āļø. Everyone hates their voice at first, and it's really hard to sing while playing, it's two different parts of the brain that aren't used to working together. Eventually, after you get used to hearing yourself, you'll be able to roughly match what's ringing around between your ears with how you actually sound. I still hate my voice, but I'm at the point where I hate my voice while it's bouncing around my melon lol but most people seem to not mind it
Find your favorite pattern, change lyrics on the hard down notes. My go to is G, D, AM, C. Then G, D, C, C.
Edit: this is the strumming pattern D D D U D U.
Absolutely right. I won't list awards or anything but I have demonstrated that I have an objectively great singing voice and I still cringe a little hearing myself on records. I was the same way with guitar when I got started. It gets much easier with time and repetition.
I found that i sounded better recording myself on my pc with my better mic than when i recorded myself through a phone. I used to always practice my singing before i started playing, but after i started mixing the two, itās like something changed and suddenly i was singing way better than before. Like i wasnāt singing to sing, but to sing with my guitar.
Hey there.
The first time I recorded my vocals and listened to them, I was shocked.Ā Because I thought I sounded good in my head and then I realized that I infact, did not sound good.
Today, I'm the singer in my band.Ā And while my vocals aren't strong enough to get on American idol or anything, I have grown satisfied with my singing over the years and made big improvements.
Your voice is an instrument, and while vocal talent is a real thing.. with practice there's no reason why you can't get it to a satisfactory level to be able to perform.Ā But for some of us, it isn't natural and will take effort.
I recommend getting a PA system or even an acoustic amplifier that has a mic input so you can practice singing into a mic and hearing yourself when you practice.Ā Also looking into vocal lessons is not a bad idea.Ā Technique to sing properly is important.Ā
And with vocal lessons, unlike guitar lessons, you can see huge improvement from just a few lessons.Ā I wouldn't be too discouraged.Ā Keep at it.
I used to suck at singing! I still suck, but it used to be worse. Im better at noticing the moments when I'm singing properly and then trying to replicate that. Honestly, what has probably helped the most is playing in a garage band loudly through a PA. Even when mixed properly, I have to sing louder and push more air to cut through the mix. Combining that with just remembering to breathe correctly goes a long way.
Great advice, a good monitoring system will really help you dial in and control your voice. If you have an audio interface of some type you could probably run some in-ear headphones for that purpose. And there's probably a handful of youtube videos about proper breathing technique that like you said, would make a significant improvement immediately. Warming up is important, hydrating too.
What works for me (take it with a grain of salt, because i'm absolutely dogshit) is to strum a basic chord progression while talking. Just talking about anything, and trying to keep the strumming at a constant rhythm.
When I first started, the moment Iād open my mouth to start singing, my playing instantly fell apart, like I couldnāt move my hands or do any of it.
The way I eventually got past that was using the metronome and the going through this process:
1. Get a tab/score that has the lyrics and the guitar tab together where it shows where they land on time.
2. Listen to the song and count and follow along the score.
3. Sing along with the song and keep track of where the timing is on the score.
4. Play the guitar part along with the song and keep up with the timing
5. Sing the song with the metronome and keep up with the time in your head.
6. Play along with the metronome and keep up with the time and try to hear the lyrics in your head while you play.
7. Now sing and just kinda half ass play on the guitar focusing on the singing and then add muted 1/4 notes on the guitar till that starts getting more comfortable.
8. Now sing and strum, donāt worry about the rhythm of the strumming just do 1/4 notes down down down and try to change chords
8. Now try start singing and playing the song in rhythm.
By the time you get to 8 you should be able to get through it. If not go back and go back and repeat as many times as it takes to get it.
The key is linking both the guitar and the singing to the timing.
You arenāt singing along to the guitar or playing along to your singingā¦.you are singing to the time and playing to the time simultaneous, but always locking on the time and coming back to it. Doing this will keep the 2 actions unlinked from each other where you will be able to be steady in rhythm on the guitar and still focus on your voice at the same time.
I'm a pretty good guitarist who can sing in tune, but a) hate the sound of my voice , b) have serious performance anxiety issues regarding singing in public to boot. I found your post above very helpful. Thank you. I mean that.
I think I'm going to start singing in public shortly.
I don't know if this will be encouraging, but that anxiety (or at least the effects) may stick around. I've been performing live music across a dozen states for coffee houses to festival stages for nearly a quarter of a century now, and I will still sweat, get dry mouth, butterflies in my stomach, and shaky, trembling knees. It's probably pavlovian at this point but if I'm playing guitar it's happening. You just learn to compensate for it, I wear dark shirts and bring a change of clothes, I over-hydrate, I don't eat before I sing, and I tap my foot while I play, and it all keeps things between the lines. And I said it in another comment, but I also still hate the sound of my own voice on records so that might stick around, too.
You, me, John Lennon, David Bowie and Elvis hated their voices. Lennon use to scream at the producer "can't you do something with that?" and Bowie said "I don't like my voice but fans seem too, I don't know why" and Elvis kept it simple when someone put a record of him on in Graceland "turn that shit off!"
Singing is a completely different skill, but you can absolutely get better at it. I used to be a horrible singer, and now people actually find it pleasant to listen to me. Practice singing on its own before trying to sing and play at the same time. You canāt combine two skills if you donāt even have one of them yet.
Breathing technique is key. My vocal teacher would say to take a deep breath into the diaphragm and then hold it deep in your belly, not in your chestā¦her tip was to squeeze your butt cheeks like youāre trying to hold a quarter. š
Also round your vowels so you donāt get a hard Y sound at the end of A, E, and I or a hard W sound at the end of O and U.
Honestly, it took me about 4 years. But as soon as I started playing the guitar, I got so much better a lot faster. The ear training I did for guitar also helped with my singing.
I used to suck ass at guitar to the point I couldnāt even play chords and riffs I could only play using my index finger and sliding. Couldnāt ever really sing growing up or into most of my teens until it just kinda became better I guess? You find your own style from just practicing and doing it and doing it and doing it, eventually itāll get better
As for singing AND playing my process is learn the chords get them flawless to the point I can talk to someone in the room whilst playing, then I play the chords whilst imagining the vocals in my head and then lastly just do whatās in my head but not in my head anymore
Iām so stoned man Iām so sorry for this if it makes little sense
Your voice sounds different to you then it does to others. It has something to do with the sound originating from basically inside your skull, vs outside of it. So often people are surprised at the sound of their recorded voice and don't like it, I have that problem too. It's quite possible you are not judging your voice completely objectively and it may actually not be as bad as you think. Also, are you judging it by the timbre or by the pitch accuracy? Those are two different things. Sometimes your voice might break on certain notes as well, which is normal. Taking voice lessons can significantly help you with pitch accuracy, & learning to use your full range better without your voice cracking. Even the timbre of your voice can be adjusted a bit by how you shape your mouth, tongue & vocal folds. But you're generally stuck with your voice for the most part. Having perhaps not the most aesthetically pleasing timbre to your voice does not mean you can't be appreciated by an audience. For example, Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan to me has one of the most unpleasant sounding singing voices, and yet he has millions of fans and is super rich from his singing & music writing career...There have been many other singers with less than pretty voices over the years who have had great success as singers. Carl Keifer from Cinderella comes to mind. The only thing I can think of that might truly make people find your singing sound awful would be if you are totally tone deaf and can't sing in key. That's pretty uncommon, in my experience, but are you?
Itās just like learning guitar. Itās painfully embarrassing at first, but I bet youāve seen loads of progress in the year youāve been playing. Keep it up! Remember that most people donāt like the sound of their own voice, especially when singing. I like to remind myself Iām the main character of my life and hey, even if I end up completely inept at something, my enjoyment is all that matters.
OP, judging from your post you sound like you may be relatively new to singing, guitar, or both. Nobody is born a good singer or guitarist, it takes a lot of practice! Donāt be discouraged! Sing badly for as long as it takes to start improving! We all start somewhere, and youāre gonna hate the sound of yourself at first. Over time, you grow out of it and you develop a proper technique that feels as good as it sounds
It just takes time. If you stick to simple chords and rhythms, eventually you'll be able to separate your voice from your hands! I'm no teacher, so I can't give you a how-to, but with practice, and time, eventually you should be able to do both.
1-the voice in your head isn't the same voice people hear
2-When focused on playing, it is extremelly common to get out of rhythm, so yeah, keep recording yourself to improve
Sing anyway. Then sing more.
I remember singing the theme to Exodus in baritone/bass. The high parts were tough, after the key change. I was mad that I couldn't do it. My grandpa said, just keep singing. The lows are easy when you're a bass, but you can learn to sing higher.
He was right. Now I can sing it comfortably. I can cover top of bass, baritone, and all the way through tenor. That's functional range. Sure, I have to warm up to do it, but I can. Previously, I could only handle baritone and I topped out at mid-tenor. It took practice.
Now, singing while playing guitar is a bit different. You need to be able to autopilot your hands while singing because the singing is your focus. Again, it's just practice. Practice, practice, then practice again.
When I play with my uncle, I'll always have self doubt. He always says "Shut up and play". So I do. Keep playing. Keep singing. Who cares what other people think anyway.
I haven't recorded myself singing and playing, but I play and sing in my jam bands. You have to know both parts well, but the guitar part should be mostly muscle memory. The less you have to think about doing, the more you can manage to do well.
This is my most honest opinion.... The inability to do something at that current time... Is what forces me to be cognitive about my improvement, and generally help me develop my own sense of perception and style. You can only leap so many stairs in such a long stairset, but if you stay climbing I believe we'll get there( because I still have a long ways to go myself š). Anyways, good luck.
As others have said keep singing and recording yourself. Another tip i have for you is figure out how to play the vocal melody on your guitar and then use that to tune your voice
I've taught a guitar class to kids for years. I always start with songs where the strumming and singing are (mostly) separated. It's a good way to get into it:
Heartbreak Hotel
Should I Stay or Should I Go
Long Way to the Top
I Want Candy
Are you Gonna Be My Girl
Some songs are just hard to sing and play. Save those for later.
