Easy Method to Play Guitar and Sing at the Same Time Part 2

Many Cigar Box Guitar builders and players will find this article interesting. It fits well with How to Make a Cigar Box Guitar. This is Part 2

Once you have selected your song to give your attention to (and
it's best to only deal with ONE at a time!), spend as much time
as you need and practice until you can play the guitar part
back-to-front, up-and-down. Don't just think about your fretting
hand, either. Pay attention to your right hand: the rhythm
patterns and your strumming technique. Practice, then practice
some more without singing until you have learned how to play the
guitar part and built up a kind of "muscle memory," meaning you
can play the song without looking at every chord change or
slowing down.

Learn How to Sing Your Chosen Song

Next is to move on to learning how to sing it. Your first step
here is to commit the lyrics to memory. Do NOT try to play
guitar and sing at the same time just yet! Simply study the
lyrics and listen to how the singer hits certain notes, holds
other notes (and the length), and communicates the emotion of
the piece.

When you've got "the vibe" of the song and you have memorized
the lyrics, you may have to record yourself singing with the
music. Sure, the idea of that probably sends shivers down your
spine, however the fact is you might want to know how your voice
sounds and where you could do with some further focus and help
if you're ever planning to play guitar and sing at an event.


How to Put It All Together! Singing and Playing on Your Cigar Box Guitar!

Okay, now you are ready to sort out combining the two halves,
playing and singing. Be aware of the bizarre thing that may
happen: You'll start making mistakes within the chord changes,
you will forget the lyrics, you will trip on easy sections of
the song... All of the parts that you had completely under
control just before, they're going to now be tough again. Weird.
It's going to seem hard at first (and, it's not a simple thing
to do), as if your hands and your mouth just will not work
together!

Take a breath. This is just a small adjustment and by slowing
down and practicing in a very deliberate and careful way, you
will begin to get it fairly quickly. The risky thing here is
that you might get frustrated and bored. Do NOT quit at this
point and begin learning to play a different song. Stick to the
plan and pretty soon you'll find that you can play guitar and
sing at the same time!