PERFORMANCE NOTES
HOW TO PLAY THIS MONTH’S SONGS
“BASTILLE DAY”
Rush perform at London’s O2 Arena May 25, 2013
KEVIN NIXON/FUTURE
Rush
THIS CLASSIC, EARLY-RUSH ode to the monumental struggles and sacrifices of the French Revolution features a suite of spirited, adrenaline-fueled and tightly arranged ensemble riffs and an anthemic, triumphant-sounding chorus that provide the perfect musical accompaniment and counterpart to drummer Neil Peart’s ironically poetic and bittersweet lyrics, passionately sung by bassist-vocalist Geddy Lee.
Guitarist Alex Lifeson kicks off the song with a driving, low-register single-note riff, for which he tastefully balances picked eighth notes with hammer-ons and ties (see bars 1-16). He follows this (in bar 17) with an angular, repeating two-bar power chord riff that becomes the verse accompaniment and incorporates quick position shifts. The slide up from the C5/G chord to D5/A at the beginning of bar 18 may seem a little odd at first, when you’re learning it, but when you play it repeatedly at tempo, it should feel and sound more natural.