Using Your Ears - Part 1

Transcribing can be the most useful tool for improving your playing and also aural awareness within an ensemble.
It may seem a bit daunting and can take a long time at the start, but, after a few solos or charts then this process will seem easier and easier as you progress.

Transcribing helps mainly three things:

1. Soloing
2. Phrasing
3. Style

This brief tutorial will explain a quick and easy way of how to get started transcribing anything from a Parker, Davis, Coltrane solo right up to a Big Band chart, the next tutorial will explain different software you can use and different methods of how to hear the bass line properly and how to shut out everything else you dont need to listen to.

First, what you will need to do is to grab a pen and paper, on this piece of paper, create a timeline.

Count through the recording from where you are going to start transcribing from and right down how many bars there are.

For Example:

|0___________________________________________32|

Now, right down the form (A, B, A etc), also, make sure you right down if there are any Tags, extended Bridges within these 32 bars.

Like so:

|0(A)_<-8->_|(A)_<-8->_|(B)_<-8->_|(A)_<-8->_|

Now, hopefully your bit of paper looks a bit like this, then next step is to figure out the contour/solo/melody shape of each 8 bars - you can do this by following the recording and drawing a line that rises and falls as the melody does.

Next, find a piece of manuscript or open up Sibelius, Finale or whatever notation program you intend on using, setup your page so that you have the same amount of bars and form as you have in your timelime.

NOW, here comes the tricky part - bare in mind, the more you transcribe the quicker you will get at doing it, to transcribe a Big Band chart can take the average Professional Arranger anywhere from 5 - 8 hours based on a 130 bar 3 minute chart with 17 parts involved.

Note - Always transcribe with an instrument your familiar with the sound, keyboard or your primary instrument.

You can either transcribe the chord progression or the melody/solo first, whichever may be easier, the melody/solo will outline the chords (depending on who's playing) which will make figuring out the progression a little easier.

If you decide to transcribe the chords first, make sure that you always listen down to the bass and keep in mind that some bass players like to invert the chord (ie. Not play the tonic on some bars), if you know your scale modes and qualities then it should be a little easier.

Some useful tips:

• The first thing you write down is often the most correct
• Transcribe in sections - never try and do a chart start to finish
• Play along with the recording as much as possible while transcribing, you will hear it if something is wrong that you have written down
• Listen to the recording as much as possible before starting to transcribe it, you should be able to sing the lines if you are familiar with it, this will make life a heap easier too! </i>

When you've transcribed your 11th or so chart, it will become incredibly easier and other things may start to unlock like better perception of relative pitch or even Absolute (perfect) pitch! You wont need to use a timeline anymore when you get to this stage either, however, it does help with the more obscure charts - ever tried transcribing a Bob Brookmeyer or Thad Jones chart?

Teachers and Professional musicians/arrangers can't stress enough how important this tool is, I hope this guide can help you achieve what seems to be the impossible......