Like able to strum and sing along without a pause.

I tried to learn guitar and seems like alot of people think it’s easy. But i have difficulties playing while singing. Is this normal? What should i do to improve? What are the basics a beginner should learn before jumping to the advance of singing and strumming together?

It’s just a matter of practice. You have to learn the chords well enough that you make them and change them automatically while you’re singing. This is why you start with very simple (stupid) 2-chord songs like Skip to my Lou and Ten Little Indians.

Also it’s easier in keys like A or D, so you don’t have to struggle with the dreaded F chord. F isn’t really hard, but it takes some concentration.

Just keep plugging away, you’ll get it. It’s not as hard as it might seem at first, so don’t get discouraged.

my cousin just gave me his electric guitar and i wanted to learn how to play it but there is no place around where i live to get lessons…some people in school can play the guitar but they are all boys and im too afraid to ask them to give me some lessons so i would like to know how long it usually takes to teach yourself how to play electric guitar?

Here’s a breakdown of the stages of guitar learning and the approximate time it might take you to get there.

- Playing Basic Chords - This is usually the first benchmark most new players reach: The ability to strum and switch between the basic guitar chords. At this point you don’t necessarily have the chords memorized and aren’t able to play many songs, but you’re managing to fret and strum them. This level can be reached within one week.

- Playing easy songs - You’ve mastered more guitar chords and have been practicing them enough that you’ve got most of them memorized and are able to strum and switch between them without too much hassle, and without looking at the fretboard when you do. This means you can play songs! This level can be reached in two to three weeks of daily practice, though for many it might be longer.

- Playing Barre and Power Chords - We’re moving right along and you’re advancing to a level where most self-taught guitarists never go. Barre Chords are much more difficult than open chords and learning these takes extra practice and a whole new set of strength in your fretting hand. It’s possible to play most barre chords in two months, quicker for some who practice a lot.

- Fingerpicking - The ability to pluck individual strings and play simple riffs (short solo pieces on individual strings) is a new skill your strumming hand needs to learn. This can usually be achieved in two to three months if you start to learn and play easy guitar tabs.

- Lead Guitar - A Lead guitarist is the guy or girl who’s got the audience at his/her beckoning. Playing solo’s and using techniques like slurring, vibrato and palm muting is a whole new set of rules and I’d give it three to four months. This might be way off depending on what kind of music we’re talking about - playing acoustic solo’s might take less time, but playing rock or metal solo’s will probably take longer.

- The improviser - A guitarist that can improvise riffs and solos on the spot (and in the middle of a song), have moved from the realm of amateurship to being a pro or semi-pro. Depending on how much talent you have and what you’re musical background is, this might take anything from six months to a year.

Please note that these time lengths are given as a very broad estimate and aimed at people with little musical experience. If it takes you longer than a week to learn the basic chords, don’t get upset. These times are not set in stone and you have to learn and develop at a pace that’s natural and comfortable for you!

http://www.pluckandplayguitar.com/how-long-to-learn-guitar.html

I’ve looked everywhere on the internet and its just too confusing. and doesn’t sound right when i play it. And i don’t have one of those things that goes around the fret of your guitar.

There are several ways to play it that don’t require a capo. The most common way is to play a basic A chord with your last 3 fingers and move it up a whole step and use the index finger to play the 1st string at the second fret.
—2—index
—4—pinky
—4—ring
—4—middle
—x—don’t play
—x—don’t play
This shape is like an A chord moved up 2 frets. Another common variation is the B7 chord. It is played like this:
—2—pinky
—0—open
—2—ring
—1—index
—2—middle
—x—don’t play
This is a very common chord and it works very well with E and A. Another common variation is to play the F chord at the 7th fret (When you move the F chord up to the 7th fret it becomes a B chord)
I might suggest getting a good chord chart at your local music store and maybe a capo too, they are both inexpensive

Discipline when you are practicing the guitar is very important. Learning to play the guitar is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life but it was also one of the hardest. The reason that I became proficient with my instrument is simple. I practiced, and I practiced a lot; every day in my bedroom from the age of 16 (I’m 25 now). I spent most of my time practicing the fundamentals: running up and down scales, changing chords and trying to improve my repertoire of songs.

Sometimes it was easy to make time to practice because I was in a good mood and I really wanted to play. At those times I could spend hours just listening to how cool it sounded when I changed from the chord D to the chord G. But on other days it was my discipline and desire to play and improve that made me practice and develop as a player.

There are two main factors when it comes to discipline in practice: practicing regularly and practicing well. Both of these are important to address.

Practicing regularly is the most obvious and easy to do. Basically you should play the guitar every day. These don’t need to be mammoth, three hour long sessions. 30 minutes will generally be fine if you are focused during that time. Doing regular, small amounts of practice is far better than going all out for hours once a week. I know that in a busy life it can be hard to make the time to practice but honestly 30 minutes a day is achievable for anyone. There is no set time that is best to practice but I prefer to do it in the evening simply because I find playing the guitar is a relaxing way to wind down after a stressful day.

Practicing badly is a more common and difficult to address problem. This is something that affects even the most experienced player. This problem has several causes and solutions.

• Playing the same thing over and over every time you play. I am a firm believer that you should play something perfectly before you move on. BUT, once you know how to play something you need to move on and keep challenging yourself.

• The opposite is also a problem: moving on too quickly. You should practice so that you play a piece well before you go on to the next thing. Playing perfectly and accurately is an excellent habit for any musicians to have.

• Not focusing on developing all parts of your musicianship when you are practicing. I like to split my playing into parts. For example I might spend 5 minutes practicing new scales or chords, 10 minutes working on writing new music for myself and maybe 15 minutes learning a new song or part of a song.

• Playing things too fast when you first try and learn them. This can cause you to become disillusioned with your playing when you are trying to learn a new song. Most guitarists, including myself try playing a song at a slow speed before trying it a fast pace.

Practicing properly and regularly is the best way to become good at anything including playing the guitar. This requires discipline. Not only discipline to practice regularly, but also discipline to stay focused and on track when you are practicing. If you stay disciplined with your playing you will develop in to an excellent player.

Learn Acoustic Guitar NOW With FREE LESSONS

michael
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/learn-acoustic-guitar-onlineits-cheaper-and-quicker-1259349.html

I have just started to play the guitar and I need some good easy songs that would help me get a good grasp on the guitar. Websites and Links would really help. Thank You!

www.ultimate-guitar.com is good.
As for easy songs, just try out Oasis songs. You can practise getting used to the basic chords in their songs before moving on.