Lars68 Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 I was up very late the other day watching a movie while noodling on a guitar. Out of nowhere I found a little riff and chord sequence I liked. I thought this could eventually make a new song. Since it was so late I just practiced the riff a few times, thinking I'll record it first thing in the morning. Bad idea! I woke up and it was gone. Nowhere to be found. Then later the same day, I passed by the guitar, picked it up, and there was the riff again. I found it! Knowing I was going to be travelling for a few days, I recorded it on my iPad. Now a few days later, I'm away from home without guitars. I go to listen to the riff on my iPad, which I brought with me. I listen to the riff a few times thinking this is good (for being me). Then with sausage fingers, I somehow manage to delete the recording. I try to find a way to undo whatever I just did. No luck. The track is gone! I'll be home again tomorrow. I'll go straight to my guitar, hoping the riff will still be there. Not so sure right now. Awwgh... Lars Lessoned learned: record new ideas straight away, and always save a backup copy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 I hate when I do that. That same issue is something I run into with different rhythm ideas for Standards. When the phone is within reach, I can be recording in less than 10 seconds with the iPhone. The phone currently has about 600 clips on Voice Memos.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 Brings to mind those Lucinda Williams lyrics - "I think I lost it, let me know if you come across it." Keef once claimed to keep a small tape recorder next to the bed so if he suddenly awoke with an idea he could record it. it. Story is that is how that riff in "Satisfaction" came to be, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacamartin Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 Like us all, I have moments where I create a line or two and make sure to write it down. Fast forward months and even years....I look at my notation and wonder just what the hell I wrote😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 I hope you find it again....Frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwalker201 Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 It’s sucks getting old 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 I still use a pocket-sized cassette recorder for quickie ideas. Hope the memory banks kick in & you find it again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 I managed to finally remember my little riff/chord sequence idea and make a recording (straight into my iPad on a tiny travel guitar). It might not sound like much, or go down in acoustic guitar history, but it's important to me. It will serve as a starting point for my next idea for an original song. Here it is: https://soundcloud.com/lars1968/song-idea/s-EU6FW Lars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 Nice Lars - I feel this could go different ways with respect to tone (happy or dark)... I kind of thought of happy, which way are you thinking it will go. I like the little guitar riff the middle, mixing it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 19 minutes ago, billroy said: Nice Lars - I feel this could go different ways with respect to tone (happy or dark)... I kind of thought of happy, which way are you thinking it will go. I like the little guitar riff the middle, mixing it up! Knowing how my songwriting usually goes, I'll aim for happy, but end up dark 😳 Lars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 8 hours ago, Lars68 said: Knowing how my songwriting usually goes, I'll aim for happy, but end up dark 😳 Lars Yep, Lars, that kind of how it goes.....lol..........In an interview many moons ago (1994) when Johnny Cash was performing in Glastonbury, he was asked about all the young people who were emulating him. He said he was flattered at all the attention the young people were giving him again, but stressed "Everybody wants to be somebody, but you've got to be who you've got to be," And Lars, you've got to be and of course will be "you." However the song or riff turns-out, it's going to be "you." That's what's so cool about writing songs lyrics and the music to go with the words. It's "us." It's who "we" are. We can all be influenced (thank God!) by our musical heroes, but no matter what, we're still going to write and play like who we are. I can't be Cash or Dylan, etc. All I can do is try to be the best version of "me" with the influence I got from them............All the advice on remembering and saving our ideas is good and very helpful. Wish I was disciplined enough to follow it, but it's tough to teach this proverbial "old dog new tricks." I've got a catalog or maybe it's an encyclopedia of partially-finished songs, poems, short stories, axioms, cute little ideas I thought of myself, and jokes that I glance at every-now-and-then. Sometimes I find added inspiration to a recent idea. Sometimes it gives fresh inspiration to an old idea. Sometimes it does nothing. Whatever it does, I'm just having fun. Keep writing, old friend. It's real good therapy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 4 hours ago, MissouriPicker said: Yep, Lars, that kind of how it goes.....lol..........In an interview many moons ago (1994) when Johnny Cash was performing in Glastonbury, he was asked about all the young people who were emulating him. He said he was flattered at all the attention the young people were giving him again, but stressed "Everybody wants to be somebody, but you've got to be who you've got to be," And