the two elements. Again, this will need to be practised over and over to develop that muscle memory that will enable you to master the two disciplines as one.
Singing with guitar chords
You could start by looking at songs with simple chord progressions. Those that aren’t too challenging to play on guitar. Also, find songs with easy melodies and lyrics that you can remember easily. It may be necessary to drop some chords at first, only strumming once per bar. This gives your brain fewer tasks to carry out at once.
When you have successfully managed to create that all-important distance between melody and strumming, you can begin to add in the chords. Having the alternate music coming in maybe off-putting, to begin with, but persevere and you will see results pretty quickly.
If you find yourself struggling to get the rhythm on the guitar and the words out, try just talking instead. Practice playing a song, any song, and just speak the lyrics or have a conversation. The trick here is to disassociate your playing hand and control your vocal cords.
Over time, your voice won’t try to follow the strumming pattern. Your muscle memory should develop in such a way that the two become mutually exclusive. At this point, you can begin to sing again. Start by interrupting your normal conversation with a couple of sung lines. Then add more and more.
How to sing in tune with guitar
Try humming the melody first. This simplification will again lead you towards separating the two elements and trying to be independent and yet in sync. Getting the basic notes down will keep you on track in terms of tuning.
There’s also no virtue in trying to keep pace with a song if it hampers your ability to sing and play it. Don’t be afraid to play it at halftime and make sure you can really nail the transitions and the melody. A considered but beautifully performed song far exceeds a fast-paced pile of missed notes and off-key singing.
Some songs really benefit from being slowed down, even in performance. Something magical happens when a great song is reworked to a new timing. It’s an opportunity for you to create a version of a song that has your own stamp on it. And it’s a useful cheat if you’re still developing your ability to play and sing at once.
Once you begin to see progress, you can begin to build things up. But be mindful not to run before you can walk. Also, remember that complexity does not equal quality. The parts you should add-in should be of sufficient quality that they significantly add to the performance.
Sing and play guitar lessons
When you are learning to sing and play together, the chances are your vocal performance is going to take a hit, while you master the skill. However, having a guitar accompaniment is likely to help you stay in key and guide your vocal performances in the long term. It should certainly help you spot flat notes and any drifting out of key that may occur.
We always recommend taking music lessons if you want to learn to sing or to play an instrument. If you’re trying to do both, it’s even more important. Some teachers even cover both disciplines. Getting quality feedback is vital when you’re learning. And a teacher is the best person to do this.
Why can’t I sing and play the guitar at the same time?
If you can’t sing and play the guitar at the same time, it’s likely either because of a lack of – or ineffective – practice. For beginners, trying to split your concentration between two tasks often ends in disaster.
Rather than try to learn to play and sing at the same time, concentrate on your vocals first. Then come back to the guitar. Or vice versa. Once you have mastery of both, you are in a better position to combine the two.
Don’t give up. We’ve said this a lot in our instructional posts, but perseverance is as important as any natural talent you have. Any performer will tell you there were times when they wanted to jack it all in but they just kept going and going. It’s this quality that will see you get to your desired standard and push beyond.
Learn to sing with the guitar
In summary, here are our tips for mastering simultaneous guitar and vocals:
- Pick a simple song to sing or play
- Warm-up both your voice and fingers before each session
- Learn the guitar and vocal parts separately
- Sing and play along to recordings of the songs
- Practice transitions
- Strum without playing the chords
- Don’t give up
It’s really important to remember that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything. If you are struggling, take a break and remind yourself why you love music and how important this skill is to your success. You got this!
Related Questions
Does playing guitar improve singing?
Not automatically. But it may improve your music theory knowledge and rhythm. It also enables you to improvise while performing, write your own songs more easily and accompany yourself – all of which makes you a better overall performer.
Should I play guitar and sing?
Provided you have gained the skill to do both, then yes! Many of the world’s most famous singers such as Ed Sheeran. Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift do both. Playing the piano is another excellent skill for vocalists to learn.
How do I keep my guitar rhythm while singing?
This can be tricky. Start as simply as you can, perhaps clapping your strumming rhythm while singing, then move back to the guitar and try with muted strings. Once you have mastered that, add the chords back in.