musicians - a question on song writing

[xPANCAKEx]

this has been bugging me a lot lately

i get lines, progressions and even entire songs in my head.

The problem comes when trying to pen the song down. the minute i start writing a section of a song, i'll usually forget the rest of it - especially if i get bogged down on writing something

any advice on getting songs out of the old noggin faster and down onto paper?

[randman22222]

Carry a notebook around. Write down what you hear. Works for me.

Well... I don't actually use a notebook. Usually just my arm.

[Renegade Paladin]

I thoroughly work it into my head before attempting to write it down. Essentially, get it stuck in your head; you won't forget it before you're done writing.

[SDF]

Sometimes I'll wander around the city late at night with my guitar. There is really no one around and that seems to be when inspiration hits me most. I also have a digital sound recorder I carry with me that I hum a tune, or sing a melody into that strikes me.

[thubby]

pocket tape recorder

[valadil]

This applies to things other than music, but I take a lot of notes. I frequently come up with RPG plots that will be forgotten if I don't write them down immediately.

[Canadian]

Record it.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

The easiest way is to record it, as everyone else says.

[xPANCAKEx]

the problem for me lies in that i'll get a tune in my head, and when i sit down to work it out on guitar i forget most of it, usually because i'll take a while to get something sounding right... so recording it isn't really an option (although maybe humming to a dictaphone may work)

i'll try out some things suggested... but any other ideas, please feel free to chuck them at me :)

[Shadowbane]

I think that you should create a mental key for yourself. I used to have that problem, so I started associating colors with notes. Now I just write down a sequence of colors and symbols for rhythm when I need too. Much easier to remember.

Then again, I can memorize anything the moment I hear it and have perfect pitch, so yeah. :\ I'm an idiot savant: bad at almost everything except music.

[Silence]

I carry a notebook with me. Very useful.

[Mauve Shirt]

My biggest problem is that all of my inspiration comes right before I go to sleep, so I'm too lazy to find a pad of paper.