Re: Singing and playing
Interesting, it never was that way for me... singing is just so natural. That's why there isn't only one good answer here (except practice).
I've sung much longer than I've played any instrument, and I find the opposite to be true; even with my vocal skill and talent, I find it pretty much impossible to focus on the guitar and just let the singing happen. I end up out of tune, missing lyrics, eventually just humming along with the guitar playing. Much easier IME to let my fingers do what they do and concentrate on a good vocal performance.
Interesting, it never was that way for me... singing is just so natural. That's why there isn't only one good answer here (except practice).