Putting it on paper

[Phil]

Ok people, I need some help. I’ve been working through the lessons on this site and some others. I spend a couple of hours every day practising chords and scales as well as working on learning songs. While I’m practising I sometimes get a beat in my head. I use my very basic knowledge of chords and scales to put some notes to these beats and slowly add more until it matches what I have in my head. As soon as I get it the way I want it I put it on paper but because I don’t know about sheet music I do it in Tab form.
Now the problem I’m having is when I go back to these tabs a few days later I know the notes I played but I have forgotten the beat I put them to, making it impossible to replay the piece. How can I get the beat down on paper to overcome this?

[The Fury]

You could try recording it aswell. Try writing down the strumming pattern, or the tempo of the song.

You could use vertical lines with an idication of an up/\ or a downstroke\/ above the tab to indicate the strumming.

[Problem Child]

Yeah, recording is a good idea. That's what I always do. I record with a normal microphone placed next to my amp plugged into my recorder. The quality is low, but when I listen to it I at least can hear the tempo... It's the easiest way to record.

[smfulla]

well dude, you've gotta learn standard notation, it'll help
but for those who are having the same problem and DO know standard notation, instead of writing a whole staff out, just write the rhythm, e.g. crotchet, quaver (but with the proper symbols) above the tab

[slaughteredsoul]

Write down a song to it..

i was walkin down the street
when i saw a broken shoe
gave it to my boyfriend
cause he's missing one to use

something ridiculous like that, so youre bound to remember:D

[Phil]

Well i knew you'd say that. I'm not looking forward to learning that stuff ;)
I could try the song idea but i'd have to kill anyone who saw my song book, lol

[fizz]

hahaha, nice nice
id love to hear you sing that:>

[lam]

Wrtite it in standard notation...
lam