Singing and playing guitar at he same time?

[kubi]

First of all I love playing lead. I love being the dude who gets to be in his own world during the solo and move around crazily without worrying about what others think. if they like it great! if they dont I still have fun because I do what I love to do.

however, I'm going to be leaving my band this summer to form a new one (they've been wanting to play power metal (ugh *shivers*)) and I want to focus on more rock n roll and blues.

I've auditioned some singers but no one in my Uni is a rock listener or can sing husky vocals. clean vocals are fine too I realize huskiness is hard to find but singers are the frontmen of the band, they need to be charismatic and need to know how to engage with the crowed. no one I've met so far has those qualities.

So I've been thinking, should I take up this holy duty of fronting my own band? I have only done backing vocals and nothing more. no lessons no nothing but thats fixable and I will work at it but I have one concern. I dont want to lose what I have with my guitar playing. Unless I find someone who is a much better lead player than me, who also plays the style I'm into, I dont want to give up the lead role. I feel like if I do sing though I'd be doing both things meh-ly instead of doing one thing well.

any experienced giggers here who can shed some light on their own experiences?

 

[Dolebludger]

Yeah, I'll chime in here. It is very difficult to both sing and play lead guitar. There have been a few guys in the history of rock (think Rick Emmitt of Triumph) who have done it well -- but not many. As a lead player who has sometimes been "drafted" into singing, I can say that (when that happens) I have been told that I suck at both. Of course, there are people more talented than me, but otherwise I would say avoid this situation like the plague.

 

[Donal]

Singing and playing rhythm alone is not as easy as it looks and requires that you have both the vocal part and the playing part pinned down 100% and even then it requires a lot of practice.

Singing and playing solos is imo extremly difficult and I can't think of many great singers who played lead or many great lead guitarists that were the (singing) frontmann.

I know that most of the solos are not when someone is singing but there are certain licks/riffs that do accompany singing.

Have you tried it?

 

[Gmal]

Try it. Put on a record or find a karaoke track on YouTube and sing and play along. Record yourself and listen back. Be honest with yourself and I'm sure you will have your answear.

 

[Dolebludger]

Donal,

Yes, I have tried it, plying lead and rhythm and singing at the same time. And I wasn't any good at any of it. But I can play a darned decent lead if just let alone to do it. Singing is a separate job, IMO, and perhaps few lead players appreciate a good singer. Listen to some old Led Zeppelin and hear the interaction between Plant and Page. It is real art.

 

[artis_xe]

can't really understand the problem here , only because I'm guessing ( ? ) that it would be similar to anyone that plays harmonica , and sings .

filling in vocal gaps with lead , while playing rhythms when you sing

 

[Nick-O]

Only way I could imagine it is a call and response style. Doing both well simultaneously is way out of most pay grades..

 

[meatball]

It's not easy ,,,but it's sure rewarding you get it ,,, Playing the fills is the hardest part . SRV , Hendrix, and Rik Emmett perfected it ,, You Tube has some great players doing it also ...It takes a whole lot of practice ...

 

[artis_xe]

Listen to some old Led Zeppelin and hear the interaction between Plant and Page. It is real art.

Only way I could imagine it is a call and response style.

exactly

 

[Dolebludger]

Nick,

Right, like the late B.B. King. He sang while others did the back up, and he played lead while he wasn't singing. I never heard him play rhythm. And many players play rhythm and sing. But playing rhythm AND singing AND playing lead is really too much to expect, isn't it?

 

[SWeAT hOg]

Listen to Zappa. Either he's playing or he's singing. Never at the same time. It can be done, I'm thinking Hendrix.

 

[Dolebludger]

Well guys, most of us are not Hendrix, or SRV, or Rik Emmitt. And if you have their talent, go for it. But for me, that reminds me too much of the "multi-tasking" way to many employers expect of their workers. And when making music becomes that kind of work, I shall sell or burn all of my guitars and gear. But if you can't sing AND play rhythm AND play lead, all well and at the same time, don't quit your night job as you are with 99.9% of us.

 

[defcrew]

I'm the lead player and singer in my group. Whether I'm good at it or not is mos def open to discussion. Truthfully, my ideal group would be one where I write and someone else sang it and I played lead and so forth. As mentioned the call in response kind of is regular biz. A friend of mine used to play sax with the legendary soul singer, Eddie Floyd, and Eddie used to tell him, "When I sing you stop. When I stop you play." So, there is a natural flow to these things.

