Fleeting song ideas you hear - how to turn them into a song?

[Ricklh]

Does this happen to anyone else here? Sometimes I'll get a flash of a melody in my head at a random moment...I mean a couple of fleeting seconds or something like that and it's gone forever if I'm at work or driving, but I hear a potential great tune or what I perceive as a song that could be. If this happens to you, do you have a way of capturing those fleeting song ideas or turning them into reality? Or, another thing that often happens is I "hear" something in my head and maybe I am at home and pick up the guitar to try to play what I heard but it turns out very mediocre and not too much like what I heard in my mind.

 

[Xdrummer]

I carry a small digital voice recorder with me everywhere (it's smaller than most cell phones). If I hear a melody or a lyrical idea pops in my head.....I hum the melody or speak the words into the recorder.

However, before I diciplined myself to take that approach, I often forgot ideas that popped into my head.

Some people would argue that if it's good, you'll remember and if you don't remember it probably wasn't that good anyway. I used to sorta follow that theory.....until I simply lost too many ideas (some of which I think could have been good songs).

Regarding hearing something and then trying to play it only to find it doesn't really work...................it happens to me (and I suspect most writers) often.
I think you have to write a lot of crap to occasionally find a jewel.

 

[Frankie Rage]

Yep I reckon this is universal for song writers, composers and lyricists. I purposely got a mobile phone with built in sound recorder and I do sometimes record those "little gems" I get as "fleeting thoughts".

Most of them turn out to be nothing. Also, I scribble down phrases in the same way. Most of those go nowhere either.

But now and then I pick up on one and run with it...

 

[Chili]

Yup, like Frankie said, almost all cellphones have a voice recorder function. Put the button on your front page menu so you can start it quickly, before you lose the thought.

It's a common thing to lose that little nuggest before you get home to record it. I hate that!!!

 

[Strat1958]

I have written more than one set of lyrics in the stairwells where I work! I whip out the pen & paper and get the idea written down before it's gone.

As stated above, the cellphone is my best friend...all the phones made in the last 3-4 years have this function.

 

[Ricklh]

I have written more than one set of lyrics in the stairwells where I work! I whip out the pen & paper and get the idea written down before it's gone.

As stated above, the cellphone is my best friend...all the phones made in the last 3-4 years have this function.

I'm sure my LG phone has this function - that's a great idea. Thanks, all.