I don't know how to sing.

[DepressedNazgul]

It stroke me today. I plugged in my mic and sang along with "Wish You Were Here", just to check. The recording was disastrous - I wanted to commit suicide after hearing myself trying to sing. Although I feel like I'm in tune and singing correctly when the playback is on, the results aree completely different from what I hear in my head.

It's terrible! All my abilities as a guitarist are worth nothing if I sing like a crow!

I'm not going to practice guitar seriously anymore, until I can sing properly. I don't want an extraordinary voice, I just want to sing correctly everything once I hear it. I already know how to sing scales/chords when I want, and I sing them correctly - but when I try a song from a recording, I just can't sing it in tune, and it seems like I didn't hear it correctly. And I know that Wish You Were Here isn't too hard, because all my friends can sing it effortlessly.

Do you have any advice/help/related links?
It's utterly important, thanks ahead...

[wiechfreak]

Try reading and working through these:

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/general_music/singing_part_1.html
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/general_music/singing_part_2.html
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/general_music/singing_part_3.html
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/general_music/singing_part_4.html

they helped me a bit. But as far as unaccuracy goes, I've found it's a lot easier if you break it down phrase by phrase and work very slowly on hitting the notes, until you can do one section well enough, then slowly work on the next etc. But yea try reading those articles

[ProgBG]

Hi
The first time you hear yourself recorded on tape is always something terrible ;) I know that although I have singin lessons myself. Easy tunes don't have to be easy tunes to sing, because the singers often sing more than you actually hear. Listen very closely to the record and try to hear out the melody and write it down. So that you can play the melody on our guitar. It's much easier if you know what you're actually singing, than just singing along with the playback and think that it's right. Another point is the singing technique. But you should go to a teacher for this, 'cause it's hard to explain. Hope it helps a bit.

KAYA BG

[live]

Yeah ProgBG is right (although he's from Bavaria ;-D)! Sorry 'bout that, hehe :-D Ok serious: If I were you I'd look for a good teacher (it's hard to find a good singer who can teach you the technique but it's possible!)... And don't worry about yourself not being a great singer. Just a few lessons with a good teacher can help you to get better but if you'd take lessons for about 2 years or something you'll be a grown singer I think... It's hard work! The breath-technique and the intonation are your main problems I think!
Tip one: Don't expect something from yourself and go it on relaxed (you should mark this word!) Don't enforce something and sing from your stomach and not from your throat...
Make some Breath-exercises(like breathing in your stomach(not in your chest!) in little steps(4 times or something) and then let it flow out slowly while your mouth builds a 's')
And try out relax-excercises with your shoulders and your haunch.
When your relaxed at all begin to sing your first tones(for example the c-major scale or whatever is enjoyable for your voice so that it doesn't have to exert really) up and down.
When your "warm" you can try out to sing a song again -> let me know if it was better then!!!

Hope I could help - I'm a singer myself and I've had 3 different teachers, searching for a new one atm

Greetz,
live