How to play guitar and sing at the same time? A guide for beginners

Multi-tasking is not for everyone but what is certain is that a good musician is often a singer too. If you’re learning to play guitar, one of your main goals is surely to be able to play and sing your favourite songs in front of your friends.

Are you wondering how to do this? Playing guitar and singing at the same time can be difficult at the beginning because you have to split your concentration in two: half goes for playing and the other half for the melody of the vocal part.

But, don’t be scared! At  Guitar Lessons London we are ready to reveal all the secrets to become a complete musician and vocalist, starting right from the beginner level. All you have to do is to follow our guide designed step by step.

How to sing and play guitar at the same time

Are you ready? Let’s go!

1) Choose the right song to start on

It might seem obvious, but the first thing to do is to choose a simple song to learn. We know that you’re dreaming of presenting a fantastic guitar solo while you’re enchanting the audience. 

Anyway, stay grounded for the moment and choose a song you like with simple chords and melodies. Don’t forget to listen to it a lot of times: you have to memorise every single passage of the music, so it will be easier to play and sing it.

There are so many songs you can choose from and most of them are super famous:

• Blowin’ in the Wind by Bob Dylan
• Creep by Radiohead
• Perfect by Ed Sheeran

Just take your pick!

2) Get the guitar part and learn the chords

The second thing you have to do is to learn well the music part. While you’re listening to the song, try to absorb the chords correctly. Practice a lot, repeating the whole song from top to bottom. If it helps you, play along with the original track in the background.

Your goal is to be able to play even if when your mind is concentrated on something else. Try to play the song while you’re watching your favourite program on tv!

3) Hum before you sing

Let’s move on to the vocal part. Try to play the song and just hum. This will allow you to learn the sung, without having to focus on lyrics yet.

This is a very useful exercise, try it for yourself!