To all guitar players...Do any of you suffer with my problem? I have played guit

Question:there is absolutely no way i could sing and play at the same time!! I can't even have a conversation with somebody and play at the same time! Anyone else have the same problem??
I'm pretty sure it's something lacking in the brain??

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: there is absolutely no way i could sing and play at the same time!! I can't even have a conversation with somebody and play at the same time! Anyone else have the same problem??
I'm pretty sure it's something lacking in the brain??

Join the group... and it's a big one... we all know well known singers who can't play and sing at the same time... that's why they let the band carry the melody and they sing... while 'strumming' with their pick 1/2 inch off the strings.

I think it has to do with brain overload or something. Playing a guitar takes both left and right brains to do... and the memory circuits get a bit frizzled.

Lately, I've gotten out the old Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary song books and have been practicing up getting ready for what I feel certain is going to be a march on Washington in 2008 and all of us old rockers will be called out to come and play "This land is your land" and "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Where have all the flowers gone"... and I want to be ready... he,he,he...

Now... how do I get to Grant Park and CURSE YOU Mayor Daly for sending the Pigs in... and can I park my VW bus here during the Riots?

I have had the same problem and I am just now correcting it...it isn't something lacking in the brain, I don't think. What I've discovered it helping me is actually tapping my foot to the rhythm of whatever I'm playing on guitar...and I started with simple 2 chord songs and move up from there and pretty soon it is beginning to feel a lot easier. It just takes time...should have practiced singing while playing for the beginning, it is a lot easier to practice a good habit than to break a bad habit...

To sing is one thing, to play the guitar is another, and not all can do them together, they have to concentrate on the music.....I don't think it has anything to do with you brain, it's just that either you have this ability or you don't, maybe you played too long without singing and it's just something that you have to get use to. I play classical and acoustic, and I can sing while I play, in fact it sometimes helps me when I'm trying to memorize a song. I take my ques (as far as where to come in ) from the music. I wouldn't dare sing in public because I have the worst voice that you can imagine....but while practicing I do sing, I'll do something like the Beatles Yesterday, I can do it with no problem it's just that I'm lacking in the gift of voice !!!!! If you haven't always tried to sing while playing why not try it with a teacher, that may help !!!!!!!! Good luck !!!!!!!!

The key is to play the guitar part over and over and over again until you could do it in your sleep. Play it so much that you don't even have to think about it. Then, put your hands on auto-pilot while you sing. Really, when i play at open mic, sometimes i'll start a song without being able to remember what the next chord is, but i play it because my hands have memorized the pattern. Hope this makes sense, i don't know how else to explain it.

It took me years to learn to play guitar and sing at the same time.

Basically what you have to do is learn the guitar part so well that you can play it without thinking about it too much, then you can focus most of your attention on singing.

I can't carry on a conversation while playing an instrument either - and I've played guitar for 36 years, banjo for 18 years, and fiddle for 16 years. At most, I can grunt out chord changes while fiddling to help confused accompanists -- as long as I'm playing slowly, or the tune and/or chord changes aren't too complex.

I don't think its a question of anything lacking in the brain -- I think its that playing music is a right-brain activity, while carrying on a coherent conversation is a left-brain activity, and so doing both at once is just too much to think about at once.

I've been playing guitar for over 51 years and have never had a problem playing and singing simultaneously. But carrying on a decent conversation with someone while playing is difficult for me. If all I need to do is to play chords of a key signature or any modulations involved I can converse at the same time.

Usually I stop playing when talking because the person wanting to converse doesn't realize his rudeness in interrupting a player. I'm sure this has happened to all players.

B.B. King can't do it either, apparently, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Just don't try to sing and play at the same time, and you'll be fine.

ye i cannot do the two at the same time unless i know the song chords off by heart eg. i can play Nirvanas about a girl with my eyes closed and sing it, but give me anything else and you confuse me, i have to learn the guitar riff nd then put the lyrics to it lol.
my brother on the other hand can do both, i don't know how i think its personal preference, or there's a good possibility that i was adopted otherwise yey, lol.

It sounds like a blessing for other people. Could you give up the guitar altogether? That would make everyone happy..

Ha Ha... I can't either, but I think that's because I'm still learning, so I'm concentrating really hard on not screwing up.

:)