The road from concept to execution was a long one, but, unlike many inventors with an original idea, Ridgeway didn't quit.

First, he searched online to see if anyone else had a similar game or patent.

No one did. So, while waiting for a plane ride at Denver International Airport, Ridgeway hopped on his computer and bought the rights to a dozen potential Internet domain names, including Spontuneous.com.

He leaned heavily on websites that help gamers learn the craft.

And then he spent last Christmas apologizing to his mom for eating a quick turkey dinner and spending the rest of the holiday writing the game rules. This was the toughest part, he said, and took about two dozen revisions.

One problem was speeding up the pace of play because a game could take two hours. Now players can play a round in less than an hour by using two dice and having a 15-second deadline to think of a song lyric.

“I learned that, if people didn't get it right away, they weren't going to get it,” he said.

Ridgeway's friend, Mark Johnson of Graphic Imprints in Billings, designed the board and cards and is a partner in the game. The result is a colorful, attractive board patterned on the treble clef symbol.