Storing ideas?

[shniggens]

My musical ideas leave my brain just as fast as they arrive!

 

Doh!

 

I come up with great melodies, riffs, lyrics, etc. when I'm out riding my bike, mowing the lawn, falling asleep, etc. Hell if I know what they were when I get in the position of noting them/recording them . . . whatever.

 

I was watching a Bela Fleck DVD the other day, and he said that when he comes up with an idea, he calls his phone and leaves a message.

 

Well, I'm afraid that by the time my answering machine goes *beep*, my mind's going to go *duh*. And I'll end up just telling myself to have a nice day!

 

Anyway, what kind of devices, memory tricks, techniques do you use to get your ideas down until you can get to your instrument? I'm looking for something inexpensive and portable (or course).

 

Just curious how others deal with this.

[Phil B]

In the good old days I had a pretty elaborate system for keeping track of ideas. If I wasn't home, I'd try to always carry a microcassette recorder for ideas (I was sort of dangerous to drive next to in those days). If I was home, I had a tape deck hooked into my system and a series of cassette tapes labelled either "Germs," "Concepts" or "Works."

 

If I was jamming around on the keyboards and played something I thought was cool, I'd immediately hit record on a "Germs" tape - no practicing or anything. If I ended up fleshing it out a little bit, that would make it on to a "Concepts" tape. A finished song or piece would go on a "Works" tape (and there could be multiple versions of a song or idea on any tape).

 

When I was out driving around, I'd often bring along a few tapes ("Germs," "Concepts," or "Works" depending on my mood) and then get even more ideas for fleshing out the music from that (and I'd have my microcassette recorder for storing those ideas). It was a great system for me. I still pull out those tapes from time to time to get the juices flowing.

 

Anyway, like I said, those were in the good old days. Today, I just forget everything instead .

[RABid]

As said, a micro cassette deck, or even an mp3 player that will record. If I could carry a tune I would carry a recorder, but I can't, so I don't.

 

The best idea I have ever seen and one that should be implemented on every workstation, is the always recording feature of the Ensoniq MR/ZR 76. I used to sit and play with nothing definite in mind. When ever I happened upon something I wanted to record and save, it was already recorded. The MR76 would always record your playing and separate it into songs by analyzing pauses. You could scroll back among passages and review them, then select a passage to move to the sequencer. Unbelievable tool for the spontaneous writer. I would almost buy that keyboard again for that feature only.

 

Robert

[Steve LeBlanc]

I lose probably 50+ musical ideas a day...seems like the best ones resurface at the right times.

[Phil B]

Originally posted by Stephen LeBlanc:

seems like the best ones resurface at the right times.

then you are a lucky man - mine rarely reappear except once when I was backpacking through Europe 10 years ago or so. I kept getting this music in my head over and over again. When I got back I'd forgotten it. Then I was walking a mile away from home a few months later and ... boom ... it came back to me. I ran home and figured it out on the piano. But, usually, they're gone forever for me.

[Superbobus]

I have this mobile phone with a little memo recorder inside. Love it!