7 Steps To Learn The Lyrics To Any Song By Heart

 

If you’re a lead vocalist, it’s very important that you know your songs inside and out before you step on stage. When you know the lyrics to all of your songs, you don’t have to stand in one place looking down at the lyrics. Instead you can fully focus on the actual performance and give it your all. You enjoy the performance more and guaranteed your audience will as well.

 

However, learning the lyrics to a song by heart can be challenging, especially if there’s lots of lyrics and you have little time to learn them.

 

By following the 7 easy steps in this article, you’ll be able to memorize lyrics to any song and be confident on stage.

 

Step 1: Listen To The Song While Looking At The Lyrics

 

The easiest way to learn a song is to listen to it and sing along. However, make sure you do this thoughtfully and not while doing something else. Your focus needs to be fully on the song and nothing else. If you look at the lyrics while singing along, there’s a better chance they will stick to your memory and you get the chance to get the lyrics right from the start, instead of singing “what you think you hear”, which can sometimes go wrong.

 

Step 2: Read The Lyrics Out Loud

 

Once you’ve listened to the song several times, it’s time to read the lyrics out loud. Do this without the music playing. First, read the whole song lyric through once and then go back and read every section at least twice. Be sure to do this quite slowly and think of what you’re reading.

 

Step 3: Sing The Lyrics Without The Music

 

Then sing the lyrics out loud without music. You can sing in a slower tempo at first and speed it up every time you start from the beginning. You can even go faster than the song actually is - if you remember the lyrics in a faster tempo, you’ll remember them in a slower one as well.

 

Step 4: Visualize The Story

 

Another step in learning the lyrics by heart, is to create and visualize a story behind the lyrics. Some lyrics are already written like a story and others are more abstract. If the song you’re working on is more abstract, try and visualize the story and connect the lyrics to it. See the song as a movie where one scene connects to the next.

 

Step 5: Write Down The Lyrics

 

Now it’s time to write down the lyrics. The most effective way is to do it on paper. For many, this is a very useful step in memorizing the lyrics.

 

Step 6: Sing The Song While Doing Something Else

 

By now, you’ve gone through the major sections of learning your lyrics and now it’s time to test it. Do it by singing the song from start to finish while you’re doing another activity. You can for example go on a run or do the dishes. This way you can practice your performance skills and not being focused only on the lyrics. Notice where you get stuck and which parts you don’t remember. If it’s the same parts every time, go back to the previous steps and focus on the transition between the parts you remember and the parts you don’t remember.

 

Step 7: Put The Lyrics Somewhere You Can See Them All The Time

 

The last step is to keep the lyrics visible where you can see them several times a day. You can put them on your fridge or by your computer screen. Just make sure you have the visual in front of you so you can see it often and get reminded of the lyrics. Complete these steps with any song and enjoy your performance when it’s time!

 

About the author: Besides being a performing artist, Linda Lampinen is also a voice teacher and the owner of Laulutunnit Tampere, a singing school in Tampere, Finland. If you live in the area and want long lasting results in the fastest and most fun way possible, be sure to visit www.laulutunnittampere.fi .