Recommended Albums For Transcription

[bassksun]

SmartMusic is like having a "Teacher in a Box" really great for like $35.

[mattfong]

Paul Chambers' album Bass On Top makes for a whole crapload of good transcription. I just started working on it, but eventually I want to have the whole album done.

[MDEbass]

PC on "Trane's Slo Blues" from Coltrane's Lush Life....the bass is loud in the mix and easy to transcribe

PC on Blue Train

Percy Heath on "Solar" from Mile Davis' Walkin

[Clay_Bass]

lot's of PC, Ray, and Ron has been reccomended. I'll go in a different direction. Chuck Israels has a nice easy melodic solo on Isn't It Romantic from the Bill Evans album live at shelly's manne hole. Only 32 bars and not many fast runs.

[MingusAmongUs]

Blast from the past eh?

sorry to go back to PC, but here's another good one:

Blue in Green, from Miles' Kind of Blue. Not only do you get the challenge of picking out and separating the individual parts, but you also have the ever-changing meter to deal with (time doubles with every solo, or something like that). It was assigned to me in college -- not just the bass, but the whole score -- and it was a great learning tool.

[Nathan Parker]

This One's For Blanton.

It's a duo of Ray Brown and Duke Ellington. Ray is real easy to hear, plays great lines and swings his ass off. Not like he ever doesn't swing his ass off, but I'm particularly fond of this one.

[Crazy_Fingers27]

the first bass solo i ever transcribed was paul chamber's solo on 'dear old stockholm' form Miles' album round bout midnight. PC is a good player to start with. his lines are all very logical. although i agree with the fact that some of the older recording are tough to hear because the bass can get muddy, this album isnt too bad.

[BradyEB]

Hey guys I'm in need of a bit of transcription help!
I've got a 32 bar Transcription due in a few months which I'm eager to begin early, however I'm quite new to the Upright Bass. I’ve got a few ideas like P.C’s Good bait solo on Soultrane but I thought I would ask my fellow bassists for advice!
I'm looking for a solo which isn’t too difficult but I'll still be able to benefit loads from after learning, analysing and performing.
In terms of idea’s for tunes something like a rhythm changes, How High the Moon or other” beginner” tunes like just friends would be perfect.
My favourite player is Ray Brown so if any potential solo’s from him would be tremendous! (I’ve been working on the walking lines from How High however the solo is too out of my league at this stage!)
Thanks team!

[jgbass]

I did I'm An Old Cowhand with Ray Brown and Sonny Rollins for improv class. Easily available. Bass is fairly easy to hear, easy changes. Also transcribed Sonny's part too, which was even easier to hear. DId not do the intro first, but the 1st verse, and slowed it down. Really got me inside what Ray was doing.

[Epi833]

Hey guys, I hope this isn't a stupid question, but I'd be interested in hearing about the _process_ you use when transcribing. I assume you have an instrument in hand... Is it just a matter of looping over one measure at a time until you get it down?

[Will Yager]

Well I've done it measure by measure before, but a lot of the greats think in much larger chunks...8, 16, 32 bars. I think its really beneficial to try to start hearing in larger phrases instead of one measure licks as soon as you can. IMO

[jazz+bass]

I don't just transcribe one bar at a time unless I need to. If it's a really hard bar, I might just loop that one bar until I get it, but with simpler lines, I'll usually try and pick up an entire idea, beginning to end if I can. If not, then I'll break up the phrase. Can you hear how it starts, can you hear how it ends, can you hear what's going on in the middle (usually the hardest part to hear!) It's probably more beneficial, and easier, to think about phrases rather than bars.

Also, before I play the phrase on the bass, I make sure I can sing it. If it's an easy phrase that I instantly know what it is, then I already know I can sing it and just go and play it on the bass to make sure it's right. If it is a harder phrase I may listen to it a few times, try and reproduce it vocally, then play the record back and sing over it to make sure I got it, and then finally get it on the bass.

[Intenzity]

Best tool there is for transcriptions -

http://www.seventhstring.com/xscribe/screenshots.html

Just a satisfied customer is all.

[Menacewarf]

Originally Posted by Intenzity

Best tool there is for transcriptions -

http://www.seventhstring.com/xscribe/screenshots.html

Just a satisfied customer is all.

This pretty much defeats the point of transcibing.
Most of the reason transcribing is recomended is to practice hearing. The end product (notes on page) is more of an afterthought.

[jgbass]

Originally Posted by Intenzity

Best tool there is for transcriptions -

http://www.seventhstring.com/xscribe/screenshots.html

Just a satisfied customer is all.

I found this one to be the best after trial and error and $ spent. Most straightforward, easy to use, I like that you can adjust EQ on it too. EQ is an important feature.

[Dogbertday]

+1 on the abersold backgrounds to get started. you can completely dial out the piano by using a balance control. Also, check who's playing bass on specific books, you might be surprised.

[j.stemmler]

Listen to Bill Evans "You Must Believe in Spring" album. eddie gomez absolutely rips that cd apart. he has several very vocal/melodic solos that are very audible.

[BassBot]

In the past, my teachers have always had me transcribe tunes with classic, clearly defined chord progressions--Ellington, Gershwin, Kern, etc. Start with blues progressions and songs with alot of major II-V-Is, etc. I find that earlier versions of the classics are best, because modern versions usually feature updated harmonies with alot of substitutions--that can be confusing for non-advanced players. Before you write down any of the notes the bassist is playing, you want to be able to hear the root movement and the changes. This gives you some context for what the bassist is playing. Then, when you go to transcribe just the bass line, it will be much easier. Lastly, you should always choose songs that you like.

[Jack Clark]

"Something In Common" (Houston Person; Ron Carter)

Carter's bass is miked right up front along side Person's sax; they play as equals throughout. The bass is extremely easy to hear, every note--it's just the two of them.

This is older-style jazz-standards stuff, now. ("I Thought About You," "Mack The Knife," "Anthropology," "Once In A While") So if you want more modern stuff, this ain't whachuwant. But this is one of my very favorite albums because I really dig the way Person caresses a ballad melody.

[chicagodoubler]

Fantastic, free transcription tool

Beating a dead horse... in 15+ years of training professional bassists, the best tool/ method I've found to date for transcribing. The sensation of helplessness and frustration can RUIN transcribing for you. This tool will get you out of that rut before you're ready to give up.


Now what to transcribe... something you really like! That section that makes you grin or yell out loud. Who to transcribe... of course Ray Ron and PC, and Israel Crosby for walking lines, although I don't recommend PC for beginners because sometimes there's some funny business in there. Ray is IMO the best place to start on walking lines; his tone and presence in any ensemble are to this day simply unparalleled.

If you want to just transcribe a solo, Chet Baker and early Miles can't be beat. The trumpet is the easiest instrument to identify pitch on, and falls neatly in thumb position at pitch many times. Good luck!