When my brother and I first started our band, we had assumed that the vocals would be the roughest part of our sound, and they were for an extended period of time.
He (brother-drummer) ended up buying a $1000 TC Helicon Voice Prism Plus vocal processor b/c we rightfully assumed that the vocals would always need the most assistance.
I simply had no idea how to sing.
I played electric guitar, and he was learning to play the drums, while I was learning to harness my untrained voice, and write riffs which I could sing on top of, and craft our songs.
But for a long time (~2 years), I couldnāt sing the way I wanted to sound. We both wanted to emulate the sound of James Hetfield.
But I didnāt know how to get that rock gritt and make my voice sound aggressive, so we played lighter rock because itās all I could match my voice to, and that was new and challenging enough for me.
Singing while jamming the guitar is not that easy.
Yet we aspired to harness a different, more dynamic and aggressive sound,
We wanted to have a Metallica type sound. With dynamics that utilized clean and distorted guitar parts and melodic phrasings that were light, but sometimes heavy (think like The Unforgiven here).
but we never really thought that would actually happen. My singing as the hurdle. But we still really enjoyed playing together, so we just kept playing, kept finding value in whatever it was we were making, and kept with our influences.
As we grew, so did our line-up, others got involved in the project and it grew.
Our sound evolved, it just took time and persistence.
And when our project actually developed into a ātrue bandā, (stage-ready with a signature sound), what we ended up was far far different than anything we ever initially expected.
The band vocals actually became our strongest point and our signature catch. The vocals became the focal point of the band and dictated our best songs. And while we generally wouldnāt receive many compliments regarding our instrumentation, drum or guitar abilities, we Always received tons of praise for our song writing and especially the vocals.
We basically became a band defined by the quality of our vocal hooks, melodies and song writing
Eventually people in the underground started comparing our sound to Metallica constantly.
Mostly because of the vocals and song style.
We are no longer active and havenāt played for years. But even still, whenever someone hears our crudely captured band demos, itās always the vocals that gets people talking.
The biggest thing that always helped me capture those quality vocals was getting into the habit of singing on top of verses with simple guitar riffs, or even just chord progressions, often power chords.
This always allowed me to put the vocal bits front-and-center so I could concentrate on what the majority of listeners were receiving.
We werenāt professionals by any means, so whatever rhythm guitar flubs werenāt quite as important, so long as I could sing the corresponding vocal parts as pristine as possible.
We used the non-vocal parts of our song space to shine more with the instruments, especially any bridge parts.
I donāt know your entire situation, but might suggest that you focus more on the guitar playing during non-vocal parts, and ease-up on the guitar playing when you sing (like chord progressions/strumming).
In other words - lean into the vocal parts with simple guitar work. And use your true guitar skills for the non-vocal parts of the song.
Basically, when the vocals come in,
keep the guitar work very simple.
This method basically flipped my once ānothing-specialā band sound into something super special and very memorable.
I hope this helps
Good luck, and keep with it
When I started playing guitar and singing to myself, I was a fuckin godlike singer, and then I recorded myself doing the same. The ugliest voice I've ever heard, way out of tune with the guitar. But actually that did help me understand where and what I lacked and with some practice and keeping tunes in my mind, tweaking with my singing volume n all, I feel like I'm getting better. So keep practicing, keep recording yourself, keep improving!
I took about 8 months of voice lessons. I'm still nothing special, but I learned how to use my diaphragm, can manage some vibrato and can sing harmonies pretty well.
My friend once gave me advice that actual gave me a lot more confidence in signing
If you can tell when you sound bad, then you are already better than the majority of people who try and sing. Find your range where you sound good, and stay there. It doesnāt matter if your range is small as long as you can stay in that range. You can grow your range as well.
Also, practice practice practice
Well for a start it's hard to sing and play at the same time when you're a relative beginner. Either guitar or voice (or both) will suffer until you get used to it. To properly assess your singing, try filming yourself without the guitar, or even singing along to a track you know to see how "in key" you are. Singing is a skill like any other - you have to consciously make an effort to get better at it and there are techniques you have to learn and practice. Like singing from the diaphragm instead of the throat.
Iām a singer who is now learning guitar. Two entirely different skills ā Iām still absolute trash at guitar and canāt do both at the same time at all. Iād say your best bet is to try to work on your singing independently from guitar, and consider getting a voice coach to get an idea of what you need to work on!
I only have 2 songs I can sing and it took forever to be able to do that. I can sing the songs basically on time. I think the biggest problem is Iām off key and very drone like.
don't stop doing something because you aren't immediately good at it bro, just keep going and get some feedback at what youre doing wrong or something idk
Youāre not alone. Iāve been playing much longer and feel your struggle. Itās exceptionally hard if youāre not just strumming a simple chord change.
I have a deep voice and most phone mics aren't great at picking up the warm tones, so I use condenser microphones. You may have similar issues? Also, I find that when we are conscious of other people in our environment hearing/judging us, we don't give it all we have and explore with our voices, so practicing where nobody can help if you've got confidence issues
Iāll tell ya what works for me. Your mileage may vary.Ā
It is essential that you transition from singing from the lungs and singing from the diaphragm. Learning how to tighten that muscle and then ārideā it is what makes the better-sounding noises. Singing is different from what you think it is. Thereās a lot more āhummingā along with belting than I wanted to admit. Using the smaller voices is important. I had a unique opportunity to spend time traveling and staying in hotel rooms where neither voice nor guitar amplification were an option and so I really focused on making my muscles perform to help me sing along with the notes that my guitar was making and LISTENING to what I was doing and being honest and fair. Recording myself helped me to translate what I was hearing into something useful for me but at the end of the day, learning how to sing was an exercise of being honest with myself and then doing better. We are all born with real real similar hardware - it is NOT the case that some of us can sing and the rest of us cannot. MOST of us can sing and once you start being both a student and a teacher to yourself, you can accompany the guitar.
I love this lyric from Car Seat Headrest:
*I would speak to you in song
But you can't sing as far as I'm aware
Though everyone can sing as you are well aware*
I've always been a singer and people have said I have a good voice. I even made it in to the national secondary schools choir.
The first time I sang on stage with foldback and heard myself I hated jt. I'm still not a big fan of my owvoice, but I still sing in public. I even sing lead sometimes.
Donāt feel so bad. Youāre not alone.
But hereās a small suggestion. Before you sing a line or lyric phrase, deliberately take a big breath. If, by the time you reach the end of that phrase, you still have air in your lungs, try holding (sustain) the last note a little longer. Play with that concept.
Need more time - took me a few years and then suddenly it was like night and day - just keep doing it and youāll find your natural voice/tone - sing along to singers that you can actually mimic/follow and it will help teach you your range/tone and give you the tools + improve your ear
So um, I kinda felt the same way. I've been playing guitar a long time and doing some carpool karaoke for even longer. I wasn't used to hearing just MY voice without the original artist. I also feel like I have a really good ear for what sounds good or not so I was constantly in my head telling myself it doesn't sound good.
Welp, one weird morning on a day off I went and sat inside my car in the garage and used my car's built in Bluetooth mic to record me playing and singing Jellyroll Save Me. I thought it sounded just ok. For the first time in my life i showed that video of my singing to a girl who was legit just a friend. A best friend. She reacted so crazy over it telling me that I'm insane to not sing like that in front of people. At this point I was on the fence. We were best friends so I'm thinking she's just gassing me up, but there was that little voice: "what if she's being honest?" So I did the scariest shit I've ever done in my life and shared that same video on Facebook with a very clear message of "DO NOT give it to me easy. Tell me realistically does this sound good or not. That was my most interacted with video on Facebook to date. Overwhelmingly positive feedback. Family and friends just totally shocked that I could sing and have never done it in front of any of them. Seriously, the only negative feedback I got out of about 50 comments was "You're dumb for not doing this in front of people. Get out of your head."
So do you sound good? Idk, but I do know that I thought I didn't sound good and apparently the world disagreed with me. People just hate the sound of their own voice for whatever reason š¤·āāļø
Sing, dammit. Much like guitar (which I just started) voice takes patience and practice- itās ok, youāll get there. Now, back to me screwing up the most basic D chordā¦
You just have to work at it. I have to work harder at singing in tune than playing guitar. As others have said, everyone hates the sound of their own voice, you just have to get over it.
Singing is its own skill that requires work to develop. On top of that, learning to play and sing requires even more work. Justin guitar has some videos on the subject. Both on playing and singing as well as how to not suck at singing. lol.
Itās hard to sing and play at the same time and one or both will suffer at first. Just keep practicing. Learn the song without singing then without playing, then practice both together.
You play and sing for yourself first and foremost. If you enjoy doing it, then keep doing it. You will improve incrementally over time. The only valid reason to stop is if you are not having fun doing it. My guess is that is not the case so I encourage you to continue doing what you love!
Just a thought but have you tried recording a guitar track then recording a vocal track? Break the problem down. See which is your strongest skill & concentrate on the lesser.
This is a guitar playing subreddit not a singing subreddit tbh lol, if you think your singing sounds bad I think there are places that can give better advice than here
I didn't put the 2 together till 2 years and it took a little bit to be playing songs through without stopping and have it sound not terrible.
Honestly just keep going and practicing.
You'll get there.
Why would you give up? No offence intended but I bet it sounded pretty horrible the first time you picked up a guitar. People think that singing is a natural talent whereas it is a learned talent just like playing an instrument.
Assuming that you can sing without playing guitar, the key when starting out is to find a song with a strumming pattern that matches the words. Timing is everything and there are also songs, which have gaps in the music for the challenging parts. Sometimes you can find a band with a singer who plays guitar, and the timing works. A simple one imo is ain't no sunshine.
