Originally Posted by
Mark Gunter
ineedwine, no worries, if you are new to the instrument then you will probably not sound like a seasoned professional for a good, long while yet.
Tips and tricks for playing rhythm
1. Mute the strings with your left hand, and with your right hand and pick, play a rhythmic pattern on the dead strings. Try different rhythms. Play along to some of your favorite songs, just making a rhythm on the dead strings. Get a feel for the rhythm before worrying about the chords.
2. Learn the chords to one of the tunes you want to sing. Practice until you are able to change chords smoothly and on time. PRACTICE rhythm by playing the song along with your favorite recording of the tune. Try different rhythm patterns. Find a rhythm pattern that goes with you favorite recorded version and practice it.
3. Find a friend who plays (example, guitar) and who knows the songs you'd like to sing. Get your friend to play while you play along. Do this no matter how bad you sound, until the day you figure out a rhythm that sounds good.
Tips and tricks for Singing Along
There is no getting away from the fact that this is hard to get going and to get right. Concentrate first on keeping good rhythm and playing a smooth chord progression. Keep practicing the singing in time with your playing until one day you get it.
These things take time. You do want to practice efficiently. More importantly, though, is simply to practice. You can go to a professional trainer who may be able to help you practice most efficiently. Without such a trainer, you as a beginner cannot judge how "efficient" your practice actually is.
You can go a long time practicing and feeling that you make no progress, then suddenly things click and it becomes second nature. So practice!
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