Hard time hearing other voices

I can play the chords, and I can sing the song, but when I try to do both at the same time I get lost and can't put the two together. It's like I can't hear both voices at the same time and coordinate them.

It's frustrating, because when I listen to music I can hear and appreciate the various voices and their interactions. This could also be a problem if I ever get good enough to want to play with others.

I'm a newbie and this is the first time I've tried to do this. The song is Amazing Grace. Any advice? Are there some exercises or simpler songs I should attempt?

When I first started playing I found it impossible to sing and play at the same time - I kept trying but the minute I'd sing, my hands would get all clumsy and I'd lose my place. But after about a month of this it kicked right in and I didn't even realize it at first. So - my only advice is keep at it. And in case it helps - the first song I was able to sing while playing was "This Land is Your Land" which is a pretty simple three-chord song (not sure how that compares with "Amazing Grace" in terms of simplicity.)

janeray1940 said:

When I first started playing I found it impossible to sing and play at the same time - I kept trying but the minute I'd sing, my hands would get all clumsy and I'd lose my place. But after about a month of this it kicked right in and I didn't even realize it at first. So - my only advice is keep at it. And in case it helps - the first song I was able to sing while playing was "This Land is Your Land" which is a pretty simple three-chord song (not sure how that compares with "Amazing Grace" in terms of simplicity.)

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Hang in there raduray, it will all fall into place. It takes practice and then more practice. Both songs are good ones to practice. Enjoy

There are plenty of threads where people have expressed the same problem. Everyone has that problem to start out with.

I've had the same experience - like spinning plates - trying to coordinate fretting chords, strumming and singing at the same time. I have found it helpful sometimes to just hum, rather than trying to remember lyrics, until I have reached a point where the chord changes start to embed themselves into muscle memory and become more automatic. YMMV

might I suggest this, in 2 discrete parts:

part 1: practice the strumming, over and over and over, until you can do it completely from memory and without looking at the fretboard, but keeping the words and melody in your mind as you do it

part 2: practice singing along to a recording of the song, while looking at the sheet music/chords and focus on getting the words down in time properly and getting the notes right

eventually when doing part 1 above, part 2 will magically happen, it will bubble out of you like boiled water in a tea kettle and VOILA you can sing and strum at the same time

trust me, it just works

but to coordinate your brain properly for each of part 1 and part 2, you need to at least create mental patterns for each one separately, combining them will happen by itself

it may take a few weeks to see progress

later, your second song will come faster

the third faster still

have faith brother - you will get there

we all have traveled this path before

raduray said:

I can play the chords, and I can sing the song, but when I try to do both at the same time I get lost and can't put the two together. It's like I can't hear both voices at the same time and coordinate them.

It's frustrating, because when I listen to music I can hear and appreciate the various voices and their interactions. This could also be a problem if I ever get good enough to want to play with others.

I'm a newbie and this is the first time I've tried to do this. The song is Amazing Grace. Any advice? Are there some exercises or simpler songs I should attempt?

Click to expand...

I found this video to be helpful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geop-h3Itlk&list=PLODvOB1QB53X-8-nsakUkBKsrsREtPvq0&index=21

I'm not suggesting this route as the way to go nor that there is no other way, but last year I took singing lessons. After the first lesson my voice coach had me bring my ukulele and some songs that I wanted to sing. After warming up and going through some exercises, we would work on those songs while I played the uke. That helped a lot I think. Also, he had me play the ukulele in some of the voice exercises, which helped me in many ways, both singing and playing the ukulele. I got a lot out of singing lessons. It is something to think about.

Thank you for the encouraging words and Czechmate01's video reference. I think you all have given me some perspective and also a path forward.

One thing that seems to help get this going is to play just one strum per cord change while singing. Even that is not that easy, but practice, practice, practice....

raduray said:

Thank you for the encouraging words and Czechmate01's video reference. I think you all have given me some perspective and also a path forward.

One thing that seems to help get this going is to play just one strum per cord change while singing. Even that is not that easy, but practice, practice, practice....

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I feel you, it's difficult for me as well. First just singing at all while playing, then to stay in key with the song. It gets better and better though as I practice. Hopefully I'll get my speed up soonish so I can join in on the seasons!

Most of us can relate to this problem. Playing piano, I never was able to sing and play, no matter how well I thought I new the piece. I do think though that familiarity is key to getting past this hurdle. Pick a song that is dead simple to play and one where you have the lyrics and melody down cold, not just familiar but absolutely ingrained, like "Happy Birthday" or "Row, row row your boat" (doesn't have to be this corny, but you get the idea). Practicing a song where no thought is required for the singing part, coupled with a predictable 3 or 4 chord progression, will get you over this hump. Aldrine's has a good uke minute on playing and singing.

I understand the OP's problem. I have never sung much. Never sung well enough to feel confident singing. But my uke buddy neighbor is a singer and player, in fact he plays to be able to sing. He has encouraged me to sing but so far I have resisted from embarrassment mostly.

However I got into making videos so I could listen and see myself play in order to really tell if I was improving. Since my 'takes' won't be seen unless I put them out, I tried singing a little. Boy was that a farce! Still it helps me overcome my resistance a little. My voice seems so different in the recordings, rather than from the sound of the echo chamber in my head. :uhoh:

I want to get in on the Seasons of the Uke, and it seems that you really need to sing if you play as badly as I do, just cord strumming. I've watched many of the videos in Seasons and decided if others can do it I can probably do it too. Maybe not right away but maybe later. The Seasons folk are quite welcoming and tolerant of off key singing so I won't get stoned if I screw up.

I'm going to record my singing and see if I can play and sing at the same time, I mean I can walk and chew gum at the same time, how hard can playing and singing be?

Czechmate01 said:

I found this video to be helpful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geop-h3Itlk&list=PLODvOB1QB53X-8-nsakUkBKsrsREtPvq0&index=21

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YES!!!!

Cynthia Lin is a great teacher - and she has MANY great videos, both song tutorials and other performances on her YOUTUBES - definitely worth checking out - she is very talented and kind.

Two things. First, I discovered the Singing forum which addresses this and many other singing topics.

Second, I spent all day working on this and I used Guitar Pro to great effect. I manually entered the melody and lyrics and then had GP play the melody while I sang along, just to familiarize myself with the singing part. Then, I played the chords while GP played the melody. Now I'm working on singing and strumming a the same time, while GP is playing the melody, just to keep everything in synch. Being able to slow down the tempo and turn on a metronome is also useful. Once I get the singing while strumming down, I'll start gradually turning down the volume on the GP melody until I can do it without assistance.