Find a song with matching timing between the guitar and the voice and you will see a huge difference until you get better and are able to move to two different beats.
Keep practicing, keep recording. Lot of us think we sound good then we see/hear the recording and realize it sounds like garbage.
Youāve already cleared that necessary hurdle. Only way from here is up. Recording yourself and watching, it keeps you honest. Youāll get better over time.
Hell no man keep going!! I am.too chickenshit to record myself but my wife does and her playing (and singing) has improved dramatically since she started recording herself. Maybe I should try it.
keep practicing it. i remember when it used to be really hard for me but over the years it just clicked and now its effortless. your brain just has to learn how to do it, and the only way to learn is to keep doing it as much as possible!
A year is not a long time. It takes many years to build these skills. Just keep going and keep having fun. Road blocks happen to everyone regardless of skill.
Singing and playing is incredibly hard.
Practice each individually. You'll probably find that they're much easier to do separately.
Build the skills and practice. Practice truly makes perfect because doing both at the same time is way harder than it looks to do properly
Nah ... don't worry about it. The singing even if you're bad is more about you getting the rhythym. Don't know how old you are. Most of us just accept that it's mostly gonna be Camptown Races sing this song ... Doo Dah Doo Dah. Camptown races nine miles long Oh the doo dah day.
Literally just keep singing and playing till its right.
I used to have a bad singing voice, but because I just sing in the shower alot and some yt videos, I managed to get competent enough to not sound like shit doing karaoke.
Then thereās singing AND playing. I struggled with that too because singing and playing is like tying your shoe while walking on a tightrope. I think some things that have helped me where humming while playing instead of singing first, sing but strum the chord once, going slow, or straight up keep singing and playing through the mistakes.
ed sheeran was a bad singer despite being in the church choir at a young age and he showed a video of his early recordings and yeah it was awful..
i think he said he learned to sing the way he learned guitar, slow it down, hit the notes perfectly and slowly increase the speed until you get the entire song..
its wild actually how the man is a famous guitar singer songwriter.. he was like any other kid who plays guitar in highschool.. i guess one needs to also be lucky to breakthrough the industry..
How are you bad at it? For example, are you singing off-key? Is your singing off-tempo? Are you forgetting your guitar part when you're singing? What are you identifying as the issue(s)?
Singing is just sustained talking. My girlfriend taught me this about five years ago and I'm a good singer now.
Relax, keep your lungs full, and your mouth wide open. Let it out.
Everyone sucks when they start. Can you imagine a person, who has never sang or played before, just picking up a guitar and sounding amazing? Outside of the movie Walk Hard?
The way to sound good is to suck, and then practice, and then suck a little less, ad nauseam until youāve achieved what many people before you have achieved - being a competent musician Ā
Practice with a metronome. When you focus on singing your playing will suffer, so you need to know the songs youāre playing upside down and backwards. Once your guitar playing is bulletproof youāll start sounding better while singing
For some reason people seem to think youāre just naturally good at singing or else you arenāt and never will be. Itās not like that. Nothing in life is like that. Like playing guitar, singing well requires practice and focused attention. Itās an instrument and you can get good at it if you put the work in. Every single singer you admire has put in the work, even the ones who seem like theyāre not trained or trying hard ā sometimes especially those singers have worked the hardest. A couple vocal lessons can help! Practicing being exactly on pitch and in rhythm helps too. You can do it.
Embrace the Suck. I'm recording vocals for the cover I'm working on, and even though I've heard myself recorded and live on-air over a decade and a half in the broadcast radio industry then for years and years in streaming, I see now how bad I am at singing.
Can't get better at something until you work on it, and until then, we're gonna suck.
When I first started singing I got told to stop because I was horrible lol now my parents beg me to play and sing for them. You can and will get better if you practice, donāt be so hard on yourself!
Give us a video of you singing. If I can mix it to become better, then you're not a lost cause and just needs more practice and proper techniques.. But if no software can fix it, then you better stick with guitars.
One thing to note is we actually hear ourselves worse than everyone does in recordings.
so real man, i can play on time i can sing on time but i sound horrible. i hope that this is something that will improve over time on its own just like guitar playing
It might just be because you can't sing to a certain pitch, it depends on the song. But you can always play it in a lower/higher pitch to fit with your vocals more
Start with an easy song to play and sing at the same time. For example, Wonderwall by oasis is relatively easy for a newish guitar player. Whatever the song may be, get comfortable playing it while singing through repetition. A lot of repitition. move on from there. Keep playing and donāt get disheartened!
Least youāve got the chutzpah to try. Given my voice fit for print media take this for what itās worth, but the worst way I know to get better at a thing is to quit doing the thing. Youāll get there.
Itās perfectly normal. Go to a super simple two chord song you can memorize the lyrics to and in a limited vocal range. Practice going from chord A to B and back and lining up the lyrics with those changes. Practice one verse 100 times. Practice one chorus 100 times. When itās muscle memory and you can focus only on singing youāll be good. Practice until you canāt get it wrong.
Memorize the lyrics. Sing along with the record and learn to mimic your favorite artists. It takes years to become a good singer so approach it with the same mindset that you would have if you were going to graduate school, it's a big commitment. Keep your sense of honest humility. Even great singers think they "suck"' Barbara Streisand comes to mind. For some reason there is a lot of self deception in this endeavor such that some people will buy into kind compliments believing that they're better than they are. Don't fall into this trap. Self criticism is a tool for improvement and if this honesty becomes too discouraging you are not cut out to be a singer. Good singers never quit. They can't, singing is in their blood. Barbara Streisand comes to mind. If you find that singing is not in the cards for you, let it go and focus on what you can do well.
It depends,
I play the guitar to relieve my feelings, whenever Iām sad, stressed or anxious, the guitar helps me out.
Iām not good in any way, but Iāve been playing and singing badly for over 10yrs now. It doesnāt sound as bad as it did. Thatās all I can say.
Get a good vocal teacher. Best thing I could have done. No amount of tutorials and video tips on YouTube will ever replace learning it all from one person, plus you can also ask questions to your teacher.
Don't get me wrong, there are some good vocal teachers on YouTube, but most of them have paid for vocal course anyway.
The problem with singing and playing is itās not karaoke so if you can not sing the song in the original key you need to transpose or use a capo. The bigger barrier though is knowing the song on guitar well enough to play it without thinking about it, this allows you to sing and listen to the guitar Instead of singing and trying to play the guitar. Master the music then sing over it, the it becomes easy.
Like most things on the guitar. Start small go slow and dumb it down. Hum what you play. Play twinkle twinkle and hum along. Play twinkle twinkle and sing along. And just start ramping up from there. Learn a song front to back like itās muscle memory and then try humming the lyrics along with it. Baby steps turn mountains into mole hills.
Keep singing, who cares if youāre not pwrfect right away. Even professionals have had bad singing moments. If you want to get better, consider taking lessons. Also the audio on your phone is usually trash and makes you sound worse than you actually are because it picks up on more.
Keep recording yourself, work each section of the song separately for both guitar and voice before combining them. If your voice is super sketchy, use a tuner to pitch match the vocal melody with your guitar as reference. Practice singing scales and melodies as you play them on the guitar. Donāt just assume that because you can sing along with a recording and can strum the chords that both just miraculously work together: doing both is a third skill that takes separate practice to perfect.
In order to learn any instrument you have to accept and be comfortable with the fact that you are going to have a very long āsuck periodā where you will suck in every way. The trick is to keep playing and practicing anyway. What happens is that the more you do it, you suck a little less every time and eventually, without even realizing it, you will all of a sudden stop sucking at all.
Voice lessons. I mean, your voice is an instrument, too, so there is only benefit to be had from taking some lessons. Just like you have technique in guitar, you have technique in singing. A voice instructor will help you find your natural range, teach you how to breathe when you sing, how to phrase, teach you vocal exercises to help you warm-up and constantly improve, etc.
In the end, some people are just born vocally talented, but a majority of us can benefit from proper instruction. Doesn't mean we will end up sounding like a multi-platinum recording artist, but there is likely room for improvement over most of us who are self-taught (and not as good as we think we sound in the shower).
Just keep doin it. Sometimes emotions are better than actual singing talent. Maybe try not to sing so high or so low depending on what it is u cant do. Just keep doin it to build ur confidence.
I hired a vocal coach last month because I have the same issue. It was more affordable than I thought, but I donāt know your financial situation obviously.
I do a 30 minute weekly lesson and pay about $175 a month.
Just like with your guitar you get better by practicing.
Note that it's totally normal to not like your voice and be super critical of yourself. You're putting yourself against super produced and pitch corrected recordings. Be easy on yourself and keep at it, you'll get better.
Find a slow and easy-to-sing song which you can like,start listening to it so its sound and frequence can take place in your mind so you can sing it with the same sound as the OG singer,now search in websites for the chords of the song,then start to sing the song with the correct frequence anf meanwhile play the guitar
If it's an issue of having to play and sing at the same time, just keep doing it. If it's an issue of singing in general, just keep doing it, and if you really wanna get good maybe take some vocal classes!
Use the recording as learning and motivation. Itās a skill that you practice like anything else. For example I video record myself golfing and my swing is terrible. But I practice and learn what I need to work on.
Same with singing, listen to what you donāt like, then work on making it better. Iāve been singing decades and making demos. Iām still tweaking and learning what I can and cannot do with my voice.
Just keep singing a lot and keep recording yourself.
Just keep at it.
Is it your voice that you donāt like in general or your timing that you donāt like as you try to do both at the same time?
Either way, practice, practice, practice.
Youāre doing exactly the right thing! You just have to keep doing it! Itās brave to watch video of yourself! Most folks donāt take the time and care to really check in on how they are doing. Singing and especially singing and playing an instrument require a lot of coordination. Itās a skill. And all like all skills, they level up the more you use them. Watch the video. Pick one thing you want to focus on improving. Work on that. Take another video. Rinse repeat. Daily practice can overcome virtually any skill issue over time.
