The Art of Transcribing -- just do it!
Posted: 18 Feb 2010 6:01 am
Forgive the pedantic tone of this long essay--it was meant to be a Blog, but I don't have a Blog 
. I'm feeling pretty good right now about some things I've been working on and this is one of the things that has really helped.
Just what is transcribing music? It is the process of figuring out by ear how to play or write down a piece of music. Not only is it one of the most effective ways of developing your ear, but it is also a way of coming to understand the "hows and whys" of music. If you've ever listened to a piece of music and had a passage jump out at you as being "magical" or even oddly beautiful, then you've experienced one of the main reasons to undertake transcription: to learn why that passage moved you and how you could use similar vehicles in your own playing.
I started transcribing as a kid with a cheap record player and a guitar (what else was the 16rpm setting for?, I wondered). I was often surprised at how licks sounded when they were broken down to 1/2 speed and out of context; it was as if the collection of notes no longer possessed the magic I was hearing initially. I realized it was my job to put it all back together in rhythm and to pay attention to the phrasing of the passage. Sometimes it was very difficult to do without specific knowledge of the techniques used (like right hand picking), but later on I learned how to detect these elements in slowing down guitar parts. Only problem is, as I grew as a musician, I was no longer just satisfied with transcribing guitar licks.
Once I started listening to Jazz, I realized that it was a necessity to transcribe. I learned to write my transcriptions out in manuscript and became pretty fluent with it (my writing and transcribing are much, much better than my reading). After completing a few tunes (solos by Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, Pat Martino, Eddie Harris, John Scofield, John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, and many others), I realized that the process itself had become easier and I'd almost worked out a system.
With the appearance of the PC (where were you when I needed you!) and much software developed for altering music files, it is now extremely easy to slow your music down for transcribing. Transcribe! and the Amazing Slow Downer, as well as even Windows Media Player, are just a few programs I know of that will enable you to slow music down and even make fine adjustments to EQ (very important) and pitch. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to at least get your feet wet with the process, but in case you've had some difficulties with it, I'm going to offer up a few tips.
Why are you transcribing a particular piece or passage? Is it a piece that you want to play in its entirety or just a passage that really grabs your ear for some unknown reason?
If it is a piece that you want to play note for note, you must listen carefully to it to determine: a) the tuning, b) the harmonic content, c) the rhythmic content, and d) the technical execution. Huh, all that? Well, it's not as hard as it sounds.
To get started, you should really have a good idea what the chord changes are. If this is something you don't know how to figure out on your own, there may be some printed music somewhere. (If you are interested in learning basic harmony and music theory, a good place to start is here.) If you have no luck finding sheet
music, then one of the first things you look for in figuring out changes is bass movement. Most of the key clues to playing the song are contained in the song's harmony, and most of the really interesting and ear-catching parts have to do with how that harmony is treated.
Once you've established the chord changes and written out a framework, you begin to pick it apart phrase by phrase, or even measure by measure. Some programs let you loop sections and then you can adjust the speed, EQ and pitch as necessary. If you can, write out your findings on manuscript paper. One of the ways that I do it is, I use my right hand to keep time, bringing my hand down on the quarter notes (1, 2, 3, 4) and my hand up for the eighth notes (and I further subdivide verbally if necessary: 1 e an da, 2 e an da, etc). If you cannot write in manuscript, tab it out. It's not my thing, but now I realize that I've learned and forgotten many tunes because I kept no record of them, so even tab would have been beneficial.
What to listen for in transcribing a steel guitar performance: Well, in trying to determine a tuning, of course you'll listen for open strings (sometimes they are easily found in trills and hammer-ons and pull-offs) and chords. Not all chords will be useful, because obviously many times slants are used, but listen intently for as many clues as you can.
Once you've narrowed down the tuning and the chord changes, it's time to get to work learning the tune. Sometimes it's useful to listen to the timbre of a note to determine whether it's played on a wound string or plain, and even where on the neck it is played. These are things you will become more accustomed to hearing with frequency.
