Missing Chances

[Artie Owl]

Hey gang, we share our pet peeves on here regularly so here's one to chew on;

 

Don't you hate it when you're just sitting there with your guitar, TV on in the background or whatnot and you're just struming or noodling, then all of a sudden inspiration strikes and you lay down some awesome blues/rock lick or run or strum progression or whole damn song and you've got no proof of it, can't duplicate it again etc. GAH I might actually be half way talented but I've got no way to prove it!

[Dub-T-123]

I can't tell you how many sweet things I wrote and then forgot. Especially with my first band.

 

I have a little recorder on my phone and now when I come up with something good I just record it real quick so I don't forget it. I actually just did it like 10 minutes ago lol.

[ShredAstaire]

I tend to record it if I like it....i play it and play it so I don't lose the sound and then i either plug into the computer or i just click record on a handheld I got here....either way, i have it. I can't always figure out how I played it too quickly but it helps!

[Artie Owl]

I was plugging away on my acoustic this past afternoon, no electric jack, no microphone, just me and the couch and the guitar, I was going to invest in one of those small pod recorders, but they're like 300$ for a decent one and right now I've got my eye on a new guitar so it'll have to wait.

[RobinTheHood]

That happens to me all the time! ALL THE TIME! But I figure easy come easy go. I'll come up with more.

I came up with a cool little riff last night at practice - just warming up. Our guitar player insisted we record it just in case. Thats a start, I guess!

[sparky scott 29]

Same thing happens in the middle of the night. Ya wake up and think, wow, cool, then, whamo... You forget!

[ShredAstaire]

I was plugging away on my acoustic this past afternoon, no electric jack, no microphone, just me and the couch and the guitar, I was going to invest in one of those small pod recorders, but they're like 300$ for a decent one and right now I've got my eye on a new guitar so it'll have to wait.

 

It don't have to be any good to capture the idear...$20...then you can record it properly later...

[Dub-T-123]

Exactly I'm recording it with my phone and the sound quality is terrible but now I remember riffs and have a little file of them. Also since I always have my phone on me I can record or look back on stuff at anytime. It's pretty nice.

[Blackie]

Even when I record stuff......I listen to some things and am like dam that flows real nice..........but what the heck did I do there....to get ....and then........

[FirstMeasure]

Digital Cameras are your friend. I grab my camera and take a video of any idea that I have, assuming It lasts long enough to grab the camera, sometimes ideas are so fleeting they're gone before you can hit the record button. Then you can see, as well as hear, what you did.

[Tman]

Started recording things into the voice memos function of my iphone. I go into descriptions and usually hum what I'm thinking. Sounds incredibly goofy but it's a good way to remember things because like you, I forget quickly.

[Dub-T-123]

Yep I use the Voice Memos on my iPhone too. I've even beat boxed a drum beat into that so don't be embarassed haha.

 

I've never had a problem remembering how to play something I wrote if I hear it so I'm good with recording a little sound clip.

[Silenced Fred]

I have done that so many times, especially while demo'ing stuff at SamAsh. Just play a lick or riff, and I can't figure it out. I have probably 30 songs worth of lyrics, and 10 songs worth of actual music

[Artie Owl]

I have a great little MP3 player that has voice notes and removable memory card storage, the mic on it isn't the greatest but it does what it needs to. Maybe I'll start carrying it around more.

[mcmurray]

You need one of these, no more lost licks, ever. Plug your guitar into it and it records everything you play.

 

http://line6.com/backtrack/

[Artie Owl]

Thanks McMurray, 150 is pretty reasonable with the Mic and all, who knows, Christmas is coming up!

[duane v]

This is where the advantage of being able to compose musical notation comes in.

 

you'll never need a recorder again... just a working pen or pencil.

[Daryl M]

I write a lot while driving, and the little voice recorder is a major help. Not to mention, much safer than scribbling words down on a legal pad while zipping through traffic.

[RichCI]

I used to have the same problem of forgetting stuff that I wrote on the fly until I bought a Line 6 GuitarPort. It's now really easy for me to plug the guitar into my computer, pick one of my preset sounds, open up a wave recording program and record whatever it was that I played.