How To Transcribe a Song

[Bass-4-God]

Forgive me as I am a beginner teaching myself how to play, but I was told the best way to learn the progression of a song would be to transcribe it. Can someone give an example of how to transcribe a song and how it will relate to the progression of the song. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

[santucci218]

my best way to figure out songs is to play it loudly through my computer speakers and pick up my bass, plugged into my amp, and play. where do i hear the first note at?

Than if im wrong i start the song over, if i herd that my note was too high than i just go a little lower. Eventually i will find it. Than from there i listen to the intervals of the song.

[MarkMcCombs]

hope I don't get this wrong.......

1. Get some blank music staff paper
2. determine the time signature(s) of the song,
3. make lines to separate the bars on the line (4 bars/line)
so that they're equal in width (make it easier to sight read in time)
4. listen for the chord changes and roots, indicate them at the top of the measures
5. determine the key signature of the song based on #4 (requires some theory)
6. determine the chord quality of each of the chords from # 4 above
7. get ready to play, rewind, play, rewind, etc., until you have the bass parts written for each measure, in time. This is much easier after you have # 4,5,6 completed.

done, unless you want to move on to melody, which can be useful.

lotta work, huh? but you'll learn a ton!

[tww001]

Transcribing is a very important tool, and is something I do in my own practicing every week (though admittedly not everyday). However, if you are a beginning player and do not have knowledge of rhythmic theory, the actual process of transcribing parts to paper can be very frustrating.

In my opinion, it is much more important to simply learn whatever music you wish to learn by ear. Try to start with easy music (by easy, I mean less complex rhythms and harmonies). Just listen to whatever music you want to learn and see if you can hear what the bass player is playing and recreate the sounds on your instrument. For some people this is very natural, for others it can be a labor at times. Just be persistent.

Once you've learned it by rote (by ear) and know that you can play it accurately, it is then time to try and write it down on paper. If you don't understand the process of learning the mathematics of the rhythms you're playing search out a more experienced musician (doesn't even have to be a bassist), or a bass teacher, and ask them to help you.

Good luck!

[nortonrider]

Get someone to buy you a Tascam Bass Trainer for Xmas. It really helps me learn songs.

I cant read music so by downloading some tab and playing along with the CD I can usually figure out tunes pretty quick.

[jackthestripper]

you should find some software that can slow it down. i use audacity, it's my favorite 'cause you can slow it down without losing pitch and you can speed it up to raise real low notes an ocatve and hear them better.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by MarkMcCombs

hope I don't get this wrong.......

1. Get some blank music staff paper
2. determine the time signature(s) of the song,
3. make lines to separate the bars on the line (4 bars/line)
so that they're equal in width (make it easier to sight read in time)
4. listen for the chord changes and roots, indicate them at the top of the measures
5. determine the key signature of the song based on #4 (requires some theory)
6. determine the chord quality of each of the chords from # 4 above
7. get ready to play, rewind, play, rewind, etc., until you have the bass parts written for each measure, in time. This is much easier after you have # 4,5,6 completed.

done, unless you want to move on to melody, which can be useful.

lotta work, huh? but you'll learn a ton!

Some good stuff in here - but I would tend to listen to the overall shape of the piece, to start with - how many sections - verse, chorus, middle 8 etc. Is it AABA , ABACAB etc etc.

Go from the broadest details down to the smallest...?

[tww001]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

Get someone to buy you a Tascam Bass Trainer for Xmas. It really helps me learn songs.

I cant read music so by downloading some tab and playing along with the CD I can usually figure out tunes pretty quick.

While reading is an important tool, I know many fine musicians who can't. However, tablature does not help improve your ear, which is what music is ultimately about. Tablature also prevents you from really learning the fingerboard because you're not relating what you hear to what you create. Often there can be multiple fingerings for the same passage, and it's important to figure out which one is ultimately the best (in terms of shifting and tone, as tone changes in different spots of the fingerboard).

The Tascam thing is nice because it allows you to slow down the learning process, and loop certain sections. Though you should try to not use the process of slowing down music as an immediate crutch. Always try to learn in at speed, and use the process only in spots where you're having trouble hearing what it is being played.

[mambo4]

Last spring I was auditioning for several original acts and was transcribing alot form various myspace pages. Depending on the complexity of the song, and how specific the bass line
needs to be it takes me anywhere from 10-30 minutes. (These were fairly typical pop songs...)My transcriptions are not note-for note, but I end up with a chart that I find useful.

My process is like this:
I plug my iPod into my Cafe Walter headphone amp.
I have blank staff paper pre marked with 4 or 8 bars to the line.

