[johnnyK]

Hey guys, I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions about what I can play to start learning how to sing. I'm at the point where I can almost do it, and I'm sure I'll get it soon. I was just curious if there were any songs that you know of that would be helpful!

Thanks

[journeyman1040]

Neil Young ; "Heart of gold" , this song is pretty simple... I can play the
Harmonica with it !!
Cool song ! if your an OLD ROCKing Roller like me!


Beatles ; "Youv'e Got to hide your love away"

BOB DYLAN ; "the times they are a changin "

Johnny Cash ; "follsom prison Blues "

Hank William's Sr. :" I'm so lonesome I can cry "

all these song's are good with the Harmonica !, or just singing along.

there are many, many , more.....................!

[dadfad]

Learning to sing along is easiest done if you learn to sing as you're learning to play. It's a little harder to pick up afterwards. (As many have said, and was for me too.) Here's a copy of my answer to a PM a while back from someone who had a similar question that might help a little. And welcome to GTU.

CODE

Singing As You Play

....from XXX's PM


First of all, don't worry about bothering me. And believe me, I know all about your problem. When I first started playing and for years afterwards I never bothered to learn to sing along. I never figured I'd be a singer, only a guitarist. But things change.... back-up vocals you need to help with, then a few tunes you actually want to sing lead on, and then if you want to start doing solo gigs it's a must-have. I struggled for a long time to be able to sing and play at the same time. It's dead simple to learn to BOTH play and sing at the same time but MUCH harder to add singing later on. I always tell guys just starting out if they ever have ANY future intentions or possibilities of singing to learn both now as they start out.

This was a real bear for me (and other guys I know who did it the same way have said the same thing). So you aren't alone. I feel your pain!! haha!! Anyway, here are a few things that seemed to help me. Pick a few dead-simple songs. Tunes with simple progressions and simple chords-only that you could play with your eyes closed, and totally know the words to. It doesn't have to be tunes you want to learn to do at a gig or anything. This is purely training exercise, like playing scales or something. So it doesn't matter if it's "Row Row Row Your Boat" or "On Top Of Old Smokey" or whatever. Choose tunes where the rhythm of the singing matches the rythm of the playing very closely. I picked dead-simple 12-bar blues that I knew the simple words to.... like "Rock Me Baby" in the key of E or A. Simple plain chords strummed in time (no shuffle even) 1-2-3-4... 1-2-3-4, singing just the first verse. Over and over (and over and over and over.....) Slowly at first (very slowly! haha!). I found tapping my foot in time seemed to help. I kept at the simplest stuff, slowly and a little faster, until I could do it at a reasonably moderate speed. Then I added the shuffle-rhythm to the plain chords, again slow at first until I got to speed. Then slightly more complex chord changes. Then tunes where the vocal-rhythms were different than the playing-rhythm (this was a little tough to say the least). Eventually I got to where I could do it reasonably well on the vast majority of tunes. I noticed (and still notice) a lot of guys sort of "simplify" their guitar-work when they come to the vocals. Not necessarily a bad-thing, but the best solo performers I know don't miss a beat as they sing, continuing with the same kind of complex chordal-runs or lead work or melody-lines as when it's the instrumental break. That's what I'm going for, and for the most part, have gotten there. Not completely. Some of the really tough things that take a lot of concentration just for the guitar-work are still a bit iffy and so I might simplify a bit, but I'm getting there. I'm to the point where generally speaking that simplification would not be noticeable to anyone but myself.

So I'm STILL working on it. Really, I understand how frustrating and depressing it can be. (Especially if you also have a crap voice like me!haha!!) I'm not familiar with the tune you mentioned. Possibly it can fall within those relatively-simple guidelines as one of your starter-tunes, or maybe not. If not, just back off and work on singing along from the beginning, with less complex tunes until you get to the point to do that tune (and other tunes). Anyway, I hope some of this helps you out. Don't let it fukk with you that you're having a rough time. Like I said, that's how it is for all of us who added vocals to playing later on. If you practice pretty regularly and faithfully, you can probably be doing simple vocals on simple tunes within a couple of weeks, maybe less, and then go on from there. I probably spent a year just getting to the point where I could do most tunes with no problem. Anyway, good luck. Later.

John

[guitarfan19]

you could try to play and sing Bob Dylan's Knockin on Heavens door or Bryan Adams Summer of '69 unplugged.

[wilson78jr]

Try a song you already sing along to, that has fairly simple chording. When you already know the words well and the melody, you don't get so distracted trying to play. I sometimes will go sing a song at a bar (Kareoke), then come home and work out the arrangement. Desparado is a great example. I learned to ply the chords, then went and sang (won the contest, too!), then went back and figured out the piano intro/outro for guitar. I was one of the lucky ones, in that I started right out singing at the same time as playing. I play great rythym and vocals, but I still struggle with leads (I suck). and thats after 30 years! Welcome to GTU. I assume you're playing alone, not in a band.

Eagles-Desparado, Teq. Sunrise, take it easy, peaceful easy feeling
John Denver- rocky mountain high, annie's song
jimmy buffet-captain and the kid, pirate looks at 40, he went to paris, pencil thin mustache, margaritaville
poison-every rose has its thorn

Basic strumming or repetative pick you can sing along to..............

This post has been edited by wilson78jr: 10 June 2005 - 06:25 PM

[Razzo]

try the verve's lucky man just a three chord progression and there is easy lyrics aswell

[Razzo]

Also u might want to check out some cat stevens stuff

[The Smashing Pumpkin]

I learned with Nirvana's song Polly.

[oldschool]

What I Got - Sublime

[johnnyK]

What I Got  -  Sublime

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I found "what I got" to be a great song to learn on. The verse is only two chords stripped down!

Another one that I just found last night is "you've got to hide your love away" by the beatles. It's got an easy chord progression, easy lyrics and they are synchronized the whole time!!

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice guys, when I get off this binge of working 18 out of the last 19 days. I'm going to attack the beast that is singing!

Also, have any of you taking any lessons? If so did you find them worth your time and money?

-John

[ouijaouija]

i think make sure you know the song very well, by all means choose songs you atually want to sing along, not new songs.

i liked oasis and beatles, they always got good songs.

at first just try a strum per bar and sing, then slowly add basic 4 downstrums etc etc, and then the more complicated strumming patterns.

[musicman2000]

tears in heaven by clapton, once you get the first few lines of the guitar its pretty easy. then the words just it in.