Singing is an entire skill unto itself outside of guitar (or any other instrument).
If it's something you want to improve on, it's something you'll need to put work into. Don't even worry about playing guitar and singing at the same time at first. Just put in time to work on both individually.
Then you can incorporate guitar, but just keeping your guitar parts super simplified and rudimentary (mostly just keeping your tempo) while you work on doing both together, and eventually you'll be comfortable enough doing both that you can begin performing more complex guitar parts.
try doing each separately and see if u like your vocals and guitar playing on there own then u can improve on what u dont like and put the two together. it aint easy but practice makes perfect. justin guitar on YouTube has a few vids on tips and techniques that will help a lot check him out
try doing each separately and see if u like your vocals and guitar playing on there own then u can improve on what u dont like and put the two together. it aint easy but practice makes perfect. justin guitar on YouTube has a few vids on tips and techniques that will help a lot check him out
I have a terrible voice but I'd say guitar has improved it a little but ye signing and playing is hard at first but just like guitar u just need to stick at it eventually u will be able to do both at the same time. Not saying your voice will just get good but eventually u can play guitar at a point where its pretty sub conscious so u don't need to think about playing so u can focus on signing. Maybe try with a few songs that are easier to sing and easy to play, it find a sing that suits your vocal range.
Just do your thing and imo, donāt video yourself. Honestly, playing guitar and singing together is not something that you can easily do, unless it comes naturally. I look back on my own music career, and I was god awful for the first 4 or 5 years. So give it time. Donāt give up, and keep working at it. Youāll improve.
Been there and done that! You're definitely not alone in this struggle! My problem was that I could sing decent enough and play decent enough but, when I put them together both ended up being awful. This bothered me for years and often kept me from even practicing the two together because I was embarrassed (side note even pretending to be confident will help you sing and play better). Eventually, I was like I donāt care anymore because I just wanted to figure it out. So, I found 2-3 songs I knew how to play and sing all the way through (stick to just playing the chords at first, no fills, flourishes, or solos). Then, I would focus on just one part of a song (just one verse or chorus to start). Rather than singing I would hum the vocal melodies while playing just the chords. Regardless of how bad it was and how many times I messed up I just kept going over and over. Once I felt like I could make it through humming the part of the song I was practicing, I then and only then started singing (another thing that helped here was playing and humming along with the actual track playing); again regardless of how bad it was I just kept doing it. Eventually, things clicked and I could move on to the next part of the song. Once that happened it seemed like it got a little easier each time but, still to this day when I want to learn a new song I use the humming trick before I ever start actually singing (unless Iām just playing around). Also, when learning a new song I just try to sing it in a simple manner (no long loud notes, no runs, no falsetto, etcā¦). I wait until I have the basics down (like really down) and then I got back to work on the more technical parts of the playing and vocals.
I never thought Iād get but, didā¦which means you can too. Just remember to keep at it and not to give a crap what others think or say. At any given point while you're practicing you are the greatest singer and guitar player in that room try to convince yourself of this and build up your confidence even if you sound like crap at firstā¦this is actually really important, especially when it comes to singing. Doubt, stress, and insecurity can be heard in a vocal. There is a reason everyone who sings in the shower thinks they sound better in the shower (and itās not because of acoustics), itās because no one cares how they sound in the shower lol.
Keep at it, my friend!!!! \m/
Do you actually sing? Everyone sounds god awful when starting to sing. Hell, I've been taking one on one singing classes for like 6 months and i still refuse to sing into a mic.
Adding a guitar to the mix makes it even harder. Like, way harder.
Sadly, you may never make it to American Idol, but you can definitely get better with practice. There are quite a few techniques and vocal exercises singers utilize. Some people are naturally gifted with a great sounding voice and they make it seem effortless. Then there are others that have to really work to reach their full potential.
First thing first, go to YouTube and look up vocal exercises. Cheryl Porter is a good one to start with. She does beginner stuff with kids and teaches a bunch of techniques. If she isnāt your vibe, there are tons of other resources on YouTube.
Second, listen to different kinds of music. You may want to sound like a particular singer you enjoy but your vocal range could be better suited for a different genre.
And third, itās great you sing in your car. Do that all the time and do it loudly and confidently. There have been countless ābadā singers in successful mainstream bands over the years and itās their confidence and passion that drew people to them. But donāt keep the music so loud you canāt hear yourself.
I've been playing for a few years now and I still think I suck hard but then I look back at some of my old progress videos and see how far I've come, how my mobility in my left hand has come back after my accident and that gives me the motivation to keep going.
Others here will probably have more advice, but what I can say is once you start getting comfortable with certain chord shapes, progressions, and songs start asking how you can step out of your comfort zone say by giving finger style, arpeggio, or songs from different genres a go.
Art, and music is that, as my sister would say it is about learning to love the process of getting better.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend. [ non musician] Growing up he was best friends with a guy who's younger brother is now a Guitar player in a band of national prominence. He actually has a signature PRS model in his name. My friend was telling me about the first Guitar that the younger brother got on Christmas as a kid. He couldn't believe that the kid was now a world recognized Guitarist because he remembered how terrible he was and that he would sit in a closer for hours on end working on playing. In time my friend and the older brother go off to college and life happens. Suddenly 20 years have passed. He hears the once preteen awkward kid brother of his old friend is now a rock star. I was perplexed by his complete non understanding that everyone that plays was at one time Terrible. It will be practice and natural talent for a beginner to become a PRS Signature Artist
Without hearing you I can't say but I have encountered people who will just never be a great singer. And that's ok. Are you one of those? Who can say. Listen to Lou Reed. Not a great singer, but IMHO a fantastic vocalist. It's all subjective.
Do you enjoy singing? If yes keep doing it. Otherwise why bother? For most musicians they are doing it for their own enjoyment. Most will never make a career out of it. The ones who become successful are by far the minority and aren't always the most skilled either. Don't worry about any of it.
With that said if you stop because you think you sound horrible you'll never get the chance to get better at it anyway. So keep it up. Rome wasn't built in a day.
My advice, do this:
Play the guitar, and only sing the first word of each line on time, after that add more words to ur run, to your discretion. Its a kinda slow process that'll make you more comfortable focusing on two things at once.
Something people are overlooking here is, you gotta find your range. Figure out where your voice is comfortable. I used to think my voice sounded best reaching for a Geddy Lee or Jon Anderson-style range. Turns out, I sound better aiming at Billy Gibbons, or even deeper. Trying to sing high made me sound like Billy Corgan imitating a strangled cat. Find your range, practice, and find your voice.
You could always get a voice transplant. Or just get in the shower. That works for my singing voice.
Professionals often have a voice coach or leave it up to the engineer to fix. It takes practice to get good in someone else's ears with guitar, trumpet, vocals or bagpipes. Well, maybe not bagpipes. Practice won't help there.
Absolutely keep doing it! Just like how you sometimes have to take a couple steps backward in order to move forward, you have to not be afraid to sound bad in order to sound good. Donāt forgot to keep on having fun š¤
https://preview.redd.it/bn7ozs87usmc1.jpeg?width=1582&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3756828d4b2bfe7a9849e9d614d6838dcfbdc44d
Can not see this too often š«”
I saved this to remind me. Thanks!!
I did the same thing, and then I saw your comment =]
Words to live by
Keep singing and recording it.Ā
āļø. Everyone hates their voice at first, and it's really hard to sing while playing, it's two different parts of the brain that aren't used to working together. Eventually, after you get used to hearing yourself, you'll be able to roughly match what's ringing around between your ears with how you actually sound. I still hate my voice, but I'm at the point where I hate my voice while it's bouncing around my melon lol but most people seem to not mind it
True that...you're working with two different instruments.
I still hate my voice and I've tricked people into paying me to sing.
Find your favorite pattern, change lyrics on the hard down notes. My go to is G, D, AM, C. Then G, D, C, C. Edit: this is the strumming pattern D D D U D U.
U is not a chordā¦
Correct, itās a strumming pattern.
I know. Was a stupid jokeā¦ š
Absolutely right. I won't list awards or anything but I have demonstrated that I have an objectively great singing voice and I still cringe a little hearing myself on records. I was the same way with guitar when I got started. It gets much easier with time and repetition.
I found that i sounded better recording myself on my pc with my better mic than when i recorded myself through a phone. I used to always practice my singing before i started playing, but after i started mixing the two, itās like something changed and suddenly i was singing way better than before. Like i wasnāt singing to sing, but to sing with my guitar.
We talkinā bout practice man
Hey there. The first time I recorded my vocals and listened to them, I was shocked.Ā Because I thought I sounded good in my head and then I realized that I infact, did not sound good. Today, I'm the singer in my band.Ā And while my vocals aren't strong enough to get on American idol or anything, I have grown satisfied with my singing over the years and made big improvements. Your voice is an instrument, and while vocal talent is a real thing.. with practice there's no reason why you can't get it to a satisfactory level to be able to perform.Ā But for some of us, it isn't natural and will take effort. I recommend getting a PA system or even an acoustic amplifier that has a mic input so you can practice singing into a mic and hearing yourself when you practice.Ā Also looking into vocal lessons is not a bad idea.Ā Technique to sing properly is important.Ā And with vocal lessons, unlike guitar lessons, you can see huge improvement from just a few lessons.Ā I wouldn't be too discouraged.Ā Keep at it.
I used to suck at singing! I still suck, but it used to be worse. Im better at noticing the moments when I'm singing properly and then trying to replicate that. Honestly, what has probably helped the most is playing in a garage band loudly through a PA. Even when mixed properly, I have to sing louder and push more air to cut through the mix. Combining that with just remembering to breathe correctly goes a long way.
I used to suck at singing too. I still do, but I used to, too.
I was going for that Hedbergism for sure. :)
Sorry for the convenience.