I generally work in 4 passes:

1.) first outline the song structure:
I listen to the song and write numbers down for each chord change,
-these are not 'nashville numbers' or I-iv-IV-V chord symbols. I'm just
making a note of when the changes occur
if I think hear the same chord again I use the same number.
when a chorus/verse/solo happens I glance at my iPod and note the time.
-very helpful
I mark repeats as I come across them.
If there are extra ninja bars for filler between sections, I usually
mark them with a + as a reminder

2.) chords/ root notes
Freed from concerns about structure, I play along and find the roots
and note the chords
I noticed I often use 'nashville numbers' at this point, because its
fatser to identify intervals than actual pitch names.

3.)rhythms for parts
Using actual music notes, w/ out worrying about pitch, I make a brief
note of the basic rhythm for each section

4.) specific passages (if needed)
finally, I identify specific phrases that I think ought to be nailed
precisely, usually turnarounds and transitions.
I can't sight read these, so its more to remind me me how they go.

[nortonrider]

Originally Posted by tww001

While reading is an important tool, I know many fine musicians who can't. However, tablature does not help improve your ear, which is what music is ultimately about. Tablature also prevents you from really learning the fingerboard because you're not relating what you hear to what you create. Often there can be multiple fingerings for the same passage, and it's important to figure out which one is ultimately the best (in terms of shifting and tone, as tone changes in different spots of the fingerboard).

The Tascam thing is nice because it allows you to slow down the learning process, and loop certain sections. Though you should try to not use the process of slowing down music as an immediate crutch. Always try to learn in at speed, and use the process only in spots where you're having trouble hearing what it is being played.

True!
The tabs pretty much help me find the key changes and help to get through the sticky spots. I mostly try to let my ear do the work.
I use the Bass Trainer just how you said, at speed usually with the bass boosted so it stands out more and is easier to pick up. I only slow dow the parts that I am trying to figure out and as soon as I do,I speed it back up.

[Bass-4-God]

Thanks for all the info so far. I may still be alittle confused as I stated I am still a beginner, But I will take some of this info and see what I can come up with. Others feel free to chime in,

[Jazzdogg]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

Some good stuff in here - but I would tend to listen to the overall shape of the piece, to start with - how many sections - verse, chorus, middle 8 etc. Is it AABA , ABACAB etc etc.

Go from the broadest details down to the smallest...?

+1 If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.

I often sketch out rudimentary charts when I'm learning new songs, or introducing new songs to the band, and I always work from the general to the specific. Some of the guys in the band don't read, so I try not to overwhelm them.

My "charts" are usually a one- or two-page sketch that are a cross between Nashville Notation and a fake book: Most of the time, the song structure, key signature, meter signature and rhythmic style, lyrics, chords, repeats, dynamic markings, and Cliffs notes on the beginning and ending will suffice.

Since I'm not a member of a jazz ensembe that spends rehearsals reading from a book of arranged charts, most of the time I don't find it necessary to "drill down" too deeply into the specifics unless there are details, like a line that needs to be played note-for-note, the inclusion of which will make it faster and/or easier for the band to learn the new tune.

In light of the above, and IME, the benefits derived from detailed transcriptions are seldom sufficient to warrant the investment.

[cowsgomoo]

Originally Posted by Bass-4-God

Forgive me as I am a beginner teaching myself how to play, but I was told the best way to learn the progression of a song would be to transcribe it. Can someone give an example of how to transcribe a song and how it will relate to the progression of the song. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

well there's transcribing, then there's transcribing

it depends on what your aim is... transcribing a recording exactly note for note can be time consuming and pointless if you're just looking to understand how the fundamental parts of the piece fit together...

personally I get a kick out of seeing a 'heroically ridiculous' level of detail in a transcription, the ultimate example probably being Steve Vai's transcriptions in the Frank Zappa Guitar Book..

but if you're just looking to get a grip on the building blocks of a piece you rarely need to transcribe it note for note.. in fact i'd argue that if you're not doing it note for note, you're usually better off using your ear, brain and memory... and not actually writing it down on a piece of manuscript paper.. notation takes a fair bit of time and it's worth considering saving that time and doing more listening and 'interpreting to fretboard' instead

I have examples of my transcriptions linked below... my method depends on how complicated the bassline is... it's just lots of rewinding, checking it on your bass, slowing parts down if necessary...

for your specific needs, you want to be able to work out and understand what a bass line is doing, the movement of the line itself and how it fits into the harmony of the piece... you probably don't need to notate your findings... I might get some resistance to this 'do less' philosophy but I've done enough transcribing to know what works for me

also... you can actually get to the end of notating a transcription without being able to play a single note of the piece.. simply because you weren't learning to play it, you were interpreting it to paper.. so if your aim is to learn to play the pieces you're studying, writing it down can actually get in the way... ironically, if your ear is more advanced, this disconnection is more pronounced, because you spend far less time working out what the notes are by finding where they are on your fretboard