Musician’s Notebook

Morgan Cryar recently commented on this blog that while it’s important to have a good application base set up for digital songwriting, it’s also important to be able to capture ideas while on the move:

I seldom lose a song idea when I’m surrounded by computer, paper, etc. My biggest losses have been IN MY CAR!

The radio inspires, an idea grabs me by the throat, and there I am without my digital recorder. I have resorted to voicemail several times in that moment. But those little digital “one-button� wonders are best for me.

And she’s right - it’s when you’re out and about, letting your mind wander and not really focusing on creative output, that your best ideas come to you, and unfortunately, when your best ideas slip through your fingers - if you’re not prepared.

1. Capturing Melodies - What I Use

Morgan mentioned a digital recorder, and she also mentioned using voicemail in times of desperation. My solution is somewhere in between; I use my phone, but not for the voicemail. If you have a smartphone or PDA, like my O2 XDA mini, you can usually hit a “Record Note” button on the side of the phone, allowing you to quickly and easily capture whatever auditory data you’re trying to retain. I have had at least a hundred melody ideas on my phone - if you’re like me, you’ll need a decent SD card for extra storage.

2. Capturing Melodies - Alternatives

Of course, going all out and buying a new phone is probably not the answer for most. For the best bang-for-back, you’ll want a device that can perform more than just the function of recording audio in the car. You’d probably want playback too. I can’t wait until the iPhone ships in Australia for this reason - at the moment I record melody ideas on my phone, but my main playback device is my (getting quite outdated) iPod, which I use to listen to music while commuting or to spend that time listening to and critically examining my own music. Having both functions integrated into one device would be superb.

While you’ll still have to carry around a separate phone, you can grab a device that records audio as well as plays audio just like an MP3 player - something like the Olympus WS-320M 1 GB Digital Voice Recorder and Music Player, perhaps.

3. Capturing Melodies - The Natural MacGyver’s Way

If you don’t want to spend a bunch of money on new equipment, there’s a cheaper way to do it. I had a friend who did this and it worked out well for him: set up Skype on both your phone and your home computer. If you’re around wireless networks all day, you can call your home Skype and leave a voicemail - one that gets saved as a digital audio file on your computer for ease of use. If you’re not around wireless networks, then you can get a SkypeIn number and do the same thing with a regular call.

4. Capturing Ideas & Lyrics - Automatic Backups

Most musicians find that capturing audio is the best way to hang on to good ideas, but there are times when it’s easier to get a written record of ideas or lyrics down. My favorite method is great because it not only gets your idea out of your head and into a fixed tangible expression, but keeps an automatic backup. In this age it’s not hard to find internet access wirelessly, and almost all laptops and many phones can pick it up; failing that, many smartphones and PDAs can send and receive email without a whole lot of expense. If you set up a mechanism to send email while you’re out and about, you’ve got a double back up of your work; in the sent box on your phone or laptop, and the inbox on the other end.

5. “Low Tech can save your creative neck”

That’s a quote from my friend NDK, whose favorite tool for capturing ideas is the good old notepad and pencil. Personally, I prefer pens, but whatever writing utensil you use isn’t the main point; having this low tech solution around can save you from losing a great idea, such as a lyric, and protect you from the terrible plagues of data loss, hardware failure, and malicious electronic device-seeking children. And if you can fill a few hundred of these, it’s a great bragging point!