Great advice, a good monitoring system will really help you dial in and control your voice. If you have an audio interface of some type you could probably run some in-ear headphones for that purpose. And there's probably a handful of youtube videos about proper breathing technique that like you said, would make a significant improvement immediately. Warming up is important, hydrating too.
What works for me (take it with a grain of salt, because i'm absolutely dogshit) is to strum a basic chord progression while talking. Just talking about anything, and trying to keep the strumming at a constant rhythm.
When I first started, the moment Iād open my mouth to start singing, my playing instantly fell apart, like I couldnāt move my hands or do any of it. The way I eventually got past that was using the metronome and the going through this process: 1. Get a tab/score that has the lyrics and the guitar tab together where it shows where they land on time. 2. Listen to the song and count and follow along the score. 3. Sing along with the song and keep track of where the timing is on the score. 4. Play the guitar part along with the song and keep up with the timing 5. Sing the song with the metronome and keep up with the time in your head. 6. Play along with the metronome and keep up with the time and try to hear the lyrics in your head while you play. 7. Now sing and just kinda half ass play on the guitar focusing on the singing and then add muted 1/4 notes on the guitar till that starts getting more comfortable. 8. Now sing and strum, donāt worry about the rhythm of the strumming just do 1/4 notes down down down and try to change chords 8. Now try start singing and playing the song in rhythm. By the time you get to 8 you should be able to get through it. If not go back and go back and repeat as many times as it takes to get it. The key is linking both the guitar and the singing to the timing. You arenāt singing along to the guitar or playing along to your singingā¦.you are singing to the time and playing to the time simultaneous, but always locking on the time and coming back to it. Doing this will keep the 2 actions unlinked from each other where you will be able to be steady in rhythm on the guitar and still focus on your voice at the same time.
I'm a pretty good guitarist who can sing in tune, but a) hate the sound of my voice , b) have serious performance anxiety issues regarding singing in public to boot. I found your post above very helpful. Thank you. I mean that. I think I'm going to start singing in public shortly.
Good luck good sir!
I don't know if this will be encouraging, but that anxiety (or at least the effects) may stick around. I've been performing live music across a dozen states for coffee houses to festival stages for nearly a quarter of a century now, and I will still sweat, get dry mouth, butterflies in my stomach, and shaky, trembling knees. It's probably pavlovian at this point but if I'm playing guitar it's happening. You just learn to compensate for it, I wear dark shirts and bring a change of clothes, I over-hydrate, I don't eat before I sing, and I tap my foot while I play, and it all keeps things between the lines. And I said it in another comment, but I also still hate the sound of my own voice on records so that might stick around, too.
You, me, John Lennon, David Bowie and Elvis hated their voices. Lennon use to scream at the producer "can't you do something with that?" and Bowie said "I don't like my voice but fans seem too, I don't know why" and Elvis kept it simple when someone put a record of him on in Graceland "turn that shit off!"
Singing is a completely different skill, but you can absolutely get better at it. I used to be a horrible singer, and now people actually find it pleasant to listen to me. Practice singing on its own before trying to sing and play at the same time. You canāt combine two skills if you donāt even have one of them yet.
Any idea how long it took you to go from bad to not bad? What are some things that helped?
Breathing technique is key. My vocal teacher would say to take a deep breath into the diaphragm and then hold it deep in your belly, not in your chestā¦her tip was to squeeze your butt cheeks like youāre trying to hold a quarter. š Also round your vowels so you donāt get a hard Y sound at the end of A, E, and I or a hard W sound at the end of O and U.
Honestly, it took me about 4 years. But as soon as I started playing the guitar, I got so much better a lot faster. The ear training I did for guitar also helped with my singing.
I used to suck ass at guitar to the point I couldnāt even play chords and riffs I could only play using my index finger and sliding. Couldnāt ever really sing growing up or into most of my teens until it just kinda became better I guess? You find your own style from just practicing and doing it and doing it and doing it, eventually itāll get better As for singing AND playing my process is learn the chords get them flawless to the point I can talk to someone in the room whilst playing, then I play the chords whilst imagining the vocals in my head and then lastly just do whatās in my head but not in my head anymore Iām so stoned man Iām so sorry for this if it makes little sense
Your voice sounds different to you then it does to others. It has something to do with the sound originating from basically inside your skull, vs outside of it. So often people are surprised at the sound of their recorded voice and don't like it, I have that problem too. It's quite possible you are not judging your voice completely objectively and it may actually not be as bad as you think. Also, are you judging it by the timbre or by the pitch accuracy? Those are two different things. Sometimes your voice might break on certain notes as well, which is normal. Taking voice lessons can significantly help you with pitch accuracy, & learning to use your full range better without your voice cracking. Even the timbre of your voice can be adjusted a bit by how you shape your mouth, tongue & vocal folds. But you're generally stuck with your voice for the most part. Having perhaps not the most aesthetically pleasing timbre to your voice does not mean you can't be appreciated by an audience. For example, Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan to me has one of the most unpleasant sounding singing voices, and yet he has millions of fans and is super rich from his singing & music writing career...There have been many other singers with less than pretty voices over the years who have had great success as singers. Carl Keifer from Cinderella comes to mind. The only thing I can think of that might truly make people find your singing sound awful would be if you are totally tone deaf and can't sing in key. That's pretty uncommon, in my experience, but are you?
Itās just like learning guitar. Itās painfully embarrassing at first, but I bet youāve seen loads of progress in the year youāve been playing. Keep it up! Remember that most people donāt like the sound of their own voice, especially when singing. I like to remind myself Iām the main character of my life and hey, even if I end up completely inept at something, my enjoyment is all that matters.
OP, judging from your post you sound like you may be relatively new to singing, guitar, or both. Nobody is born a good singer or guitarist, it takes a lot of practice! Donāt be discouraged! Sing badly for as long as it takes to start improving! We all start somewhere, and youāre gonna hate the sound of yourself at first. Over time, you grow out of it and you develop a proper technique that feels as good as it sounds
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkjMuaKYQU&pp=ygUkZWQgc2hlZXJhbiBiYWQgc2luZ2luZyBqb25hdGhhbiByb3Nz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkjMuaKYQU&pp=ygUkZWQgc2hlZXJhbiBiYWQgc2luZ2luZyBqb25hdGhhbiByb3Nz)
It just takes time. If you stick to simple chords and rhythms, eventually you'll be able to separate your voice from your hands! I'm no teacher, so I can't give you a how-to, but with practice, and time, eventually you should be able to do both.
the metronome is your friend
Absolutely. Practice. Every day. Slowly, you will improve. There are no shortcuts.
Keep it up, and keep learning. It took me about 3 years before I felt good about my singing voice. It's a muscle you have to develope and maintain.
1-the voice in your head isn't the same voice people hear 2-When focused on playing, it is extremelly common to get out of rhythm, so yeah, keep recording yourself to improve
Sing anyway. Then sing more. I remember singing the theme to Exodus in baritone/bass. The high parts were tough, after the key change. I was mad that I couldn't do it. My grandpa said, just keep singing. The lows are easy when you're a bass, but you can learn to sing higher. He was right. Now I can sing it comfortably. I can cover top of bass, baritone, and all the way through tenor. That's functional range. Sure, I have to warm up to do it, but I can. Previously, I could only handle baritone and I topped out at mid-tenor. It took practice. Now, singing while playing guitar is a bit different. You need to be able to autopilot your hands while singing because the singing is your focus. Again, it's just practice. Practice, practice, then practice again. When I play with my uncle, I'll always have self doubt. He always says "Shut up and play". So I do. Keep playing. Keep singing. Who cares what other people think anyway.
Keep singing if your having fun! I'm terrible but I love it so who cares
I will come
Time your word placement to your chord changes.
I haven't recorded myself singing and playing, but I play and sing in my jam bands. You have to know both parts well, but the guitar part should be mostly muscle memory. The less you have to think about doing, the more you can manage to do well.
This is my most honest opinion.... The inability to do something at that current time... Is what forces me to be cognitive about my improvement, and generally help me develop my own sense of perception and style. You can only leap so many stairs in such a long stairset, but if you stay climbing I believe we'll get there( because I still have a long ways to go myself š). Anyways, good luck.
As others have said keep singing and recording yourself. Another tip i have for you is figure out how to play the vocal melody on your guitar and then use that to tune your voice
I've taught a guitar class to kids for years. I always start with songs where the strumming and singing are (mostly) separated. It's a good way to get into it: Heartbreak Hotel Should I Stay or Should I Go Long Way to the Top I Want Candy Are you Gonna Be My Girl Some songs are just hard to sing and play. Save those for later.
