Whether or not you write songs, there are times you might be noodling on your or just plain thinking, and suddenly, out of nowhere, a riff, or a way to play a certain phrase pops in your mind. If you’re lucky, you’re nearby some recording equipment. But more likely than not, like me, you’re driving in your car, or doing something that is not guitar related.
This has happened to me so many times when I’m driving to or from work. When I can, I’ve pulled off the road, and work out and write down the riff. But oftentimes, when I finally get back to my notes and start playing the riff, it just doesn’t have the same vibe as when I originally wrote it down, and I have to spend quite a bit of time recapturing that feeling. If I only had a way to record the riff as a reference, then I’d be able to capture the chord progression or phrase, plus at least some or most the tonal subtleties.
It turns out, there are some pretty good ways to do this. I’ll cover a few here:
- Did you know that most cell phones, especially later models have the ability to record both audio and video? My LG Shine records both audio and video, and I’ve used it twice now to record a riff I came up with while driving down the road. The second time this happened, I pulled into a rest area, pulled out my guitar, got my phone out and started recording. Some passers-by thought I was on a video scavenger hunt… yeah, I admit, it was rather weird, but I didn’t want to lose the riff. It didn’t help that I was also trying to hum the melody, so I sounded like a retard making noise. But then again, like I said, I had to capture that riff… It actually turned into this song. For those of you who read the original article about the song, I talked about what triggered the song, but I didn’t mention how I actually captured it… 🙂 In any case, I’ll admit that it’s not the most optimal alternative, but it certainly works in a pinch.
- Lots of digital point-and-shoot cameras also have both audio and video recording capabilities. I usually have my camera with me, so that is an alternative as well.
- Finally, the most optimal solution would be to have a digital stereo field recorder. There are lots of ’em on the market nowadays, and they aren’t very expensive, ranging from a couple of hundred to a few hundred for very nice units. The three that really stick out for me are:Tascam DR-1 Portable Digital Recorder ($299)
Edirol R-09HR Hi-res Digitial Recorder ($399)
There are lots more, but then we start getting into the $600+ range. Conceivably, you could also use just a mono recorder, and you can get those cheap – under $100!
Of course, if you’re by your Mac (if you have one), it’s a non-issue. Just open GarageBand, and record… but that’s another story…
Allan Holdsworth picture courtesy of InnerViews.org
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