I'm a fair singer at best. I just wish I could sing and play at the same time. Not that I'm that great a player either, just not good at multi-tasking I guess....
Regular Fretter
I'm a fair singer at best. I just wish I could sing and play at the same time. Not that I'm that great a player either, just not good at multi-tasking I guess....
Ronnie
Guitars: Washburn WI64DL Idol, Yamaha Pacifica 112, Yamaha EG112C, Washburn House of Blues Electric, Washburn G30 Acoustic
Amps: Crate GX1200H Head, Crate 4x12 Cabinet, Crate GLX65 12" Combo, Johnson 15 watt, Fender Frontman 25R
Pedals: Cry Baby Wah, DOD FX20-B Stereo Phaser, Danelectro Cool Cat Transparent Overdrive, Daneletro CM2 Metal II, Danelectro FAB Chorus, Danelectro FAB Flange
Regular Fretter
Same here. I can sing and harmonize pretty well but I cannot sing and play at the same time. My brain is not wired for that. With practice I probably could though I guess.Originally Posted by bigoldron
Guitars/Bass - MIM Fender Classic 50s Strat, MIM Fender Standard Strat, Squier Classic Vibe 50s Tele, Gibson Les Paul Studio, Epi '56 Gold Top Les Paul, Martin DSR acoustic, Sigma Martin Auditorium electric/acoustic, Squier Jazz Bass.
Amps/Cabinets/Modelers - Model 2558 50 watt Marshall Silver Anniversary Jubilee combo w/ Celestion Vintage 30s, 4x12 Marshall cabinet w/25 watt Greenback Celestions, Fender Blues Junior w/ a couple of Billm mods, Line 6 POD 2.0, Roland Micro Cube
Pedals/Effects - Cry Baby Classic Wah, Boss TU-2, Boss NS-2, Boss RC-2 Loop Station, Ross Compressor, MXR Micro Amp, Danelectro FAB Echo, Danelectro FAB Chorus, Danelectro Chicken Salad, Marshall Guv'nor Plus, Marshall Echohead, Duhvoodooman's Zonkin' Yellow Screamer, Digitech Digiverb, Digitech Bad Monkey, Dunlop Fuzz Face, Homemade Loop Bypass pedal, Duhvoodooman's Sonic Tonic (Maxon SD-9 clone +), Voodoo Labs Superfuzz
Regular Fretter
Lots of great answers here. Anything I would have chimed in with has been pointed out by someone else. I've played guitar for 16 years and did not dare to sing a note in front of anyone until about a year ago. As you may guess, it was absolutely terrifying.
I was in a band with a great singer for 5 years, and when our band broke up we decided to stick together and do our own thing. Now I've taught him to play rhythm acoustic and he taught me a couple things about singing.
A lot of people have said it already, but it's really all about confidence. We are all animals after all. If you're terrified and you get up at open mic, the audience can smell that fear. If the people watching have a doubt in their mind about how good you are, it's because YOU put it there. In my opinion, a good player/singer is just someone who practiced properly and knows how to be a confident salesman in front of a crowd.
Another thing to consider is that if you're struggling to play and sing at the same time, play to a metronome and start by making sure you change chords in the right spot. If theres one thing i've learned since I started singing while playing, it's that once you open your mouth and words come out, no one cares what your hands are doing as long as the chords change when they should.
I'm a hardcore perfectionist about nailing guitar parts, but learning to sing and actually singing lead with a band has taught me so much that I wish i'd have realized years ago.
I think everyone in a band should spend time at least tinkering with every instrument in the band. If we all understand each others role more clearly, then it's way easier to stop waiting your turn and just make good music instead.
if anyone wants to check it out, heres a song i wrote for my wife, one of my first stabs at singing lead for the band:
www.soundcloud.com/the-stones-throw/shots-fired
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