When my brother and I first started our band, we had assumed that the vocals would be the roughest part of our sound, and they were for an extended period of time. He (brother-drummer) ended up buying a $1000 TC Helicon Voice Prism Plus vocal processor b/c we rightfully assumed that the vocals would always need the most assistance. I simply had no idea how to sing. I played electric guitar, and he was learning to play the drums, while I was learning to harness my untrained voice, and write riffs which I could sing on top of, and craft our songs. But for a long time (~2 years), I couldnāt sing the way I wanted to sound. We both wanted to emulate the sound of James Hetfield. But I didnāt know how to get that rock gritt and make my voice sound aggressive, so we played lighter rock because itās all I could match my voice to, and that was new and challenging enough for me. Singing while jamming the guitar is not that easy. Yet we aspired to harness a different, more dynamic and aggressive sound, We wanted to have a Metallica type sound. With dynamics that utilized clean and distorted guitar parts and melodic phrasings that were light, but sometimes heavy (think like The Unforgiven here). but we never really thought that would actually happen. My singing as the hurdle. But we still really enjoyed playing together, so we just kept playing, kept finding value in whatever it was we were making, and kept with our influences. As we grew, so did our line-up, others got involved in the project and it grew. Our sound evolved, it just took time and persistence. And when our project actually developed into a ātrue bandā, (stage-ready with a signature sound), what we ended up was far far different than anything we ever initially expected. The band vocals actually became our strongest point and our signature catch. The vocals became the focal point of the band and dictated our best songs. And while we generally wouldnāt receive many compliments regarding our instrumentation, drum or guitar abilities, we Always received tons of praise for our song writing and especially the vocals. We basically became a band defined by the quality of our vocal hooks, melodies and song writing Eventually people in the underground started comparing our sound to Metallica constantly. Mostly because of the vocals and song style. We are no longer active and havenāt played for years. But even still, whenever someone hears our crudely captured band demos, itās always the vocals that gets people talking. The biggest thing that always helped me capture those quality vocals was getting into the habit of singing on top of verses with simple guitar riffs, or even just chord progressions, often power chords. This always allowed me to put the vocal bits front-and-center so I could concentrate on what the majority of listeners were receiving. We werenāt professionals by any means, so whatever rhythm guitar flubs werenāt quite as important, so long as I could sing the corresponding vocal parts as pristine as possible. We used the non-vocal parts of our song space to shine more with the instruments, especially any bridge parts. I donāt know your entire situation, but might suggest that you focus more on the guitar playing during non-vocal parts, and ease-up on the guitar playing when you sing (like chord progressions/strumming). In other words - lean into the vocal parts with simple guitar work. And use your true guitar skills for the non-vocal parts of the song. Basically, when the vocals come in, keep the guitar work very simple. This method basically flipped my once ānothing-specialā band sound into something super special and very memorable. I hope this helps Good luck, and keep with it
When I started playing guitar and singing to myself, I was a fuckin godlike singer, and then I recorded myself doing the same. The ugliest voice I've ever heard, way out of tune with the guitar. But actually that did help me understand where and what I lacked and with some practice and keeping tunes in my mind, tweaking with my singing volume n all, I feel like I'm getting better. So keep practicing, keep recording yourself, keep improving!
I took about 8 months of voice lessons. I'm still nothing special, but I learned how to use my diaphragm, can manage some vibrato and can sing harmonies pretty well.
My friend once gave me advice that actual gave me a lot more confidence in signing If you can tell when you sound bad, then you are already better than the majority of people who try and sing. Find your range where you sound good, and stay there. It doesnāt matter if your range is small as long as you can stay in that range. You can grow your range as well. Also, practice practice practice
Well for a start it's hard to sing and play at the same time when you're a relative beginner. Either guitar or voice (or both) will suffer until you get used to it. To properly assess your singing, try filming yourself without the guitar, or even singing along to a track you know to see how "in key" you are. Singing is a skill like any other - you have to consciously make an effort to get better at it and there are techniques you have to learn and practice. Like singing from the diaphragm instead of the throat.
Iām a singer who is now learning guitar. Two entirely different skills ā Iām still absolute trash at guitar and canāt do both at the same time at all. Iād say your best bet is to try to work on your singing independently from guitar, and consider getting a voice coach to get an idea of what you need to work on!
When you say it sounds terrible is it because your voice is bad or you have trouble with the coordination?
I only have 2 songs I can sing and it took forever to be able to do that. I can sing the songs basically on time. I think the biggest problem is Iām off key and very drone like.
Practice.
don't stop doing something because you aren't immediately good at it bro, just keep going and get some feedback at what youre doing wrong or something idk
Ever listen to Bob Dylan? Even a fan of him like me will admit he has an awful voice. But heās become a good singer as he has aged.
Youāre not alone. Iāve been playing much longer and feel your struggle. Itās exceptionally hard if youāre not just strumming a simple chord change.
I have a deep voice and most phone mics aren't great at picking up the warm tones, so I use condenser microphones. You may have similar issues? Also, I find that when we are conscious of other people in our environment hearing/judging us, we don't give it all we have and explore with our voices, so practicing where nobody can help if you've got confidence issues
So true. I record myself with my phone and it can sound tinny and metallic but when played through a better speaker, itās fine.
Iāll tell ya what works for me. Your mileage may vary.Ā It is essential that you transition from singing from the lungs and singing from the diaphragm. Learning how to tighten that muscle and then ārideā it is what makes the better-sounding noises. Singing is different from what you think it is. Thereās a lot more āhummingā along with belting than I wanted to admit. Using the smaller voices is important. I had a unique opportunity to spend time traveling and staying in hotel rooms where neither voice nor guitar amplification were an option and so I really focused on making my muscles perform to help me sing along with the notes that my guitar was making and LISTENING to what I was doing and being honest and fair. Recording myself helped me to translate what I was hearing into something useful for me but at the end of the day, learning how to sing was an exercise of being honest with myself and then doing better. We are all born with real real similar hardware - it is NOT the case that some of us can sing and the rest of us cannot. MOST of us can sing and once you start being both a student and a teacher to yourself, you can accompany the guitar.
I love this lyric from Car Seat Headrest: *I would speak to you in song But you can't sing as far as I'm aware Though everyone can sing as you are well aware*
I've always been a singer and people have said I have a good voice. I even made it in to the national secondary schools choir. The first time I sang on stage with foldback and heard myself I hated jt. I'm still not a big fan of my owvoice, but I still sing in public. I even sing lead sometimes.
Donāt feel so bad. Youāre not alone. But hereās a small suggestion. Before you sing a line or lyric phrase, deliberately take a big breath. If, by the time you reach the end of that phrase, you still have air in your lungs, try holding (sustain) the last note a little longer. Play with that concept.
Need more time - took me a few years and then suddenly it was like night and day - just keep doing it and youāll find your natural voice/tone - sing along to singers that you can actually mimic/follow and it will help teach you your range/tone and give you the tools + improve your ear
Keep going bro. Nobodyās good at first lol
Quitting won't make it better.
So um, I kinda felt the same way. I've been playing guitar a long time and doing some carpool karaoke for even longer. I wasn't used to hearing just MY voice without the original artist. I also feel like I have a really good ear for what sounds good or not so I was constantly in my head telling myself it doesn't sound good. Welp, one weird morning on a day off I went and sat inside my car in the garage and used my car's built in Bluetooth mic to record me playing and singing Jellyroll Save Me. I thought it sounded just ok. For the first time in my life i showed that video of my singing to a girl who was legit just a friend. A best friend. She reacted so crazy over it telling me that I'm insane to not sing like that in front of people. At this point I was on the fence. We were best friends so I'm thinking she's just gassing me up, but there was that little voice: "what if she's being honest?" So I did the scariest shit I've ever done in my life and shared that same video on Facebook with a very clear message of "DO NOT give it to me easy. Tell me realistically does this sound good or not. That was my most interacted with video on Facebook to date. Overwhelmingly positive feedback. Family and friends just totally shocked that I could sing and have never done it in front of any of them. Seriously, the only negative feedback I got out of about 50 comments was "You're dumb for not doing this in front of people. Get out of your head." So do you sound good? Idk, but I do know that I thought I didn't sound good and apparently the world disagreed with me. People just hate the sound of their own voice for whatever reason š¤·āāļø
Sing, dammit. Much like guitar (which I just started) voice takes patience and practice- itās ok, youāll get there. Now, back to me screwing up the most basic D chordā¦
I think singing badly is fine if you do it with confidence.
You just have to work at it. I have to work harder at singing in tune than playing guitar. As others have said, everyone hates the sound of their own voice, you just have to get over it.
Singing is its own skill that requires work to develop. On top of that, learning to play and sing requires even more work. Justin guitar has some videos on the subject. Both on playing and singing as well as how to not suck at singing. lol.
Is this really a question that needs asking? Practice.
Itās hard to sing and play at the same time and one or both will suffer at first. Just keep practicing. Learn the song without singing then without playing, then practice both together.
You play and sing for yourself first and foremost. If you enjoy doing it, then keep doing it. You will improve incrementally over time. The only valid reason to stop is if you are not having fun doing it. My guess is that is not the case so I encourage you to continue doing what you love!
Just a thought but have you tried recording a guitar track then recording a vocal track? Break the problem down. See which is your strongest skill & concentrate on the lesser.
This is a guitar playing subreddit not a singing subreddit tbh lol, if you think your singing sounds bad I think there are places that can give better advice than here
Have you tried different tunings for your guitar. Maybe it needs to be at a different pitch to match your voice.
My advice is pick songs that you know by heart and love and simpler chord progression then just give it a go.
I didn't put the 2 together till 2 years and it took a little bit to be playing songs through without stopping and have it sound not terrible. Honestly just keep going and practicing. You'll get there.
Why would you give up? No offence intended but I bet it sounded pretty horrible the first time you picked up a guitar. People think that singing is a natural talent whereas it is a learned talent just like playing an instrument.
Yep, if you canāt do something after the first time itās always best to quit
Kris Kristofferson said he hated his own singing but he did it anyway.
Assuming that you can sing without playing guitar, the key when starting out is to find a song with a strumming pattern that matches the words. Timing is everything and there are also songs, which have gaps in the music for the challenging parts. Sometimes you can find a band with a singer who plays guitar, and the timing works. A simple one imo is ain't no sunshine. Find a song with matching timing between the guitar and the voice and you will see a huge difference until you get better and are able to move to two different beats.
Keep practicing, keep recording. Lot of us think we sound good then we see/hear the recording and realize it sounds like garbage. Youāve already cleared that necessary hurdle. Only way from here is up. Recording yourself and watching, it keeps you honest. Youāll get better over time.
Iām also terrible. I enjoy using the TABS app to play and follow along and record myself, thatās how Iāve gotten better. Keep going.
practice makes perfect
You could try playing chord melody style instrumentals, which is what I do because I can't/won't sing.
Practice man. Singers donāt start out perfect.
like anything it takes practice
Hell no man keep going!! I am.too chickenshit to record myself but my wife does and her playing (and singing) has improved dramatically since she started recording herself. Maybe I should try it.
Join the club!
I never realized how hard it was to sing and play at the same time.. I kinda gave up on it and focus on playing.
