Tips for synchronizing singing and playing?

[wheresthefbomb]

Hey guys, TOTAL beginner Learning how to- ahhh, gotcha! I just started voice lessons and I've picked out a few covers to work on. Right now I'm doing Low- Words and True Widow- Skull Eyes. I can sing them both, or play them both, but the whole rub-your-belly-and-pat-your-head of doing both at the same time is really challenging, especially on the passages where they start the vocal lines on a weird off-beat, which seems to be most of them now that I'm actually paying attention.

Right now what I'm doing is playing along with the songs a lot and taking breaks to try it myself. Sometimes I'll "whisper"/quietly sing challenging passages while playing, and also sing along to them without playing and try to really focus on how the vocal rhythms relate to the guitar timing. I'm seeing progress, but it's really slow going and I'm wondering if anyone has any good tips to help synchronize my hands, voice, and brain.

One thing in particular that consistently messes me up is that I have a really hard time coming in on a beat that is off from the strumming pattern I'm playing, every once in a while I get it but most of the time one or the other doesn't land quite right. Similarly, I find myself losing count when I'm singing longer sections and missing chord transitions.

I'm of course working on this stuff with my teacher as well. She's fantastic, but she's not a guitar player so I thought y'all might have some insights specific to that

No I don't have a wife and kids, but it's pretty obvious my cat thinks my tone is awful, and yes I've already tried sweep taps

TIA

 

[Big Dumb Bitch]

I always have to get the guitar or bass part I'm playing like completely muscle memorized so then I can just focus on the vocal parts

 

[AwakenTheSkies]

I do this with my own songs and some songs that I know really well. But I don't think I could do it to a metronome for example. Keep in mind that I don't do it professionally in public or something like that.
Like @Big Dumb Bitch said it's easier if you know the songs by heart.
For example it's really easy for me if I make a power chords only version of the song, or simple chords in general. If I have to do syncopated palm mutes along with singing then it's more difficult.
One thing that helps with the off time stuff is doing it really slow, it almost comes naturally if you're singing and strumming for yourself then you can slow down the song until you feel comfortable and it doesn't sound awkward since you're not playing with a band. In the end I guess it's not that different from practicing scales and solos..

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Think of it like playing drums, where you need the independence. Just instead of keeping time with both arms and feet, it's just your voice and hands.

Of course the "just" at the end there is doing a lot of heavy lifting, but the concept is there.

Whats always helped me, on top of what @Big Dumb Bitch and @AwakenTheSkies have already said like knowing the song very very well, is to map out the vocal parts like you would instrumental music. Treat the syllables and sounds as beats to time. Even if they don't align perfectly, they'll usually be close enough and help you keep time, which is really the hardest part.

An exercise is to strum a song or pattern and just vocalize to the beat, or beatbox, or just gibberish. The idea is that you're keeping rhythym with both instruments, guitar and vocals.

I'm probably not explaining this great.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

Very helpful thanks fam. @MaxOfMetal I did rhythmic dictation in school which I think is more or less what you're talking about, lots of sight-reading rhythm with nonsense syllables and notating rhythm by ear. I was already thinking about writing the parts out that way, I'll have to dust off my notation skills and give it a go.

I've been helping my roommate learn the bass parts of these songs as well, if we can recruit a drummer we'll be performing them eventually. Yesterday I didn't sing at all when we were practicing, just worked on locking in with him, so it sounds like I'm on the right track there.

 

[Mboogie7]

Play along with the song (guitar) and just mouth/say the lyrics. Don’t worry about vocal range or tone or any of that. Once your brain starts figuring out the patting head/rubbing stomach, you can start incorporating the vocal nuances.

This worked for me, anyway.

 

[Metaloaf]

Are there any exercises out there that directly work on this skill from a basic and easy starting point and then build up? In the same way you would practice guitar techniques where you get some basic notes or picking patterns, followed by some variations and/or putting them all together?

Strumming a constant rhythm and signing on top is one thing, but they're not the kind of jingles we hear around these streets. Anybody sweeping and singing, and tapping and growling?

 

[Hollowway]

I started taking singing lessons 8 years ago, but still suck, so I’m right there with you. My coordination isn’t bad, but my pitch suffers if I concentrate too hard on the guitar part. I think the only realistic way is to woodshed the crap out of it, so you know what you’re playing under each syllable you’re singing.

Also, maybe Google Geddy Lee singing while playing. He did keyboards, bass, and vocals, and did it all in syncopated and odd time signatures decades ago, so there are probably oodles of interviews where people asked him about how he would learn the parts to tour. Might be some good advice there.

 

[crushingpetal]

No expert here, but I'd recommend starting with super easy stuff, maybe Ramones or Nirvana, something with three chords.