eisprl

Hello everyone

I find myself with tons of free time now-a-days so I have begun transcribing some pieces from various albums in hopes of it helping my own personal style when soloing / improvising, etc. I am starting slow (ballads etc). I dont have much trouble figuring out the notes, what I have trouble is writing down the rhythm, especially the more syncopated ones. Does anyone have any advice as how to improve this?

(The reason I want to write it down is so I can share my transcriptions with other)

Eric

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Eric Sproul
Practice is like filling a leaky bucket

Bb: Yamaha Xeno 8335
C: Bach Stadivarious 239L and 25A leadpipe (Owned by Eric Sholtz)
Flugel: Yamaha Bobby Shew 6310Z
Mouthpieces: GR tech
www.stadband.ca

trpt2345

I'd say just take it one beat at a time. In the space of one beat, there are only so many possibilities of what it can be. It gets easier as you do it more. Just like the process of transcribing itself, sometimes you just have to move one beat at a time. Take your time and be patient above all. Perseverance will win out in the end.

Michael McLaughlin

Many people die at twenty five and aren't buried until they are seventy five.
Benjamin Franklin

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Adam Smith

Sometimes when Im having trouble with a part... I just walk away and get my mind off music then come back later.
Also when im trying to transcribe something onto paper...I will put down everything I can figure out...and for the notes I dont know the values of...I will put them down as well but not assign them any values (it seems to me that just beeing able to watch the notes while listining to the music often helps me figure out the rhytms). I go ahead and put in barlines leaving space for changes. I might also put slashes or arrows above the notes that I know come on the beat or off-beat.

Also, I will turn on a metronome to a subdivision (such as 16ths with an accent on the beat) and listen to the section I am having trouble with...I watch the notes I have written down and try to pay attention to what 16th each note starts/stops...

Sometimes I will try to memorize the part If I can figure out the notes...and once I have it in my head it always seems easier to figure out the rhythm.

Brekelefuw

Sing it out loud. Play it on your instrument, then write it down.
Another way to do it is is to work backwards from the landing point of the phrase. This helps me when lifting some more difficult stuff like Clifford's solo on September Song with Sarah Vaughn.

Remember, that more than likely, the solo transcription is for your use only, so write what makes the most sense in your ear. Most of the rhythms the greats play are hard or impossible to correctly notate anyways because of the placement of the note within the bubble of the beat.

Adam Smith

Thats true...I tried to learn some miles davis solo and it was harder to learn it from the music than it was just from listining...It also looked very intimidating.

Brekelefuw

I have found that Miles is by far one of the hardest to accurately notate.

Dave

I find that conducting while listening or singing the solo helps me sort out the rhythm.

ptynan

Eric,

I know you have done some of this before. Try transcribing a player who's time time is totally in the pocket (Like Blue Mitchel.) Once you feel secure with getting med. tempo eighth note lines down then work at the more syncopated solos. You also end up with some great vocab to use and good eighth note shedding.

The folks who transcribe folks music (like the people with study and practice the Kodaly method) seem to have great ability for getting melismatic and syncopated rhythms.

PS how is the Stad. band gig going?

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Paul Tynan
"Now Available in California!!"

eisprl

Paul man...

It is amazing. Dream come true. The guys have been really great so far.
thanks for asking

E.

__________________
Eric Sproul
Practice is like filling a leaky bucket

Bb: Yamaha Xeno 8335
C: Bach Stadivarious 239L and 25A leadpipe (Owned by Eric Sholtz)
Flugel: Yamaha Bobby Shew 6310Z
Mouthpieces: GR tech
www.stadband.ca

trpt2345

Excellent advice. Right on the money. It's true, sometimes you have to work backward. But if you can sing it you can play it. And if you can play it you can write it down.

Michael McLaughlin

Art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions: when it ceases to be dangerous you don't want it.
Duke Ellington

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Chicago MM