Singing while playing? I must be doing something wrong?

Disclamer: I am not familiar with the proper terminologies but I try to explain it as clear as I can in words that I believe everyone can understand. Thank you.


I really wanna sing while playing my uke. I've learned quite a few songs in one month and a half but i really get frustrated when I sing with it. You know what i mean.

I've read a lot of tips in the net about this and I am not scrimping on practice. I practice about 1-2 hours a day. 30 - 45 mins goes into trying to sing with a song while playing. I quit in the 45 min mark because of frustration. I cant get pass the first line.

I know that practice is the only key here but I also believe that there is a right way to practice. But i don't know how!

The way I practice now is i go to my routine of playing the the song without vocals while watching TV. I've read somewhere that this helps to get your brain to not focus on the strumming and chord changing. It helps it to be on auto pilot I guess.

Next is I feel the beat of the song. I divide each section into 4 or 8, depending on how fast it is. But I try to stick to 4. Then I strum down while singing the lyrics. I strum only the 4 beat I was talking about. It's like the skeleton of the song. I can sing with the song while playing this.

Slowly I add the strum pattern to the 4 beats. This is where trouble happens. It's like my brain is lagging so much that I mess up my vocals and strumming.

Then I review the song again, refreshing myself on what syllable should I change the chord. Then I play the 4 beats and sing at the same time. Then I again add the flavor of the strumming pattern and I once again hit this road block.

It's been a while now and I can't still sing the song. Or even get pass the first line. If I can somehow pass beyond the first line then I can grind through this process for as long as it takes. But I am not getting anywhere so I guess I am doing something wrong.

Thanks in advance for those who will help me and I really hope I am posting this in the proper section.

Can you whistle? Try whistling the melody while you play.

Also, speaking the words while you play can help too. But whistling to start is the easiest for me.

Freeda said:

Can you whistle? Try whistling the melody while you play.

Also, speaking the words while you play can help too. But whistling to start is the easiest for me.

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I tried this before, it's like humming too. I used to do humming. It also freezes my brain

Don't get discouraged. Singing while playing is tough, especially if you've never done something like it before.

I get the sense that you're either thinking too much, or trying too difficult a song.

Try a simple two or three chord song at first. Something like "This Land is Your Land."

Before you even try it, do "mental reps." Play the song in your head, and only in your head. Bob your head to the beat. Notice how the lyrics intertwine with the bobbing of your head. Sometimes the lyrics land on a bob (down-stroke), and sometimes they are opposite your bob (upstroke).

This is the whole trick - feeling the rhythm of the lyrics and how they work with the beat.

After you feel like you've gotten a feel for the tune, try it on an ukulele. Use only 4 down-strokes per measure for your strumming pattern. You'll see the fruits of those mental reps right away. Instead of a head bobbing down, you'll be performing a down-stroke.

After you get the hang of that, then you can try funkifying your downstroke. Remember baby steps! The next strumming pattern you should try is D, D, D U D.

Try it out and see? Report back, please.

seeso said:

Don't get discouraged. Singing while playing is tough, especially if you've never done something like it before.

I get the sense that you're either thinking too much, or trying too difficult a song.

Try a simple two or three chord song at first. Something like "This Land is Your Land."

Before you even try it, do "mental reps." Play the song in your head, and only in your head. Bob your head to the beat. Notice how the lyrics intertwine with the bobbing of your head. Sometimes the lyrics land on a bob (down-stroke), and sometimes they are opposite your bob (upstroke).

This is the whole trick - feeling the rhythm of the lyrics and how they work with the beat.

After you feel like you've gotten a feel for the tune, try it on an ukulele. Use only 4 down-strokes per measure for your strumming pattern. You'll see the fruits of those mental reps right away. Instead of a head bobbing down, you'll be performing a down-stroke.

After you get the hang of that, then you can try funkifying your downstroke. Remember baby steps! The next strumming pattern you should try is D, D, D U D.

Try it out and see? Report back, please.

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I will try that asap! Meanwhile, this is the song I'm playing. It's in my native tongue. I chose this song because it dates back to my childhood. I know the lyrics by heart so I thought it would be easier for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRlEblqhXRU

While practice is the key (it always is) could it be that you need to work on the strum pattern apart from the song, just to get the rhythm into your fingers, wrist, and arm?

To me, personally, strumming (mimicing rhythm) is the LAST thing to introduce into your playing/singing. Until you know the song 'unconsciously' trying to add rhythmic strumming, I believe, is too much to ask of someone who may still be unfamiliar with the lyrics, chords, melody, and chord changes.

You may know the song very, very well, but adding in a rhythmic strum - while you're still learning the strum pattern - might be a bit much. rather, work on the strum pattern as its own challenge without reference to any song or melody.
Just get it down cold! then, introduce it into several different songs, even very elementary songs where it may not fit properly. If you can play the strum with "twinkle little star" then you may have arrived at the place where you can try the song you really want. If you can't do your strum and play "hokey pokey" or any other nursery rhyme songs, you may still have to do some work on the strum itself.

