I’m really struggling to strum and sing at the same time. Even when i know the strum pattern well, when i start to sing, i end up down strumming on every word i sing.
It’s killing my target of learning simple, popular songs and being able to play for the family at get-togethers. I’ve had the guitar for a year, and still can’t play a song. I’m 65 years old.
If anyone has any tips, i’d be grateful. I’ve scoured the interweb and youtube vids to help; nothing seems to work.
Or, if anyone just wants to share the story of how/when/which song you first mastered this ‘impossible’ feat? Many thanks. 
3 Likes
I learned how by humming the song. Get it in your head if it’s not already. Start simple, something you really love, and just hum-think it, then hum it while you strum. Go way slow. One thing I had to overcome was like you said, only singing on the strum. If you can play while watching TV or being distracted by something else, you can sing and play. It’ll come. Never give up. Keep us/me posted.
3 Likes
I put in loads of time in this. There’s a video if Justin’s with several steps to singing and playing. Watch it and then go through it religiously. It works but it took me a very long time.
The main trick for me is to be able to strum the song automatically without thinking. This is essential. Then I play the song many times very slowly only singing the lyrics with simple down strums of the chords to fix in my mind exactly where the words of each line start in the song. That was key for me.
I think @LievenDV might have a video of a lesson about this but I’m not 100% sure.
4 Likes
1 Like
I’m going to watch that one this weekend! Thanks for the link.
1 Like
Thanks for the reply. I can have the chords and lyrics in front of me, play the chords and read the lyrics okay, but when i try to hum/speak/sing the lyrics…the result is laughable.
I definitely won’t give up. Being retired i tend to do 3 x 20 minutes during the day and 30 minutes at night on Justin’s app playing along to songs. Weirdly, i can sing along like this with a simple strumming pattern. Go figure.
1 Like
Thanks for the reply. I’ve been looking into this quite a bit. I’ve watched tons of youtube vids. My latest conclusion…i need to memorise the lyrics rather than reading/singing them.
I’ve even tried 4 d/strokes, i still end up down stroking on every word i sing, instead of 4 to a bar. My wife finds it hilarious, it is really.
2 Likes
Thanks for the link. I’m watching it now. Loving your version of ‘In the air tonight’ by Phil Collins right out of the gate. ‘Digging’ when you close your eyes feeling the music/lyrics.
I’ve stalled a bit recently, working on no-look chords which i see Justin covers in a bit. It dovetails with me wanting to sing a few songs for my family, but have them not look at the top of my head while i look at the fret board.
I need all the help i can get.
Cheers, again.
1 Like
Justin talks about automating processes and if you’re reading words and the chords then you haven’t automated them.
It is quite humbling when faced with what seems like a trivial task but I think it highlights that even though we think we’ve got the playing part sussed, the reality is that we’re actually putting a lot of mental energy into it and there’s very little spare capacity even for what seems like a trivial task.
Ideally you should be able to strum the song and either hold a conversation or watch television - when you can do one or other of those things then you know you’ve got the playing part largely automated
When you think about what is going on when playing a song it starts to become obvious why it is so difficult. You’re forming weird shapes with one hand at the same time as the other is doing an entirely different motion. You’re then trying to change the shape of the fingers on the first hand in a precise manner without affecting what the other arm is doing. While this is going on you’re recalling the words to a song and trying to deliver them in a specific phrasing, in time with the two hands and without affecting them. It’s a wonder anyone can sing and play really 
3 Likes
It is a tough thing. There are a ton of songs I have been singing my whole life it feels like. And there are a good numberof songs I am feeling more and more confident at. The moment I put them togeather it still can feel like chaos. Just take a look at my wish you were here video. 
Good news is, 2 years in It is getting better. Practice and following some of the simple things helps too. I like the humming/ La da trick a lot for new songs. I hum or La-la-da-da the vocal melody. So I think of it as a half step shift of attention thing. This helps force to make the strumming autonomous in smaller steps. Lieven’s Clubs are gold for this info, very well presented, and of course different Justins lessons.
Good luck, keep up the good work. You will get there.
2 Likes
John, bottom line is that this for the majority is hard to achieve. And never ask how long it took as we are all different.
Took me a long time, and still now there are some songs where I am able to play and sing and others not. And always a challenge. And I am completing my 9th year of learning in JustinGuitar.
I am not sure that memorising will help at bthis point. Again, my experience, for a long time memorising just added a third pressure on my already overloaded brain and body.
I have two suggestions . . .
In the early days I struggled to play a shuffle strum rhythm. In the end it clicked for me when I played along with Justin slowly demonstrating. And it didn’t take long for me to get the feel of it and then I was fine thereafter. So maybe try strumming and singing along with Justin in a song lesson of one of the songs you are comfortable to play and could sing along to the record relatively well.
