I just got a guitar for christmas and my friend has taught me how to play blowin’ in the wind and he wasn’t. My problem is that I can’t manage to sing at the same time as playing. I don’t really know how to explain but when you play the guitar the beat is slightly different from the beat that you sing but when i sing and play at the same time i can’t really manage to strum at the right beat.
Does any body know any ways i could practice singing and playing at the same time?
Everyone’s given you good advice, but I’d like to add one thing that most don’t consider…
When you’re away from your guitar, it helps to visualize your hands on the guitar neck..playing the chords, etc…and singing the song to yourself in your head.
Or…use your right forearm as the guitar neck, with your left hand forming the chords as you sing.
This is valuable practice which gets your mind used to thinking about two different actions…one involving the mental side of remembering words and lyrics and timing, and the other, remembering the physical aspect of changing chords.
This extra practice time during the day when you can’t be with your guitar helped me immensly when I first started playing.
Be careful…if some observe this "strange behavior," they may try to have you ‘committed!’ LOL