My 2 cents

keep uke'in',

Pick songs you know cold and six ways from Sunday. I.e., if you can't sing the song acapella without looking at a lead/lyric sheet choose a simpler and/or more familiar song. You need to know both the lyrics and melody absolutely when you're first learning to strum along. This is one of the reasons so many beginners books use really common nursery rhymes and such (the other, of course, is that most of them are in the public domain).

If you are having to evaluate words/rhythm/melody/chord changes all at once that's a lot to get used to. Start with songs where you already know the first three and you'll be fine. Then you'll find that eventually what happens the chord changes become so automatic that you can start doing songs you don't know as well while "sight reading" from chord and lyric (lead) sheets.

John

Yes, it's a tricky combination, but we were all there once, so have hope! As already suggested, working with a simple song (one that you know) and a simple strum should help.

And here's another suggestion to add to the mix: It sounds like you are comfortable strumming and changing chords at the same time, so set that aside for now. Instead, place your fretting hand lightly over the strings to mute them and then just strum along while you hum the song--no chord changes. That will help you feel how the strum works with the melody. Don't rush it, just keep at it until the melody and the strum are working smoothly together. When you reach that point, stop muting the strings and add in the chord changes. Once the chord changes are clicking, replace the humming with singing.

Playing while singing is a difficult mental challenge. It involves/activates both sides of the brain. And you still have to develop muscle memory in your hands and voice. The exercises mentioned above are plenty to get you moving.

If you keep going like you are, you will never be this bad at it again.

I concur- pick a song that you know backwards and forwards, and start with it every day. Sing your head and off and try not to care what you sound like.
Then get a video camera and a Youtube account, and force yourself to make videos, go back and watch them. You would be surprised.

reyesryanmjaube said:

I will try that asap! Meanwhile, this is the song I'm playing. It's in my native tongue. I chose this song because it dates back to my childhood. I know the lyrics by heart so I thought it would be easier for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRlEblqhXRU

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Hey there! I know this song. My suggestion is to go back to this step (from your original post):
"Next is I feel the beat of the song. I divide each section into 4 or 8, depending on how fast it is. But I try to stick to 4. Then I strum down while singing the lyrics. I strum only the 4 beat I was talking about. It's like the skeleton of the song. I can sing with the song while playing this."
... and practice this so many times until you can stop and pick the lyrics up anytime in and out of your strum. When you feel like you can play this with confidence. That's when you should attempt to do the actual fancy strumming.
Also, are you following a particular sheet music or straight out lyrics with chords? This song has a weird arrangement of chords to its lyrics so that might be making it more difficult to follow.

I may have just realized that there is really no magic pill to my problem. Maybe what's stopping me is my frustration. I'll practice more and I will take all your tips. Thank you so much.

If it helps, my method has been to play the song (video or mp3) and strum along so I get used to doing the chord changes and strumming pattern at someone else's speed. I've found that this makes it easier for me to sing while playing (since if it's a new song I'll also learn the melody/beat/lyrics by singing along to the song a lot).

Wow something amazing just happened.

2 nights ago, I got really frustrated in singing my song that I decided to learn a new song. I got the hand of it pretty easily and just played it for a while. I didn't attempt to sing along with it much since I was doing it to get away from the frustration, not add to it.

Just right now, I decided to song with it and I DID! I got through the 1st verse quite easily! I don't know how and it doesn't make much sense that a song I just learned to play a few days ago, I can play better than a song I've been practicing for weeks. But I'm happy, of course.

Here's the song. It also dates back from my childhood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrK-AAeSeWs

It's so cool that you made a breakthrough so this probably isn't needed, but with regard to memorizing lyrics and singing along, when I first start to play something new I'll emphasize the words that correspond with chord changes to begin with.

For example


......... G ............ A
Like oh my, what a marvelous tune

I would sing along and emphasize the 'my' and the 'mar', I wouldn't shout them or anything, just add a little bit of emphasis the way rappers do on the beat. It helps me memorize the words and the chords at the same time

I do what Seeso said... Kind of. I am always singing or humming, but I am also doing the chords at the same time, all in my head.
BTW, I am really good.... in my own mind

Just two weeks ago, I kept struggling to make sense while shooting segments for a documentary. After several takes, the director rolled tape and said "Just tell me what you know about where we are." I switched to a more conversational mode and it all flowed from there. Too often we try too hard and wind up speaking in sound bites like we see in the media.

Tell that guy in the mirror to cut you some slack.

interesting thread,
new to the uke myself, what i found myself doing, was learn the strum to song, write out song with chord changes, and make the song fit my strumming, you will be surprised how it fits with a bit of practice,
atb wallyboy

reyesryanmjaube said:

Wow something amazing just happened. ....

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Congratulations on the breakthrough! You are on your way.

You've already got a ton of suggestions, but one thing I would recommend is singing the song without playing. You've practiced the chord changes and strumming w/o vocals, but have you practiced the vocals w/o the playing? Do it both ways so you also know the timing of the lyrics.