I once played in a group where we always used lyric sheets, during practice and in performance (nursing homes three times per year).. I found it made me lazy, and after performing songs 20 or 30 times I still didn't know the lyrics.

My approach now is to know a song reasonably well before I bring it out in public. I may or may not use the lyric sheet, depending on how confident I feel about the words, but even if I do, it's only for the first public performance of the song, and rarely after that. That's just a standard I've set for myself as a result of my experiences with a group.

I'm now singing with another group and we won't sing a song in public that we haven't memorized. Even then, we have, like many others, those distressing 'senior moments' when we CRS.

I realize my standards are different from many others and therefore don't criticize those who use lyric sheets as aide memoires.. On the other hand, those who spend the first part of a song circle waiting for their turn with their head buried in the 'book' looking for a song to lead when it's their turn, and being oblivious to what's going on around them...........'nuff sed..

Davey... (:>)