If you're trying to figure out chords and harmonies, pick the notes out individually until you have a good representation of the chord. Another helpful thing to do is Sing it! Voice leading is often very prominent in chordal playing, so listen to the melodic content of the top or melody notes.
Another thing to pay attention to is picking and bar movement. As far as picking is concerned, it is important to have command over your right hand and to develop the necessary skills to have that kind of command. Most picking tends to follow a kind of formula. In any case, try different combinations of picking order until you've hit on the one that not only feels comfortable, but makes it easier to execute and move on to the next passage.
As far as bar movement, listen carefully for any slides (or lack of). Sometimes these are a dead give-away as to how things are played, whether across the strings or up and down the fingerboard. If something seems too difficult to execute, there may be another way of doing it (or maybe not--sometimes things are just difficult to play). Also, you may have to go back and take another look at the tuning. This is often the ticket--man, this is
starting to sound like Sudoku!
If you're interested in transcribing other instruments, such as a saxophone solo or guitar parts, you are in a position to not only figure out what is played, but how to play it. This is of tremendous benefit to a steel player because it really gets you inside the neck and the tuning. Start off small--ranscribe something that you really like from melodic player, such as Sonny Rollins or Paul Desmond. Most of the time, Jazz players are playing off the harmony and you can learn some interesting chord substitutions by transcribing fragments of solos, even repetitive motifs that change with the chord changes. I will try to illustrate a few examples for you when time allows. The more familiar you are with a style of music, the easier it will be for you to recognize what they are doing. Obviously, if you have little to no experience with Jazz, you may have quite a
time trying to understand what's going on. A good place to get your feet wet would be with Swing and Western Swing, most notably the playing of Charlie Christian and Joaquin Murphey.
The ultimate goal for me when I transcribe is to put an idea that I've lifted to work for me, in the context I choose. I very rarely ever play any of the music I transcribe, but do it as a way of incorporating sounds I'd like to hear more of in my playing. Most of the time,you wouldn't recognize what I've lifted when I get through with it (hopefully). Oddly enough, it's from transcribing and stealing from others that we begin to really formulate our own styles.
More to come, but this post is long-winded enough. I'm interested in your experiences or questions.
. I'm feeling pretty good right now about some things I've been working on and this is one of the things that has really helped.Just what is transcribing music? It is the process of figuring out by ear how to play or write down a piece of music. Not only is it one of the most effective ways of developing your ear, but it is also a way of coming to understand the "hows and whys" of music. If you've ever listened to a piece of music and had a passage jump out at you as being "magical" or even oddly beautiful, then you've experienced one of the main reasons to undertake transcription: to learn why that passage moved you and how you could use similar vehicles in your own playing.
I started transcribing as a kid with a cheap record player and a guitar (what else was the 16rpm setting for?, I wondered). I was often surprised at how licks sounded when they were broken down to 1/2 speed and out of context; it was as if the collection of notes no longer possessed the magic I was hearing initially. I realized it was my job to put it all back together in rhythm and to pay attention to the phrasing of the passage. Sometimes it was very difficult to do without specific knowledge of the techniques used (like right hand picking), but later on I learned how to detect these elements in slowing down guitar parts. Only problem is, as I grew as a musician, I was no longer just satisfied with transcribing guitar licks.
Once I started listening to Jazz, I realized that it was a necessity to transcribe. I learned to write my transcriptions out in manuscript and became pretty fluent with it (my writing and transcribing are much, much better than my reading). After completing a few tunes (solos by Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, Pat Martino, Eddie Harris, John Scofield, John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, and many others), I realized that the process itself had become easier and I'd almost worked out a system.
With the appearance of the PC (where were you when I needed you!) and much software developed for altering music files, it is now extremely easy to slow your music down for transcribing. Transcribe! and the Amazing Slow Downer, as well as even Windows Media Player, are just a few programs I know of that will enable you to slow music down and even make fine adjustments to EQ (very important) and pitch. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to at least get your feet wet with the process, but in case you've had some difficulties with it, I'm going to offer up a few tips.
Why are you transcribing a particular piece or passage? Is it a piece that you want to play in its entirety or just a passage that really grabs your ear for some unknown reason?
