I have not been on the JG Community for a while but have been working hard on my guitar and play whenever I see a moment. This year one of my goals is to try and play and sing at the same time, which I find really difficult. I’ve always been so impressed with others in the Community who are able to do this. I recently saw John Mayer play at the O2 and it inspired me to learn his song I Will Be Found. I don’t have a strong voice but I love playing this song and singing along to it. This is the first verse I recorded on my phone. https://youtu.be/Gj-mCpZrryc
Susan
Well played - a good, steady strum. Your voice just needs a little more amplification.
Brian
Sounded good to me. It’d help if you could boost your vocal.
Hi Susan,
That was already nice to watch and listen to and is definitely one you should keep close to you.
Singing and playing at the same time is a different sport in the beginning ( I dont do it) … first you can do one very well and then add the other, I usually read. With you it is good to see that with the rhythm guitar the especialy the flexibility m(relaxing) of your hand movement has been sacrificed for the singing…I just watched the Santana video, nice comparison material, the rhythm guitar is now becoming more of a movement ,but keep doing it and keep doing it, you have it in you
Greetings,Rogier
Hi Susan,
that was well played and quite a barre chord work out! Well done on that.
Putting playing and singing together can be quite a tough thing and takes time. It seems you are already well on your way.
What helped me put it together back then when I entered the course of playing and singing, was to start with really simple songs where the playing was already more or less on autopilot giving room to focus on the singing. So maybe it’s worth you chose songs you already can play in your sleep to add the singing to get used to do both at the same time.
For singing in general, it is also like learning the guitar it needs time and practice to develop. Also it’s worth finding out where the sweet spots for your voice are so playing around with different keys and/or capo positions might be useful. To my ears, just a few semitones up would have suited your voice a little better for that given song, but that might only be my impression.
All in all, you are well on your way with playing and now singing both at once. So keep on doing what you are doing and all will come together nicely.
Really nice. Your voice was quiet compared to the guitar but it sounded on-pitch and pleasantly gentle, which seemed to match the melody you were playing (I haven’t heard this Mayer song yet).
I’m always amazed to see people just moving barre chords around like that, looked effortless lol. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Susan. Nice to see you back. You played and sang this nice song just fine. I enjoyed it. It was an especially pleasing listen. I believe your singing carries a perfect tone. Next time, just a little louder please. You can do it!
As for singing and playing, there are some songs easier than others. As for me, some I can sing and play to, and others, I can’t seem to match the rhythms. So, maybe start out with some that have that easy beat, that just seem to fit.
On a song I have on my Set List, “I’d Rather Go Blind”, I simply can’t get it like the original, so I made my own rhythm. Nothing wrong with that! Another hard one for me is “I Shot the Sheriff”. I still haven’t conquered that one, but I’m working on it. So my advice is to just keep trying and we would all love to hear your progress. You have a beautiful voice.
Nice job Susan! And good responses from some of those a few steps ahead on the playing and singing challenge. You give me a dose of courage as I aim for my first AVOYP.
What a lovely song, and your cover is quite nice. I thought the vocals might be a bit low, I’m talking register wise not volume wise, but then I also thought it really did work in that lower tone. You could try transposing the key up a couple tones to see what that sounds like though, and since you’re playing bar chords anyway you can play it in whatever key you want and the chords won’t be any more difficult!
Hello Susan, your recording was very pleasing to my ears
You’re pretty much there already, from what I can hear in this video, just keep on going. It’s worth to wonder what is the specific aspect that comes most difficult to you, is it pitch or on the other hand making the lyrics and the guitar match rhytmically? To me it’s tricky when the first word of the verse or phrase doesn’t fall on beat 1 or 2 and it helps me a lot to know exactly where in the bar it occurs so that by slowing it I can sing it correctly a few times until it becomes a bit more natural and I can speed it up. Sometimes it becomes natural with practice, sometimes it doesn’t and I have to be aware of it and consciously think “here I have to pay attention and start singing on beat 3 or whatever”. In my experience developing a feeling for it takes time. Just keep on going and have fun!
Well played and sung Susan, I enjoyed it. It is definitely audible, but I wish your voice was a bit louder.
Hi Susan, your recording already was very pleasant. You know your barre chords and you are definitely on the right way combining singing and playing.
What I liked the most, was your relaxed and “dreamy” face expression. It tells me, you like the song a lot and your playing and singing is coming along soulfully. You are feeling the song, which is a great starting point.
I had the impression, you held yourself back with singing. No need for this, your voice is nice and fits the song. Allow yourself to be more confident!
Keep the good work on!
Well done, Susan, I enjoyed your performance …
Bases are pretty much covered by comments above wrt to constructive critique.
I am a learner guitar player and vocalist, aren’t we all ? I found that singing too low was a confidence issue for me … viz. singing too low in one’s vocal register at volume is harder to listen to and hear, and kinda ‘hiding’ behind the instrument.
No doubt you were nervous when the “red recording light” was on … something that we all have to handle. It never goes away but persistence will pay off and you’ll develop your own coping mechanism … honest, … basically “walk the walk” not " talk the walk".
If key is not important try a capo up one and two frets, and continue with with current chord shapes to raise your voice, and go for it !
A recent post somewhere in here asked about songs to learn to practise barre chords … you certainly found one here, and played it very well …
Stick with it: I sincerely see potential in your musical development and future …
You sound great Susan The playing and the singing. Keep on
Inspiring
Thank you, I appreciate your suggestion on amplification, maybe further down the way, when I have learned how to sing and play a bit more, maybe I might buy a microphone!
Aw thank you for watching and commenting, and yes I think my voice might need some amplification.
Oh that’s a good idea to read and play at the same time. Thank you for your encouragement to keep going! And thank you for watching.
Thank you for your advice, which totally makes sense to me. If there is a picking pattern I am thrown! I will try a capo and experiment a bit with key to see how I go. Yes certainly a barre chord work out! Thank you for watching.
Thank you for your kind comments, it was really nice to read. And thank you for taking time to watch my video.
Thank you for liking my voice and my playing, and I will try to sing a little louder and see how I go. I can understand what you say about singing and rhythm, I’m the same. Good luck with your two songs and I look forward to you sharing with us all when you get there.