Russ: (shudder) ;)= I envision the Star Wars cantina scene....Don't know how the rest of you do it, but I can't focus my eyes on little printed words when singing. Specially when they're closed.
Only cheat sheet I can use is a repertoire list. I'm much more troubled by blanking out on what to sing next, then flubbing a line or two on a song. The professional trick is NOT to let that stop you, preferably not even drop a beat.
Occasionally though I try to pull something out of the back list, start in on it, and am stumped on the first line. Options at that point:
- play an extended instrumental intro. Full verse and chorus if necessary. Make it sound real intentional. If the first line still doesn't appear, segue into a real instrumental if possible. Or stop, shrug, and on to the next one.
- start in on the chorus and hope the first line appears--it usually does
W-O