If it is a piece that you want to play note for note, you must listen carefully to it to determine: a) the tuning, b) the harmonic content, c) the rhythmic content, and d) the technical execution. Huh, all that? Well, it's not as hard as it sounds.
To get started, you should really have a good idea what the chord changes are. If this is something you don't know how to figure out on your own, there may be some printed music somewhere. (If you are interested in learning basic harmony and music theory, a good place to start is here.) If you have no luck finding sheet
music, then one of the first things you look for in figuring out changes is bass movement. Most of the key clues to playing the song are contained in the song's harmony, and most of the really interesting and ear-catching parts have to do with how that harmony is treated.
Once you've established the chord changes and written out a framework, you begin to pick it apart phrase by phrase, or even measure by measure. Some programs let you loop sections and then you can adjust the speed, EQ and pitch as necessary. If you can, write out your findings on manuscript paper. One of the ways that I do it is, I use my right hand to keep time, bringing my hand down on the quarter notes (1, 2, 3, 4) and my hand up for the eighth notes (and I further subdivide verbally if necessary: 1 e an da, 2 e an da, etc). If you cannot write in manuscript, tab it out. It's not my thing, but now I realize that I've learned and forgotten many tunes because I kept no record of them, so even tab would have been beneficial.
What to listen for in transcribing a steel guitar performance: Well, in trying to determine a tuning, of course you'll listen for open strings (sometimes they are easily found in trills and hammer-ons and pull-offs) and chords. Not all chords will be useful, because obviously many times slants are used, but listen intently for as many clues as you can.
Once you've narrowed down the tuning and the chord changes, it's time to get to work learning the tune. Sometimes it's useful to listen to the timbre of a note to determine whether it's played on a wound string or plain, and even where on the neck it is played. These are things you will become more accustomed to hearing with frequency.
If you're trying to figure out chords and harmonies, pick the notes out individually until you have a good representation of the chord. Another helpful thing to do is Sing it! Voice leading is often very prominent in chordal playing, so listen to the melodic content of the top or melody notes.
Another thing to pay attention to is picking and bar movement. As far as picking is concerned, it is important to have command over your right hand and to develop the necessary skills to have that kind of command. Most picking tends to follow a kind of formula. In any case, try different combinations of picking order until you've hit on the one that not only feels comfortable, but makes it easier to execute and move on to the next passage.
As far as bar movement, listen carefully for any slides (or lack of). Sometimes these are a dead give-away as to how things are played, whether across the strings or up and down the fingerboard. If something seems too difficult to execute, there may be another way of doing it (or maybe not--sometimes things are just difficult to play). Also, you may have to go back and take another look at the tuning. This is often the ticket--man, this is
starting to sound like Sudoku!
If you're interested in transcribing other instruments, such as a saxophone solo or guitar parts, you are in a position to not only figure out what is played, but how to play it. This is of tremendous benefit to a steel player because it really gets you inside the neck and the tuning. Start off small--ranscribe something that you really like from melodic player, such as Sonny Rollins or Paul Desmond. Most of the time, Jazz players are playing off the harmony and you can learn some interesting chord substitutions by transcribing fragments of solos, even repetitive motifs that change with the chord changes. I will try to illustrate a few examples for you when time allows. The more familiar you are with a style of music, the easier it will be for you to recognize what they are doing. Obviously, if you have little to no experience with Jazz, you may have quite a
time trying to understand what's going on. A good place to get your feet wet would be with Swing and Western Swing, most notably the playing of Charlie Christian and Joaquin Murphey.
The ultimate goal for me when I transcribe is to put an idea that I've lifted to work for me, in the context I choose. I very rarely ever play any of the music I transcribe, but do it as a way of incorporating sounds I'd like to hear more of in my playing. Most of the time,you wouldn't recognize what I've lifted when I get through with it (hopefully). Oddly enough, it's from transcribing and stealing from others that we begin to really formulate our own styles.
More to come, but this post is long-winded enough. I'm interested in your experiences or questions.