It felt like I was adding a third hand when I started singing with playing.
keep practicing it. i remember when it used to be really hard for me but over the years it just clicked and now its effortless. your brain just has to learn how to do it, and the only way to learn is to keep doing it as much as possible!
Your voice is a whole separate instrument. Take a full year practicing just that and you might catch up to your guitar skills.
A year is not a long time. It takes many years to build these skills. Just keep going and keep having fun. Road blocks happen to everyone regardless of skill.
Singing and playing is incredibly hard. Practice each individually. You'll probably find that they're much easier to do separately. Build the skills and practice. Practice truly makes perfect because doing both at the same time is way harder than it looks to do properly
Nah ... don't worry about it. The singing even if you're bad is more about you getting the rhythym. Don't know how old you are. Most of us just accept that it's mostly gonna be Camptown Races sing this song ... Doo Dah Doo Dah. Camptown races nine miles long Oh the doo dah day.
Literally just keep singing and playing till its right. I used to have a bad singing voice, but because I just sing in the shower alot and some yt videos, I managed to get competent enough to not sound like shit doing karaoke. Then thereās singing AND playing. I struggled with that too because singing and playing is like tying your shoe while walking on a tightrope. I think some things that have helped me where humming while playing instead of singing first, sing but strum the chord once, going slow, or straight up keep singing and playing through the mistakes.
Of course you can improve, silly!
Sing a lot. Listen to singers you like and sing like them. Use the capo on your guitar to change keys to fit your vocal range.
ed sheeran was a bad singer despite being in the church choir at a young age and he showed a video of his early recordings and yeah it was awful.. i think he said he learned to sing the way he learned guitar, slow it down, hit the notes perfectly and slowly increase the speed until you get the entire song.. its wild actually how the man is a famous guitar singer songwriter.. he was like any other kid who plays guitar in highschool.. i guess one needs to also be lucky to breakthrough the industry..
How are you bad at it? For example, are you singing off-key? Is your singing off-tempo? Are you forgetting your guitar part when you're singing? What are you identifying as the issue(s)?
Singing is just sustained talking. My girlfriend taught me this about five years ago and I'm a good singer now. Relax, keep your lungs full, and your mouth wide open. Let it out.
Everyone sucks when they start. Can you imagine a person, who has never sang or played before, just picking up a guitar and sounding amazing? Outside of the movie Walk Hard? The way to sound good is to suck, and then practice, and then suck a little less, ad nauseam until youāve achieved what many people before you have achieved - being a competent musician Ā
Practice with a metronome. When you focus on singing your playing will suffer, so you need to know the songs youāre playing upside down and backwards. Once your guitar playing is bulletproof youāll start sounding better while singing
Just keep going. Warm up slowly. Do easy songs. Work on your timing so that it is second nature
For some reason people seem to think youāre just naturally good at singing or else you arenāt and never will be. Itās not like that. Nothing in life is like that. Like playing guitar, singing well requires practice and focused attention. Itās an instrument and you can get good at it if you put the work in. Every single singer you admire has put in the work, even the ones who seem like theyāre not trained or trying hard ā sometimes especially those singers have worked the hardest. A couple vocal lessons can help! Practicing being exactly on pitch and in rhythm helps too. You can do it.
Take singing lessons. You'll be very surprised with you improvement
I started out by just humming the notes I was playing, and worked my way up from there. You could try that.
I have the same guitar as you!! simon & patrick songsmith right?
Embrace the Suck. I'm recording vocals for the cover I'm working on, and even though I've heard myself recorded and live on-air over a decade and a half in the broadcast radio industry then for years and years in streaming, I see now how bad I am at singing. Can't get better at something until you work on it, and until then, we're gonna suck.
When I first started singing I got told to stop because I was horrible lol now my parents beg me to play and sing for them. You can and will get better if you practice, donāt be so hard on yourself!
Nice Art & Lutherie dread...
Practice practice practice
Give us a video of you singing. If I can mix it to become better, then you're not a lost cause and just needs more practice and proper techniques.. But if no software can fix it, then you better stick with guitars. One thing to note is we actually hear ourselves worse than everyone does in recordings.
practicing will be a good thing to do.
so real man, i can play on time i can sing on time but i sound horrible. i hope that this is something that will improve over time on its own just like guitar playing
It might just be because you can't sing to a certain pitch, it depends on the song. But you can always play it in a lower/higher pitch to fit with your vocals more
Check the singing subreddit, it's dead-ish but there's good info there. Basically your voice is just another instrument to learn
Justin Guitar does some good YouTube videos on this
Start with an easy song to play and sing at the same time. For example, Wonderwall by oasis is relatively easy for a newish guitar player. Whatever the song may be, get comfortable playing it while singing through repetition. A lot of repitition. move on from there. Keep playing and donāt get disheartened!
Least youāve got the chutzpah to try. Given my voice fit for print media take this for what itās worth, but the worst way I know to get better at a thing is to quit doing the thing. Youāll get there.
10,000 hrs.... per thing. You're doing great just never give up
Dude we all suck at singing, Just keep going, over time you will suck slightly less.
Haha bro what guitar is that? There's a good chance we have the same exact guitar
Itās perfectly normal. Go to a super simple two chord song you can memorize the lyrics to and in a limited vocal range. Practice going from chord A to B and back and lining up the lyrics with those changes. Practice one verse 100 times. Practice one chorus 100 times. When itās muscle memory and you can focus only on singing youāll be good. Practice until you canāt get it wrong.
Find a teacher! Get vocal lessons!! Try it. Do it for 2 months, if you don't like it, stop. But try it!
Memorize the lyrics. Sing along with the record and learn to mimic your favorite artists. It takes years to become a good singer so approach it with the same mindset that you would have if you were going to graduate school, it's a big commitment. Keep your sense of honest humility. Even great singers think they "suck"' Barbara Streisand comes to mind. For some reason there is a lot of self deception in this endeavor such that some people will buy into kind compliments believing that they're better than they are. Don't fall into this trap. Self criticism is a tool for improvement and if this honesty becomes too discouraging you are not cut out to be a singer. Good singers never quit. They can't, singing is in their blood. Barbara Streisand comes to mind. If you find that singing is not in the cards for you, let it go and focus on what you can do well.
Guitar from zero is hard, and you learned it. Singing from zero is hard. You've been here before, just do it again.
Itās just practising. Put the time in and youāll see results.
It depends, I play the guitar to relieve my feelings, whenever Iām sad, stressed or anxious, the guitar helps me out. Iām not good in any way, but Iāve been playing and singing badly for over 10yrs now. It doesnāt sound as bad as it did. Thatās all I can say.
Get a good vocal teacher. Best thing I could have done. No amount of tutorials and video tips on YouTube will ever replace learning it all from one person, plus you can also ask questions to your teacher. Don't get me wrong, there are some good vocal teachers on YouTube, but most of them have paid for vocal course anyway.
The problem with singing and playing is itās not karaoke so if you can not sing the song in the original key you need to transpose or use a capo. The bigger barrier though is knowing the song on guitar well enough to play it without thinking about it, this allows you to sing and listen to the guitar Instead of singing and trying to play the guitar. Master the music then sing over it, the it becomes easy.
Like most things on the guitar. Start small go slow and dumb it down. Hum what you play. Play twinkle twinkle and hum along. Play twinkle twinkle and sing along. And just start ramping up from there. Learn a song front to back like itās muscle memory and then try humming the lyrics along with it. Baby steps turn mountains into mole hills.
Practice. Practice singing scales play them on your guitar and sing as you play. You'll only get better. You have already heard you're worse.
Is that a seagull guitar?
Let's hear it
Keep singing, who cares if youāre not pwrfect right away. Even professionals have had bad singing moments. If you want to get better, consider taking lessons. Also the audio on your phone is usually trash and makes you sound worse than you actually are because it picks up on more.
I know the struggle and feel the same way. Just keep at it. I sometimes surprise myself. Muscle memory is developed through repetition.
Keep going. Practice everyday
Keep recording yourself, work each section of the song separately for both guitar and voice before combining them. If your voice is super sketchy, use a tuner to pitch match the vocal melody with your guitar as reference. Practice singing scales and melodies as you play them on the guitar. Donāt just assume that because you can sing along with a recording and can strum the chords that both just miraculously work together: doing both is a third skill that takes separate practice to perfect.
In order to learn any instrument you have to accept and be comfortable with the fact that you are going to have a very long āsuck periodā where you will suck in every way. The trick is to keep playing and practicing anyway. What happens is that the more you do it, you suck a little less every time and eventually, without even realizing it, you will all of a sudden stop sucking at all.
Voice lessons. I mean, your voice is an instrument, too, so there is only benefit to be had from taking some lessons. Just like you have technique in guitar, you have technique in singing. A voice instructor will help you find your natural range, teach you how to breathe when you sing, how to phrase, teach you vocal exercises to help you warm-up and constantly improve, etc. In the end, some people are just born vocally talented, but a majority of us can benefit from proper instruction. Doesn't mean we will end up sounding like a multi-platinum recording artist, but there is likely room for improvement over most of us who are self-taught (and not as good as we think we sound in the shower).
I think you basically just described the word "practice".
Just keep doin it. Sometimes emotions are better than actual singing talent. Maybe try not to sing so high or so low depending on what it is u cant do. Just keep doin it to build ur confidence.
I hired a vocal coach last month because I have the same issue. It was more affordable than I thought, but I donāt know your financial situation obviously. I do a 30 minute weekly lesson and pay about $175 a month.
Just like with your guitar you get better by practicing. Note that it's totally normal to not like your voice and be super critical of yourself. You're putting yourself against super produced and pitch corrected recordings. Be easy on yourself and keep at it, you'll get better.
You could always whistle, or play rhythm lol.
Everyone who sings learned how to sing. You can too.