Then I tend to be quite mechanical, some laugh at me and say just feel it. I just struggle. So perhaps work out where the up and down strums fit and mark them on the lyric sheet along with chord changes and bars. Maybe try and find a song where each line starts on beat 1 of a bar. I guess that approach is like learning to riding a bike with training wheels on.
No short cut or magic tip on this one. Just relax and persevere
5 Likes
Justin does have a lesson on singing and playing at the same time. While I’m a huge fan of his approach is almost all cases, with his lesson on singing and playing at the same time he makes it sound a lot more complicated than it was for me.
When I started playing, I didn’t even think I’d be able to sing and play at the same time, my friends who could play said it was a lot harder to do so I didn’t even have it in my radar.
The first song I learned was an easy version of Blowin in the wind from Justin’s first beginners song book. I would have played that song easily 50 or 60 times while my wife sang it. Then quite by accident I started singing along in the chorus. And from that point I was hooked and learned to sing every song I learned to play.
The difference was I knew that song inside out and didn’t have to think at all how I was playing which freed up my mind to be able to sing. Which is the jist of one thing that Justin covers in his lesson.
Another factor is the alignment of the lyrics and the chord changes. Many songs the singing starts right at the chord changes and that makes it easy. But there are songs where that’s not the case. One song I found really hard to be able to sing to had the lyrics starting in the 3rd measure on the 5th 1/8th note. It really messed with my mind.
So pick the right song that’s easy with lyrics and chord alignment and be able to play the chords in good timing without thinking, memorized in other words.
Good luck. It’s heaps fun.
2 Likes
David P.'s advice and sharing his own struggles/journey with learning how to sing and play at the same time were great. It is different for everyone. I’d also recommend recording yourself and watching it. See where you got it right. I’m sure there are some spots. You may also be trying to play something too difficult and expecting too much. Play something simple, with 2 or 3 chords. Work on one chord section at a time so you don’t have to worry about that chord change coming up and having to make it quickly and on time. You may find you can actually nail it. Then, slowing the song down, add that chord change. Give yourself added time before you switch chords by not strumming the chord you’re playing right through to the last beat. And keep the chords you have in the song to ones you can form and play well. More options. Just don’t give up. It WILL come one day and you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about.
3 Likes
There are some songs that are largely downstrums. Could you try leani into your problem by trying one of those? “Don’t look back in anger” by Oasis is one. Justin has a lesson on it. It’s not the easiest of chord sequences but it’s not super difficult either.
2 Likes
Wow…many, many thanks for all the advice.
I’ve come to a few conclusions, thanks to everyone’s input: i haven’t listened to the original songs enough; i don’t have the strumming pattern automated enough that i can do other things while strumming; i’m trying songs with too complicated a strumming pattern (anything more than 4 down strums to the bar, i suppose); i was expecting to be able to play ‘easy’ songs way quicker than the majority of you have experienced.
I need to persevere with walking before i can run, or humming before i can sing in this case; trust in the process and stop watching so many youtube vids thinking there’s an easy fix for this.
I will persevere, work hard and get there eventually.
Thanks again, folks.
3 Likes
Hi John, good advice has been shared already and I much liked your last post where you acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged.
One thing I feel I should add: THE BEAT is what links the Rhythm and the singing; the easiest thing to do is what Justin does in all his Songs Lessons: he sings while doing just downstrums on the beat, go along with him, upstrums will come instictively if you keep your hand moving and relaxed, conciously aim for it to be relaxed …and after that it’ll be easier to apply strumming patterns. Keep going and have fun!
2 Likes
Maybe a silly question: do you sing songs without the guitar, like while driving?
“Haven’t listened to the original songs enough” sounds spot-on – it’s much easier to sing along with a song you’re super familiar with, where you know the lyrics without having to think at all. And a great way of getting that familiarity is if you’ve already sung it a zillion times without the complication of trying to play guitar at the same time.
So try singing to yourself all the time, whenever you’re alone in the car or on a walk or whatever. If there are people around, you can still sing silently to yourself, hearing the song in your mind. It’ll help you memorize the lyrics so they’ll come more easily when you need them.
1 Like
Indeed,
Find that ‘auto pilot’ song, the songs you internalized, the song that you feel the cadence of, you can hum, clap, sing and all the things… It might not be your favourite but it has the most space for your brain to be working on combining it all!
Important as well! In my Live Club I talk about practicing the parts separately as well; that includes doing some “singing only”
Solid advice, starting with a rudimentary “single downstrum per beat” is more than enough to start training beat consistency.
When learning to sing and play, it might seem you do a step back because you simplify but that is not true! Combining different tasks is hard and the -First and always- thing to fit should be the rhythm… because rhythm is king
5 Likes