Greetings, SOR Nation! Vicki here. It's time once again for us to answer a fan question.
One that I commonly get is “How do you memorize all those lyrics?!”
Let me tell you, it was harder than I thought it would be. I've been a Rush fan since I was 14 years old, so when we formed the band I thought it would be easy to sing Neil's amazing words. I was convinced I had them memorized!
I learned the hard way that it's one thing to sing along with the record; it's another to carry the song yourself.
The hardest songs to memorize are the ones where the lyrics vary slightly by verse, but the order seems random. For example, in the song New World Man, I had to remember where he was old enough and when he was noble enough, and in what order!
I am highly motivated to get Neil's lyrics right, so I have developed a number of techniques that work very well in combination.
Here are a few examples from my home practice routine:
- Hand gestures: Accompanying hand gestures that mimic the lyrics help form muscle memory.
- Acronyms: I use these to remind me what goes where. For example: I use the acronym “FSH” for Bastille Day - Free the dungeons, Sing oh choirs, and Hear the echoes.
- Writing: If I'm struggling with a line, I write it down. This seems to help cement it in my mind.
- Repetition: If I mess up a line more than a couple of times I will isolate it and repeat it 10-12 times.
- Karaoke: I find instrumental-only tracks on YouTube and sing along to them!
- Consistent practice: Even though Spirit of Rush has been together for over ten years, I still practice for every show. I stand up with a pen for a microphone and sing the songs as I would in live performance.
Am I perfect with lyrics? No. Every performer blanks out sometimes! But I try to get as close as possible every time. I believe that one should take great care with the Professor's words. They deserve my passion and precision.
Well that's all for now, folks!
If you have a question you'd like to ask The Spirit of Rush, feel free to post in the comments!
Until next time, RUSH ON!
Cheers,
Vicki
