home > ear training > transcription technique - level one


Ear Training:
Transcription Technique - Level One
             


SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

TRANSCRIPTION TECHNIQUE - LEVEL 1

line

MUSICIANS AND TRANSCRIPTION:
Professional musicians who work in a variety of musical situations must possess a high degree of ability to transcribe songs for a multitude of reasons.

In order to develop the skills necessary to quickly transcribe and notate charts, musicians must study; key signatures, intervals, tonality, harmony and scales & chords on their instrument. Once a player understands how all facets of these musical concepts apply to a piece of music, they can listen to songs and in a matter of seconds comprehend the musical direction of the piece.

AUDIO SOFTWARE:
It must be understood that even with a good deal of musical knowledge a musician will still require excellent gear for listening to songs during the transcription process.

Programs which work well for this purpose are called audio editing software. With audio editing and mixing software musicians can listen to specific sections of a piece and work at lifting off the exact melody or chord from the recording.

Higher end audio software programs, such as the software used at Creative Guitar; Adobe Audition, contain both pitch altering and stretching capabilities. Often a piece of music is not in proper tune and can be pitch modified using this software to correct any such off key issues. This tool can be very helpful during transcription.

CGS

SOFTWARE Cont...
Any program that allows you to see the audio wave of the recording will work well. A free software program that works great for this is Audacity. Other free programs include; KRISTAL Audio Engine, Quartz AudioMaster, WavePad Sound Editor.

SINGING TO PITCH:
It is of utmost importance that a musician be able to match pitch. By singing scales and arpeggios for many weeks players will develop this ability.

LISTENING and LIFTING PARTS:
By listening to only very small segments of a piece, musicians can easily get the root movement of chords, or melody movement from one pitch to another. A common mistake students make when first transcribing is that of attempting to bite off more than they can chew when listening to parts of a song.

REFERANCE MATERIAL:
Over the years I have seen several good books about this subject. A few I would recommend would include; Ear Training: One Note Complete, Essential Ear Training for the Contemporary Musician, Ear Training - The Complete Guide for All Musicians.

teal_line