When to start practicing with guitar...

Hello!

I am still a complete beginner with singing and am still in the first 30 day beginner series with Jonathan.

I don't play guitar at all but I would like to start incorporating an accompaniment, simple strumming on some songs that I like to sing.  Is it too early for me to start practicing with guitar in the hopes that I will eventually be able to bring it all together?

I'm finding that a lot of the songs that I like and that I've been practicing with don't have super complicated strumming paterns.  Should I wait a few months / year until I start with guitar or can I start soon?

Since I'm still learning the basics of singing I don't want to overwhelm or add another task or skill, but maybe starting with strumming and learning it separately to incorporate later might work?

Thanks!

Hi, Joe! I encourage you to jump in! Learning an instrument can really help your singing, because you're training your ear, learning some music theory, working on rhythm - all skills that will support your singing and overall musicianship. Check out the lessons we have on "singing & playing at the same time" for some practical steps to help you put the two together!

https://www.30daysinger.com/tutorial/how-to-sing-and-play-guitar-ukulele-at-the-same-time

Hi Camille!

Thank you for your quick response.  Actually, it was that tutorial that gave me the idea that I could start working on some strumming / rhythm!  

I have a list of acoustic/folk songs that seem to not be super complicated with strumming and also don't have really complicated vocals so I can work on the vocals now and maybe the strumming later.  Is there any way I can send a list to one of you or look online somewhere to figure out which song is the "easiest" to learn on beginner guitar?  

Thanks again!

joe

Great!

I'm not a guitarist myself, so I won't know based on a list how difficult the guitar playing would be. But I'd recommend - regardless of the difficulty - that you begin by practicing just the chord changes, then strum on each beat, then add in the strum pattern when you're ready. Use a metronome (at a very slow tempo, if needed) to keep yourself steady, and that'll be a great challenge to start!