Lars, you've got to be and of course will be "you." However the song or riff turns-out, it's going to be "you." That's what's so cool about writing songs lyrics and the music to go with the words. It's "us." It's who "we" are. We can all be influenced (thank God!) by our musical heroes, but no matter what, we're still going to write and play like who we are. I can't be Cash or Dylan, etc. All I can do is try to be the best version of "me" with the influence I got from them............All the advice on remembering and saving our ideas is good and very helpful. Wish I was disciplined enough to follow it, but it's tough to teach this proverbial "old dog new tricks." I've got a catalog or maybe it's an encyclopedia of partially-finished songs, poems, short stories, axioms, cute little ideas I thought of myself, and jokes that I glance at every-now-and-then. Sometimes I find added inspiration to a recent idea. Sometimes it gives fresh inspiration to an old idea. Sometimes it does nothing. Whatever it does, I'm just having fun. Keep writing, old friend. It's real good therapy. Hey MP - I agree 100% you got to be you, but if you is a steady consistent thing - IMO stretching who you are on occasion is a good thing as well. And agree 110% writing, it's good therapy - just put up a post about that in the lounge the other day :)... really helps me deal with the turkeys of the world. And appreciate the thought on cataloging ideas - I do a good job once I decide to turn something into a song, but I've got a lot of riffs / ideas etc... that I lose.. I think your comment here will get me to develop a better strategy around that. Regardless Lars, liking what you got, happy you got it back and I look forward to it's progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoSoxBiker Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 On 7/3/2019 at 4:37 PM, billroy said: Nice Lars - I feel this could go different ways with respect to tone (happy or dark)... I kind of thought of happy, which way are you thinking it will go. I like the little guitar riff the middle, mixing it up! I had the same reaction. Could be anything. Open canvas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoSoxBiker Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 On 7/4/2019 at 1:25 AM, MissouriPicker said: Yep, Lars, that kind of how it goes.....lol..........In an interview many moons ago (1994) when Johnny Cash was performing in Glastonbury, he was asked about all the young people who were emulating him. He said he was flattered at all the attention the young people were giving him again, but stressed "Everybody wants to be somebody, but you've got to be who you've got to be," And Lars, you've got to be and of course will be "you." However the song or riff turns-out, it's going to be "you." That's what's so cool about writing songs lyrics and the music to go with the words. It's "us." It's who "we" are. We can all be influenced (thank God!) by our musical heroes, but no matter what, we're still going to write and play like who we are. I can't be Cash or Dylan, etc. All I can do is try to be the best version of "me" with the influence I got from them............All the advice on remembering and saving our ideas is good and very helpful. Wish I was disciplined enough to follow it, but it's tough to teach this proverbial "old dog new tricks." I've got a catalog or maybe it's an encyclopedia of partially-finished songs, poems, short stories, axioms, cute little ideas I thought of myself, and jokes that I glance at every-now-and-then. Sometimes I find added inspiration to a recent idea. Sometimes it gives fresh inspiration to an old idea. Sometimes it does nothing. Whatever it does, I'm just having fun. Keep writing, old friend. It's real good therapy. I keep a folder with songs in various states of being written. A sub-folder with a couple files for various possible topics. Another one with one-off sayings or quotes that could turn to a full fledged idea or something. I look through them every once in a while. Sometimes i come up with something. Good times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 3 hours ago, PatriotsBiker said: I keep a folder with songs in various states of being written. A sub-folder with a couple files for various possible topics. Another one with one-off sayings or quotes that could turn to a full fledged idea or something. I look through them every once in a while. Sometimes i come up with something. Good times. How about guitar riffs, you get a little ditty you want to save. Do you have a good way to save those for future reference? Guess it would have to be a sound clip of sorts. I haven't done it, but it is where I'm lacking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoSoxBiker Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 Just now, billroy said: How about guitar riffs, you get a little ditty you want to save. Do you have a good way to save those for future reference? Guess it would have to be a sound clip of sorts. I haven't done it, but it is where I'm lacking. That's a tougher one. If my music machine is up and running, it's a quick firing up the DAW and recording the riff in a recording session i already have set up. I would really like one of those hand held recorders at some point. If it's something I had been working on, that DAW session would likely already be open. I guess that's how it happens most of the time. As far as music ideas in my head when writing lyrics, i'll leave myself a couple notes if it's easy enough. That's usually enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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