Help - Learning a difficult, fast song

[420 Bass It]

Hey guys.
How do you learn a difficult song? I'm trying to transcribe somehow a 2-minute song that contains mostly fast slapping, which means a lot of notes. My knowledge in writing music sheets is very basic, i.e. can't do that with funky slap stuff and weird syncopations.

Should I just tab it for myself? Problem is tabs don't show rhythm, and I tend to forget the previous parts of the song when I'm transcribing a new part... Any help would be very appreciated.

 

[Mushroo]

I have several questions. First question: What is the purpose of the transcription? If you are transcribing the song for someone else to play, then it is important your transcription is complete, accurate, and easy to read. On the other hand, if the transcription is purely for your own benefit, then you can feel free to use whatever type of notation makes sense to you, for example TAB that doesn't show the rhythm if you like.

Second question: Is this your first time transcribing a song? If yes, it is your first time transcribing a song, have you considered starting with something easier? (The first song I ever transcribed was "Happy Birthday.") If the answer is no, you've transcribed other songs before, can you talk us through your process that you've used in the past?

One suggestion is to ignore the pitches for now, and just write out the rhythm, kind of like drum notation. Then, once you have transcribed the rhythm, go back and fill in the pitches. Filling in the pitches will be much easier if you can identify the key signature and chord progression. Do you have those skills, or are you trying this for the very first time?

I used to be intimidated by the though of transcription, until I realized: for every note in the song, there are only 12 pitch possibilities. Just take it one note at a time. Figure out which of the 12 possibilities is the first note. Then figure out the second note. Then the third note. And so on.

 

[420 Bass It]

Thank you for your reply, Mushroo.
It isn't my first time transcribing anything, it's just the first time I transcribed something this complex. I want it note for note; in the past it was much easier, because I just figured out the riffs and the occasional fills - but this song has a riff that contains a different fill each bar. I used to just tab it out, and when I looked at the tabs I remembered what to play.
For now I've got the first few bars or so down, but who knows if I'll remember it tommorrow...
Also, I'm transcribing this purely for myself. I don't even mind if the tabs get destroyed as soon as I know the song by heart, but I do want to be able to play the song perfectly.
Transcribing the rhythm sounds pretty difficult. I already tabbed out the first few bars, but didn't write rhythm for them.

 

[Mushroo]

One suggestion is to just start with the downbeats. Transcribe which note is played on each beat (or a rest, if there is no note played on the beat). Then repeat the process for each subdivision of the measure. Assuming the slap line is 16th notes, these could be counted "1 - e - & - ah, 2 - e - & -ah, 3 - e - & -ah, 4 - e - & -ah." A good order might be to figure out which note is played on 1, 2, 3, 4 (so you have a simplified quarter-note version of the line), then do the "&'s" (so you have a simplified eighth-note version) and finally fill in the "e's" and "ah's" (to get the full sixteenth-note picture).

 

[MalcolmAmos]

Note for note, there is something else.... The following song can be ready in a couple of hours.

I ask Google for some fake chord sheet music on the song. For example; Mark Lowry - Mary Did You Know (Chords) And here is a video to play along with. vocal, mary did you know - Bing

This gives me the lyrics and the chords used over those lyrics. If someone is singing the song I follow along with the lyrics to get the chord changes, and then what I play over the chords is what I think works best. Singing along under my breath takes care of the rhythm. OK someone is singing taking care of the melody, I have the chords shown that will harmonize that melody - all I have to do is play notes of those chords, to the rhythm of what is being sung. Its not rocket science, we tend to make it so.


Note for note is important to the solo or melody instruments. We normally involve ourselves with harmony or notes of the chord, this gives us some freedom to compose our own bass lines - if we want. Note for note seldom enters my World. First time through roots to the beat. Then need more I'll add the 5 on the 3rd beat. Need more I'll add the 8 for a generic R-5-8-5 bass line. But, any of the chord's scale notes except the 2 & 4 will sound OK. Feel free to compose your own bass lines.

Notes that make a chord:

Major chord = R-3-5
Minor chord = R-b3-5
Diminished = R-b3-b5
Maj7 = R-3-5-7
Minor 7 = R-b3-5-b7
Dominant 7 = R-3-5-b7
m7b5 = R-b3-b5-b7
​

• From the root 3's are up a string and back a fret.
• From the root 5's are up a string and over two frets. Or down a string same fret.
• From the root the 7 is up two strings and over one fret.
• The flatted notes (b3) is one fret back toward the nut from the 3. Same with the 7, etc.

Falling into a groove with the song is more important IMO than note for note. I offer this for what it is worth. If note for note is important to you disregard this post.

Have fun.

 

[LeeNunn]

I cheat and use software. I use Transcribe because it allows me to mark the beginning of each measure and then I can edit the measure markers for automatic division into beats. My process starts with finding the "one" beat of each measure and accurately marking it. Fine tuning the position of the "one" automatically adjusts the positions of the beat markers. Then I slowthe playback to 70% and loop the first measure. If that's too difficult, I loop just one beat at a time, being careful to note tied notes between beats. If that's still too difficult, I go down to 50%. If a single beat at 50% is too difficult, it's just too difficult for me. Understanding the exact beginning of each beat has helped me understand rhythms that were once too difficult. As I keep doing, I learn to recognize the rhythmic patterns just by hearing it. Dotted notes, rests, triplets, etc. Learning to play it is much easier once I understand it, but sometimes I just don't have the chops to play a lick at full tempo.