first transcription

  • so here i go. i spent the last couple evenings transcribing. after horribly failing to transcribe horace silver on song for my father, i went to something much simpler and transcribed the first chorus of chet baker on autumn leaves. i've always been a big fan of the guy.

    i did run into many issues, mostly technical. it's been hard finding the right notation tool. ok, i haven't tried them all yet. i thought the impro-visor was it, but only 1 note at a time, no image export, and impossible to print. i had to screenshot the sheets... how bad is that. i will try notepad next.

    that said, the transcription itself i thought was quite easy to do. i placed in the transcription room.

    at this point, i'd really value your comments. not so much to tell me if the notes are right, but more to tell me if i'm going in the right direction. i still haven't really grasped what i'll get out of transcribing.  


    i plan on trying hancocks' solo on cantaloup island next. but not for a few days at least (i gotta play, too!).  so far, i've always been stumped when trying to transcribe chords. my teacher told me it was because i had not played the chords before that i couldn't hear them. i don't know. for now, i'll try and stick to single line solos.

    by knotty on 10/11/2007, 16:25:21 # 37615

  • check out "part two" of this file-https://www.learnjazzpiano.com/citadel/scotcit.mvc?action=files&sub=file_details&id=1075846998

    by smg on 10/13/2007, 11:41:36

  • herbie's solo might be hard to transcribe, lot's of 16ths.

    by Jazz+ on 10/13/2007, 11:56:09

  • how do you transcribe things off of jazz records. there is so much going on that i would have no idea where to start.  the only song i transcribed was my r&b song on youtube. it was a demo song on my keyboard and i liked it so i learned it by ear.  that song is real easy because its solo piano.

    by littlerascal on 10/14/2007, 17:06:27

  • with regards to transcribing chords, it's very much a trial and error process.  you listen to the song, you play what you think you hear, you listen again and compare.  eventually you just get better at it.  the key is really learning to recognize the different aural qualities of each type of chord, i.e.maj7, m7, m7, dim, and so on.  the trial and error might seem tedious at first but if you do it regularly it will get easier.

    by ziggysane on 10/14/2007, 18:06:18

  • thanks for the feedback.

    jazz+, thanks for the warning. i won't feel so bad if i don't succeed  :)  

    i read a comment from scot last week saying "those who claim transcribing doesn't work it's because they haven't done enough". fair enough. but then again, doing lots is one thing, doing well is another... and that's where i'm still a little confused.  

    ziggysane, i will take your advice to heart. rewsnat posted something a while back along those lines. what's so confusing with jazz sometimes is how the same notes out of context don't really tell you what chord it is. eb - g - bb - d would both be a minor or a major chord. i guess the bass doesn't lie ...

    smg, i read your document, and i think i understand your point of view, but i will admit i'm even more confused. i have slowly gotten used to the idea that the reason we transcribe is to develop the ear and that it will start showing in our playing.  
    i would tend to agree however that once someone has develop a strong ability to transcribe, then the goal of transcribing becomes learning phrases or licks. or am i mistaken?

    by knotty on 10/15/2007, 08:23:29

  • i think if you  are having trouble trancribing jazz solos, maybe it would be a good idea to and work on on harmonicaly/melodically simpler forms of music, such as rock, pop, folk.... work on the bass parts and melodies and then figure out the chords. then maybe move on to jazz heads (melodies).

    by Paul on 10/15/2007, 09:59:43

  • to respond to "goal of transcribing becomes learning phrases or licks. or am i mistaken?"-

    you hear somebody playing something you like/want to be able to play-so you transcribe it to see if you you can internalize it and the degree to which your improv will reflect it/the concepts behind it(i.e. player x is using some lines based on pentatonic minor concepts for ex.; because you've worked on a lot of lines already that are from that scale,although you don't play the exact line verbatim(re-info overload/retention factors discussed in the file)you start to notice that your approach to sections where you can use pent. minor lines reflects this players' overall approach).........

    the ultimate goal,unless you are a player in the formative stages of developing your inner ear who bases your approach on one or two players,immerses yourself in their styles and becomes a competent clone(no value judgement here,many great players go through this kind of phase before arriving at their own individual voice)of transcribing/study of other players is to develop your own thing.....

    by smg on 10/15/2007, 16:21:37

  • https://www.shout.net/~jmh/articles/transcribe.html

    by smg on 10/15/2007, 17:13:56

  • thanks smg, i think i understand better now.

    by knotty on 10/16/2007, 06:46:07


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