How To Play Guitar and Sing at the Same Time
- Karen O
- Dec 14, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: May 12
Do you struggle with how to play guitar and sing at the same time?
When you are learning to play the guitar, every chord and strum seems to take so much focus and effort. You look at more experienced players who make it look easy to keep strumming away. Somehow, they are playing guitar and singing at the same time, like it’s no big deal.
What does it take to do what they do?
The answer, of course, is (probably) not selling your soul to the devil. Although there are songs about that. So maybe there’s something to that idea. However, you knew the real answer was going to be practicing your guitar. The good news is you can practice any song you like.
Don’t feel that you must pick something that you find dull or feels like work when you practice unless this approach somehow aligns with your music goals. I’m looking at you, endless scales! You are bound to improve no matter what you play, so choose something fun, something that you might put on repeat if you were listening to music.
Over time you are committing whatever you are playing to muscle memory in your hands. Eventually, it takes less sheer grit and brainpower to play every single last chord. Shifting between chords becomes a little more automatic.
At this point, you’ll have enough focus to sing as well as to play.
Sounds great, right? But are there any shortcuts?
One tip is to pick easy songs that have 3 chords or less. The chords E, A, and D, for example, are often found in the same song and are relatively easy to play. Songs that have easier guitar chords for beginners will get you to the point of singing along faster.
The song choices with easy chords are endless.
Pick one or two of your favourites and get playing! Persist, and you’ll be singing along with your guitar before you know it.
Photo by Felix Koutchinski on Unsplash
I've been singing since about age 10 and I played clarinet, so I learned how to go in music mode, I was not good at following the orchestra , so when the 60's came along it was great I got a guitar. In the beginning I was really chording to accompany my singing, Eventually i learned to play better. Bluegrass really changed my guitar/mandolin playing but mostly it changed my singing doing the harmonies is pure heaven. My hearing loss had made this harder but if not for technology, I wouldn't play at all . when I do a new song I like to play it many times so I am instinctive about singing and playing,
I find the only way I can sing and play a song well enough is to have most of the lyrics, AND the cadence/timing/word accenting practiced until it becomes almost automatic, as well as practicing the song over and over again on my instrument. Then and ONLY then would I be able to read the lyrics and chords from a sheet and perform it. Then... if I keep at it, I eventually can do away with the sheet of paper..😊
I started trying to sing this past year with the determination (and with an attitude) that “I am too old to be embarrassed“. There are two fundamentals to “singing and playing guitar” success. 1) Know the music and 2) know the chords really well! Thereafter you can read the lyrics from whatever medium or better still memorize them. No one can perform without 1). And yes the best place to start is with simpler songs (although I am a retard and like to take on challenges - such as finger picking songs!!
I only really got this after year 45. Before that I was totally 'play but don't try and sing or it will be very very bad' :) Never too late to learn!
I love the picture! Great message, too, Karen.