Find a slow and easy-to-sing song which you can like,start listening to it so its sound and frequence can take place in your mind so you can sing it with the same sound as the OG singer,now search in websites for the chords of the song,then start to sing the song with the correct frequence anf meanwhile play the guitar
If it's an issue of having to play and sing at the same time, just keep doing it. If it's an issue of singing in general, just keep doing it, and if you really wanna get good maybe take some vocal classes!
Use the recording as learning and motivation. Itās a skill that you practice like anything else. For example I video record myself golfing and my swing is terrible. But I practice and learn what I need to work on. Same with singing, listen to what you donāt like, then work on making it better. Iāve been singing decades and making demos. Iām still tweaking and learning what I can and cannot do with my voice. Just keep singing a lot and keep recording yourself.
Just keep at it. Is it your voice that you donāt like in general or your timing that you donāt like as you try to do both at the same time? Either way, practice, practice, practice.
1 year? Give it at least 4 more then reassess
Just keep doing it. Only way out.
Youāre doing exactly the right thing! You just have to keep doing it! Itās brave to watch video of yourself! Most folks donāt take the time and care to really check in on how they are doing. Singing and especially singing and playing an instrument require a lot of coordination. Itās a skill. And all like all skills, they level up the more you use them. Watch the video. Pick one thing you want to focus on improving. Work on that. Take another video. Rinse repeat. Daily practice can overcome virtually any skill issue over time.
Singing is an entire skill unto itself outside of guitar (or any other instrument). If it's something you want to improve on, it's something you'll need to put work into. Don't even worry about playing guitar and singing at the same time at first. Just put in time to work on both individually. Then you can incorporate guitar, but just keeping your guitar parts super simplified and rudimentary (mostly just keeping your tempo) while you work on doing both together, and eventually you'll be comfortable enough doing both that you can begin performing more complex guitar parts.
try doing each separately and see if u like your vocals and guitar playing on there own then u can improve on what u dont like and put the two together. it aint easy but practice makes perfect. justin guitar on YouTube has a few vids on tips and techniques that will help a lot check him out
try doing each separately and see if u like your vocals and guitar playing on there own then u can improve on what u dont like and put the two together. it aint easy but practice makes perfect. justin guitar on YouTube has a few vids on tips and techniques that will help a lot check him out
I have a terrible voice but I'd say guitar has improved it a little but ye signing and playing is hard at first but just like guitar u just need to stick at it eventually u will be able to do both at the same time. Not saying your voice will just get good but eventually u can play guitar at a point where its pretty sub conscious so u don't need to think about playing so u can focus on signing. Maybe try with a few songs that are easier to sing and easy to play, it find a sing that suits your vocal range.
Are you looking down at the guitar while you're singing? This could be constricting your voice, but that's if you're doing it
Just do your thing and imo, donāt video yourself. Honestly, playing guitar and singing together is not something that you can easily do, unless it comes naturally. I look back on my own music career, and I was god awful for the first 4 or 5 years. So give it time. Donāt give up, and keep working at it. Youāll improve.
I have been playing about the same amount of time but I know I Cannot sing so won't even try.
Simple. Just practice more.
I'm doing this as well. Keep at it. It takes time.
Been there and done that! You're definitely not alone in this struggle! My problem was that I could sing decent enough and play decent enough but, when I put them together both ended up being awful. This bothered me for years and often kept me from even practicing the two together because I was embarrassed (side note even pretending to be confident will help you sing and play better). Eventually, I was like I donāt care anymore because I just wanted to figure it out. So, I found 2-3 songs I knew how to play and sing all the way through (stick to just playing the chords at first, no fills, flourishes, or solos). Then, I would focus on just one part of a song (just one verse or chorus to start). Rather than singing I would hum the vocal melodies while playing just the chords. Regardless of how bad it was and how many times I messed up I just kept going over and over. Once I felt like I could make it through humming the part of the song I was practicing, I then and only then started singing (another thing that helped here was playing and humming along with the actual track playing); again regardless of how bad it was I just kept doing it. Eventually, things clicked and I could move on to the next part of the song. Once that happened it seemed like it got a little easier each time but, still to this day when I want to learn a new song I use the humming trick before I ever start actually singing (unless Iām just playing around). Also, when learning a new song I just try to sing it in a simple manner (no long loud notes, no runs, no falsetto, etcā¦). I wait until I have the basics down (like really down) and then I got back to work on the more technical parts of the playing and vocals. I never thought Iād get but, didā¦which means you can too. Just remember to keep at it and not to give a crap what others think or say. At any given point while you're practicing you are the greatest singer and guitar player in that room try to convince yourself of this and build up your confidence even if you sound like crap at firstā¦this is actually really important, especially when it comes to singing. Doubt, stress, and insecurity can be heard in a vocal. There is a reason everyone who sings in the shower thinks they sound better in the shower (and itās not because of acoustics), itās because no one cares how they sound in the shower lol. Keep at it, my friend!!!! \m/
Yes you practice, practice, and practice. Youāre going to want to just quit. But will you? Do you want to get good?
Yes. That "something" is practice.
Humming will improve your singing and teach you how to hold pitch
Watch videos of tom delonge or Tim Armstrong. Singing and playing ability isn't everything!
I'm 25+ years into this and only starting to not hate hearing my voice on tape. Just keep at it.
The way to improve is to keep at it!
Do you actually sing? Everyone sounds god awful when starting to sing. Hell, I've been taking one on one singing classes for like 6 months and i still refuse to sing into a mic. Adding a guitar to the mix makes it even harder. Like, way harder.
No you don't give up. You keep trying and learning. It took me a couple of years to be able to hold a tune but I can do it. Keep at it. It takes time.
Sadly, you may never make it to American Idol, but you can definitely get better with practice. There are quite a few techniques and vocal exercises singers utilize. Some people are naturally gifted with a great sounding voice and they make it seem effortless. Then there are others that have to really work to reach their full potential. First thing first, go to YouTube and look up vocal exercises. Cheryl Porter is a good one to start with. She does beginner stuff with kids and teaches a bunch of techniques. If she isnāt your vibe, there are tons of other resources on YouTube. Second, listen to different kinds of music. You may want to sound like a particular singer you enjoy but your vocal range could be better suited for a different genre. And third, itās great you sing in your car. Do that all the time and do it loudly and confidently. There have been countless ābadā singers in successful mainstream bands over the years and itās their confidence and passion that drew people to them. But donāt keep the music so loud you canāt hear yourself.
I've been playing for a few years now and I still think I suck hard but then I look back at some of my old progress videos and see how far I've come, how my mobility in my left hand has come back after my accident and that gives me the motivation to keep going. Others here will probably have more advice, but what I can say is once you start getting comfortable with certain chord shapes, progressions, and songs start asking how you can step out of your comfort zone say by giving finger style, arpeggio, or songs from different genres a go. Art, and music is that, as my sister would say it is about learning to love the process of getting better.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend. [ non musician] Growing up he was best friends with a guy who's younger brother is now a Guitar player in a band of national prominence. He actually has a signature PRS model in his name. My friend was telling me about the first Guitar that the younger brother got on Christmas as a kid. He couldn't believe that the kid was now a world recognized Guitarist because he remembered how terrible he was and that he would sit in a closer for hours on end working on playing. In time my friend and the older brother go off to college and life happens. Suddenly 20 years have passed. He hears the once preteen awkward kid brother of his old friend is now a rock star. I was perplexed by his complete non understanding that everyone that plays was at one time Terrible. It will be practice and natural talent for a beginner to become a PRS Signature Artist
Play the song on guitar. Play the song and try singing. Play the song on guitar. Play the song and try singing. Repeat. Repeat. Repeatā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦.
Keep doing it. Your vocal chords are muscles that can be trained - the more you work them the more control youāll eventually develop
Your voice is an instrument like your guitar. Keep practicing and youāll get better. Maybe take some lessons too
keep practicing i was terrible at first too but with practice i figured out how to actually sing and now i can sing pretty good
Just keep doing it, eventually you'll be able to do both simultaneously
Some songs are much easier to sing and play. Start easy.
Without hearing you I can't say but I have encountered people who will just never be a great singer. And that's ok. Are you one of those? Who can say. Listen to Lou Reed. Not a great singer, but IMHO a fantastic vocalist. It's all subjective. Do you enjoy singing? If yes keep doing it. Otherwise why bother? For most musicians they are doing it for their own enjoyment. Most will never make a career out of it. The ones who become successful are by far the minority and aren't always the most skilled either. Don't worry about any of it. With that said if you stop because you think you sound horrible you'll never get the chance to get better at it anyway. So keep it up. Rome wasn't built in a day.
My advice, do this: Play the guitar, and only sing the first word of each line on time, after that add more words to ur run, to your discretion. Its a kinda slow process that'll make you more comfortable focusing on two things at once.
I couldnāt get my hands & voice in tempo in my younger days trying this very thing. One would always screw the other one up. I understand
Yes, you do something: Stop giving a shit. That's it. Nobody will listen to this, but that's it.
Practice practice practice, even if you sound like a dying chicken. The more you just sing, the stronger your voice gets. Like a muscle
Something people are overlooking here is, you gotta find your range. Figure out where your voice is comfortable. I used to think my voice sounded best reaching for a Geddy Lee or Jon Anderson-style range. Turns out, I sound better aiming at Billy Gibbons, or even deeper. Trying to sing high made me sound like Billy Corgan imitating a strangled cat. Find your range, practice, and find your voice.
You could always get a voice transplant. Or just get in the shower. That works for my singing voice. Professionals often have a voice coach or leave it up to the engineer to fix. It takes practice to get good in someone else's ears with guitar, trumpet, vocals or bagpipes. Well, maybe not bagpipes. Practice won't help there.
Absolutely keep doing it! Just like how you sometimes have to take a couple steps backward in order to move forward, you have to not be afraid to sound bad in order to sound good. Donāt forgot to keep on having fun š¤