Pyrotechie

Kind of abstract title, I apologize. Been binging on caffeine and cigarettes between jams today.

What I'm trying to ask is this: When you have an idea for an original song, what's your method for memorizing it? Do you record a home demo, tab it out in a book, or keep it in your head/play it constantly until you can flourish it in a studio?

The reason why I'm asking is simply out of curiosity about others' methods. I've always kept it in my head/played constantly to keep it fresh. I rarely do home demos because I'm a bad mixer, and a bad mix means a bad sound.

radio_rebellion

It depends for me. If I come up with a riff or something that I really like, I'll play it constantly and try to drum up some way to use it in a song. But my favorite thing to do is record it on my cell phone and then forget about it. It's really cool to go through some old ideas, find something awesome that you don't remember coming up with, and turn it into a real song. It helps keep songwriting feeling fresh, at least to me.

Bdqdog

I have no way to record my stuff, so sometimes I forget some material I write. I should probably start tabbing it out though. I usually just jam whatever I write out for awhile and play it a lot throughout the week. I personally think it would be a good idea to tab it out if it's going to be awhile before you're in the studio. It would also be cool to stumble across one of your old tab books or something when you're older.

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GaryBillington

If it's just a riff idea, I video myself playing with my phone. Once it evolves beyond that stage it'll be recorded so I'll always have it stored on my DAW.

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azrael4h

I mostly tab it out, because my recordings have been entirely too distorted to make much of them. Methinks a $10 headset is not the best tool for recording.

KidCanary

I record into my phone and then try to tab it into Guitar Pro.
Most stuff doesn't ever actually get tabbed though. I've got hundreds of recordings that I've never developed into anything.

Pyrotechie

Ahh I forgot about guitar pro!

I used to use this method all the time. But now my rhythm's gone all wacky and chord-y and Pro can't handle it

burpo

Just "keep it in your head"? Worst idea, ever!
I make sure I have it written down and recorded, even if just on a digital dictophone.
Whenever I've compared the version I "just remembered," it is ALWAYS an inferior, more "stock" version to the one recorded when I had the idea, fresh. Memory tends, in my experience anyway, to round off the corners and dull the edges. Just my two cents.

BTW, a cheap little recorder is just fine for committing sketches/ideas. Portability and spontaneous ease is king.

orczoz20

if I remember the guitar and I think hey this sounds good.

then the first thing I do is open notepad and scoring. because remember is usually difficult. and if you forget, you can always look up the tab. and sometimes I take the sound on my mobile.

Deegoodguy325

Yep, I do the same. I have a recording app on my phone, then I write the tab on guitar pro. You might end up with a ton of audio and GP files after a while, but at least you'll remember what you've come up with.

hangclean1039

I always record stuff, whether its on my 8 track, or on my phone. I find that I can always remember what notes/chords I played, but if I write something and try to remember it the next day, I'll have no clue what the rhythm was

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MarcFlink

Well i write it down, if there are lyrics at the time ill write them down, or if i only have a melody in my head i'll find the chords and write those down, and then later perhaps find some other way to play it..

I always keep pen and little yellow stickers with me anywhere i go so i can always write it down..

I do usually just record myself on my phone or computer so that i am sure that i can remember the melody, even if i have the chords.. I once forgot the melody for a song and i never remembered it again been recording it ever since (just made a new melody for the song.. it's pretty good now as well xD )

Kyle Sousa

I would say what ever works best for you. I like to record it and write down all the ideas I have for my originals. If you have a smart phone it might be a good idea to down load a simple recording app so every time you have an idea you can record it quickly before you for get it.

mr.retard

i tab out every riff and every lyric or lyrical idea. i have a bad memory. i have a notebook but sometimes i'm too lazy too get out my chair so i write and tab a lot on scrape paper around my chair. mostly envelops from my bills and junk mail.

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JackSaints

I tab stuff I find and record it using audacity and a gutiar cable for good measure (yes, I am aware of how mind-blowingly disgusting those recordings sound)

Then I play it over and over and use it as the start of a piece of music.

Elitzia

Song lyrics I just write down on what I have, or as a note on my phone.
If the idea to the song came out of something inspiring, for example, the first butterfly in the spring, I write down keywords to what I saw and the first line/word that popped up in my head. Then I can take it up again, imagine myself back to where I saw whatever gave me inspiration, and then the ideas pop up in my head again.
But, since I can get ideas out of a yellow truck on one side of the road, and a red oil can on the other, it's loads of notes taking up space on my phone.

Sheets and stuff I can't do anything with at the time, 'cause I don't have anything but a guitar here at my father's place, and guitar I'm just a beginner on, plus that most ideas to instrumental music I get are synthesizer/piano or flute.
But I seldom just record myself hum the song idea I got. Not that my humming is so easy to get anything out of, but still; it's something.