Singing and playing the guitar at the same time doesn't have to be a mystery.

I have been playing and singing for a long time, and though I don't consider myself much of a vocalist, I do sing and play at the same time quite a lot - watch my song tutorials to see it. ;)

In this lesson, we'll learn all the steps when I learn a song. That will help you learn how to practice strumming and singing and learn to cover your favorite songs on your own. I broke my technique into a 10-step program to help you get started.

💡 How not to suck at singing! If you're not confident about your singing skills, please watch my lesson on Learning to Sing!

Now let's get started and get you closer to your dream of singing and playing songs on the guitar. Yes, you can do it. 💪

Before We Begin

Before we learn my 10-step method for singing and playing, keep in mind these 5 things:

1 - You can only think about one thing at a time. Don't multitask - it doesn't work.

2 - It's all about automation. Remember how hard it was changing gears when you learned to drive?

3 - You are probably not ready if you are still looking at your chord changes or strumming your hand. Why is strumming so hard? Well, it's not! Here are my best tips for learning how to strum!

4 - Learning one thing at a time before trying to put them together. Don't forget about this! Ever. I've been playing and singing for a few decades and still learn songs like that.

5 - The more you do it, the faster it gets. It might seem a slow process, but do it a few times, and it'll only get faster and easier.

Easy Songs for Singing & Playing

It's also essential that you pick easy songs to start with! Trying to do a hard song when you start will only leave you feeling frustrated and deflated. Start easy and build it up.

Some examples include:

Knockin' On Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan
Three Little Birds by Bob Marley
Feelin' Alright by Traffic
Blowin' In The Wind by Bob Dylan
Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison

These super famous songs use the simple chords we learn in my Beginner Guitar Course - Grade 1. They also have simple melodies and are very memorable. You'll need to easily find the song in your musical imagination when trying to sing and play guitar.

Ready?

10-Step Method for singing and playing guitar

Step # 1 - Listen to the song a lot.

And when I say a lot, I mean a lot, at least 10 times in a row, and focus! Try and get inside the track, not just scratch the surface. Try to absorb it. For some reason, headphones seem to work best for me for doing mindful listening.

Step # 2 - Learn the guitar part.

Learning a song on the guitar should require listening, practicing, and possibly playing along with the original recording or with my guitar app. If you struggle with any particular bits, then work on that bit until you get it right.

Step #3 - Have a conversation.

The point here is to distract yourself but keep playing (and sounding good!) Call your imaginary friend because by having a conversation with them, you'll easily be able to tell if you have a guitar part automated enough! It's the best test I know of, and I use it myself. If I can play it and think about something completely different, I know I'm there and ready to think about singing!

♟ I used to play chess games while learning fingerstyle patterns! I'd also review tough matches because I knew that if I could think about that stuff while keeping a solid fingerstyle pattern, I had nailed it.

Step #4. Listen to the song a lot more.

Once you can play the song and keep the rhythm automated, get back to the original recording and listen a lot more. This time, you will listen to the vocals, the melody, how the singer was singing it, and how the lyrics feel on the beat.

Step #5. Study the lyrics.

It's time to write out the lyrics and study them. The better you know the words of a song and have preferably memorized them, the easier it will be to sing and play guitar.

You don't have to memorize the songs completely, but be at least very familiar with them! You can have the lyrics when singing it, but you shouldn't be discovering the words when attempting to sing.

Step #6. Sing along with the original recording.

No playing yet, ok? We will be playing and singing soon, but for now, you should just work on your vocals. Ensure you are comfortable with your pitching and phrasing.

Step #7. Know the syllables when the chords change.

You should know which syllable the chords change within a word, not only what word.

💡 People often write this above the lyrics with an > sign. In my songbooks, you will have the chords written above the syllable of the chord change where possible, which should help you.

This is one of the most important singing tricks I've learned. I still remember when I did - from my friend and incredible singer Salena.

Step #8. Sing along, but with muted strums on each beat.

It's time to put it all together, but don't play chords yet! Just keep the fretting hand loosely on the strings, so you just get a muted click sound. This will help you feel the rhythm of the melody you will be singing.

💡 Learning from my free song tutorials? Don't forget you can get verified chords, tabs, and lyrics with JustinGuitarTabs, so you save time and avoid learning the wrong stuff you find out there. ;)

If you have listened to the song enough, the melody should be in your ear, but internalizing the melody's rhythm takes a little more work for most people! If you struggle with the lyrics at this point, you can try humming along with the melody, but really you want to get those lyrics into your memory bank.

Step #9. Add in the chords, but keep the rhythm simple.

Keeping the rhythm simple will usually mean 4 strums per bar. It will be 3 in 3:4 time! For now, use only down strums and tap your foot with the beat if you can. You should get that foot-tapping automatically, anyway!

Step #10. Play it, fo' real!

It's finally time to add in a strumming pattern! There you go - you are playing the song! If you struggle a bit, don't be afraid to slow it down. It's nearly always easier if you play and sing slower.

More Helper Hints

If you are struggling with any of the steps above, you might find some of these extra hints helpful! But also, be aware that… singing and playing might be tricky, so it takes effort and practice. ;)

The 5-Minute Habit: playing the same thing repeatedly for 5 minutes!

Doing the same thing over and over for 5 minutes every day for a week is a really, really good way to create a habit! So if you struggle with a part of a song, do just that bit! 5 minutes is a long time and will sort out most problems quickly!

Learn to Keep Playing When You Make a Mistake!

Rhythm has been with our species since we made tools out of stones... it's built-in. So it's most likely that nobody will notice if you mix up words or play the wrong chords unless you make a right pig's ear of it!

But almost everyone will notice if you stop or let the rhythm fall apart. So work on keeping playing even if you make a fluff or two. We all do.

Understanding Rhythms Can Help.

Many students told me that understanding and playing rhythms have helped every aspect of their playing, including singing and playing at the same time. So, if you are serious about this stuff, check out my Rhythm Reading book! And go further.

You must automate your fingerstyle (or strumming) patterns by 100%.

If you are still making mistakes in a fingerstyle or strumming pattern, you are most likely to struggle when singing it too. So nail the guitar parts first before you even try!

Switching your focus between the vocal and the guitar.

Some songs have tricky bits and fill between the vocal lines. You will need to learn to switch your focus from the vocal to the guitar and back when playing those. Not that tricky, but like everything else, take some practice!

Harder stuff, like playing over riffs, requires more practice and a solid foundation.

If you want to get into singing over more complex riffs, you will have to work extra hard on them to get them automated. Just going to take a lot more hours of practice and intense concentration.

Will you try this out? Join the Discussion, and let me see how that goes!