The joy of transcribing!

[Steve Amadeo]

Hello Janek,

First of all just a note to say what a pleasure it was to meet you and to have a lesson with you in London last Thursday. It was an incredible experience to be able to hear you play up close, to hear the strength and authority in your playing and to witness at first hand the obvious rewards of hard work and dedication. It was an inspiring hour so, thanks very much.

A quick question. When you spent time transcribing full solos how long would you stay with the transcription... i.e. How long would it take you to be able to play it from memory? Then, once you'd reached that point, what would you do with the transcription? Forget about it, move on and hope that some of the solo sinks into your subconscious to come out in your own improvisation or would you work on 'applying' favourite bits of the transcription to your own playing?

I suppose I'm wondering... once you've transcribed a solo... what do you do with it??!

All the best,


Steve

[janekbass]

Steve,

thanks for your post.

Once I had transcribed something when I first started doing, if I didn't know the whole thing without the music already I would shed it for days until i did. Constantly working on anything that gave me any problems. Then I would let it sink to my playing and come out naturally sometime down the way. Sometimes the material never comes out because you just don't feel it. And sometimes certain phrases stick with you forever and become a signature aspect of your playing.

My main thing with transcription has always been to just find stuff that inspires me. Stuff that I actually want to play, not things I'm transcribing for the hell of it because someone said I should. The more I want to play the things I'm transcribing the more I find I can get out of it, and enjoy it along the way.

Easy,

Janek

[janekbass]

Steve,

thanks for your post.

Once I had transcribed something when I first started doing, if I didn't know the whole thing without the music already I would shed it for days until i did. Constantly working on anything that gave me any problems. Then I would let it sink to my playing and come out naturally sometime down the way. Sometimes the material never comes out because you just don't feel it. And sometimes certain phrases stick with you forever and become a signature aspect of your playing.

My main thing with transcription has always been to just find stuff that inspires me. Stuff that I actually want to play, not things I'm transcribing for the hell of it because someone said I should. The more I want to play the things I'm transcribing the more I find I can get out of it, and enjoy it along the way.

Easy,

Janek

[Steve Amadeo]

Thanks a lot Janek.