That said, I really enjoy adding chord voicings or melodious lines underneath someone singing. It's really what I think I'm best at but, as my grandfather used to say, "circumstances alter cases." Finding a singer is really tough because, in the end, you have to play what they can sing so the tail sort of wags the dog. Playing solos is fun because it is a free and emotive experience but long guitar solos are mainly pleasurable only for the person playing them. Not that this stops us....

 

[FUS44]

I sing and play 'lead' (actually, only) guitar.
It takes a lot of practice. I think it is best if you do both, every time you pick up the guitar.
Singing is like lifting weights. More physical than guitar as far as breathing. Your voice is like a muscle and you need to train it. We have a singer, but I sing all choruses and front the band on all new songs(until the singer takes over). if I have trouble singing and playing, I usually hum the tune until I get it.

 

[BACzero]

I was born with a natural ability to sing, so I've always been stuck behind the mic. For me, when I sing, my guitar playing has to be autonomous, so to speak. I don't think about what I'm playing... my hands just know what to do. During an intro I let myself melt into the progression, but when the singing starts I let my mental focus shift over to the vocals. Someone told me years ago that if you believe what you're singing, your audience will believe it too. I've found that to be true. So I focus on vocals, put my emotions into them and let my hands just do what they do.

Only in recent years have I really started experimenting with playing lead while singing. I quickly realized that it's rare to have a guitar solo over a vocal section, so they can be separated. I put my heart and soul into the vocals until the solo comes, then I shift my focus to the guitar. For me, the hard part comes at the end of the solo, because the guitar solo often seems to fade into the vocals coming in, so there's a measure or part of a measure where you're doing both. Every song is a little different... sometimes I can finish the solo and sing. With other songs I have to cut the solo a little short, or change up the ending to help me flip my focus back to the vocals...

Not sure if anyone else experiences this, but I've also had some issues with coming out of a solo and forgetting the words. My mind gets so focused on the solo that I blank on the lyrics for a second. It doesn't happen all the time, but with some songs I have to pound the first few words coming out of the solo into my head so hard that they stick. If I can get the first few words out, the rest just flow.

Yeah, not sure if that even made sense to anyone other than me... just my two cents.

 

[ErictheRed]

I actually figure that it's easy than playing rhythm, in the sense that if you have a rhythm guitarist, you don't really have to play at all (or just lightly strum the chords) while you sing. Just throw in some fills between verses and solo while you aren't singing, don't have to do it at the same time!

 

[Stage Fright]

Matthew Bellamy does it all of the time, both guitar and piano with vocals. That guy is so talented though it's ridiculous. I saw a video of him playing one of their songs while riding a hoverboard around the stage doing a sound check.

I can sing some of my original songs while I play guitar, but there are a couple I have problems with.

 

[roeg]

George Benson and scatting.Sing the lead lines.Once you've got a handle on that,then harmonize vocals to the lead line,or vice-versa.Not easy for sure.

I make it my ball and chain to sing and play simultaneously as much as possible on acoustic.It translates to electric quite well.I will never be a lead singer,i think,but backups,sure.

 

[KP11520]

Some are lucky enough to have a powerful "Dual Processor" brain and can sing in perfect pitch while doing the heavy work on guitar flawlessly.

James Taylor is one of these types. Never misses a vocal note AND his playing style is quite complicated. Doing it on Acoustic leaves him with nothing to hide behind either. Always nails it.

Now me.... I'm working with an old (very) Commodore computer brain.

But I will keep working on both and beat my processor into upgrading. Sounds counter-intuitive, but it's my only hope.

Keep at it. It can be done. Bass is another in a similar context. Think Geddy Lee. Very busy Bass lines and a lot of vocals.

Good luck when mixed with a lot of hard work will transverse the journey! See you on the other side!

 

[The_Sentry]

Yes.

1. Work on Rhythm Guitar.
2. Keep working on rhythm guitar.
3. When you're sick of it, work on some more rhythm guitar.

As for your vocals, you will naturally start by singing with the guitar. When you get comfortable with your rhythms (ie, the whole reason you're beating it into the ground), then you can start singing against and even against the guitar rhythmically so there's a poly rhythm effect in place.

PS:

Put the electric down and pick up an acoustic guitar. Wanking isn't going to help your cause.