Piano Transcription Easier
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to work with a talented piano transcriptionist, then you know that they can make a huge impact on your musical life. This is because they’re responsible for converting the sounds that you hear and feel in a piece of music into written notation that other musicians can read. They’re the people behind all those amazing arrangements you see on sheet music covers. If you’re thinking about trying to transcribe some of your favorite songs, here are some tips that will help you make the process easier.
As with any new skill, it’s important to start small and build up. Attempting to transcribe John Coltrane’s solo from Giant Steps or Hiatus Kaiyote’s Molasses straight away will only result in you wanting to give up and never try again. Instead, begin with some basic melodies and slowly build up from there. This will help you get the hang of transcribing while also building up your confidence and enjoyment.
Listening to a song multiple times is an essential part of any transcription process, but it’s often overlooked by beginners. Often, the music we want to transcribe will have several instruments, and this can make it hard to keep up with all the parts. It’s important to find a quiet place and dedicate your time to listening to the entire piece of music. This will ensure that you have an accurate picture of what the composer is trying to convey.
5 Tips For Making Piano Transcription Easier
Another thing that many musicians fail to do when transcribing is taking notes of the harmonies and rhythms they hear. This is a crucial part of the transcription process and can drastically improve your quality. This will allow you to understand the way that chords are constructed, and will make it much easier to transcribe melody lines. It will also give you a better understanding of the way that scales function, such as how a major third sounds on top of a minor third and how a perfect fifth fits into a fourth.
While it may seem obvious, one of the biggest mistakes that musicians make when transcribing is always rushing to transcribe as many phrases and solos as they can. The true benefit of transcribing is not in the amount of information that you can collect, but rather in thoroughly learning one solo or phrase and ingraining it into your ears and instrument.
So, next time you’re working on a transcription, don’t be afraid to focus your attention on the bass line. You might be surprised at how quickly your skills will develop! As your accuracy increases, you’ll start to notice improvements in other aspects of your playing too, such as sight reading and ear training. So don’t be afraid to go slowly and get the basics right, and you might just be surprised at how quickly your skills improve!
