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Picks Transcription Workshop: The Art of Transcription
The ability to transcribe, or write down on paper what you hear on a recording, is one of the most valuable tools a musician can possess. Why? For starters it enables you to learn directly from the masters via their recorded works. Harmony books are great, and books of scales are useful, but if you want to get inside the head of an improviser and really try to understand why he/she made those particular note choices, nothing is better than transcribing them in action.
When you are able to write down or even just learn by ear at first what someone is playing on a recording that you dig, it is just like taking a private lesson with that person. In fact it’s probably much better because there are no personality issues to contend with, and it’s a hell of lot cheaper too! You are going right to the source, no middlemen, just you and a recording of your favorite piano solo, bass line, guitar solo, whatever! You can sit down with your digital transcribing machine, your instrument, some music notation paper, a pencil and an erasure (yeah you will need an erasure) and take a private lesson with anyone you admire whenever you feel like it. All of their musical ideas are there for you to study and absorb.
Transcribing is also the best ear training that there is in my opinion. It makes you concentrate on recognizing intervals, bass lines, chord progressions, rhythms, and single note lines. All of these can have direct applications to “on the gig” situations. For example, if someone calls a tune that you don’t know, you can follow the root motion of the pianist, hear and recognize the chord types and forms that are in the tune you’re playing. These are extremely useful things to be able to pull off on the spot. When you transcribe regularly, you focus in on these skills and refine them so that they can become available to you in an instant. Most of us aren’t blessed with perfect pitch, but having a highly refined sense of relative pitch can be about 90% -99% as useful.
How does one actually begin to transcribe? It starts by choosing a relatively simple piece of music, whether it is a melody to a song, a part of an improvisation, and just diving in. You should be able to read and write music notation and having a basic knowledge of music theory is helpful; especially knowledge of musical intervals, but it is not required to just get started. You can learn as you go and practice on your instrument or a piano playing chords, scales, intervals, etc. But what is required is the ability to listen very closely to a series of notes and recreate those notes exactly on your instrument, and hopefully, on the written page as well. You might start out by transcribing a melody to a tune you like, or a solo lick you want to learn. It’s up to you.
Tools of the Trade:
a) Music Paper/ (To Read or Not to Read)
b) Pencil & Erasure, no pens!
c) *High quality digital transcribing machine
d) High quality set of headphones
e) Using Your Instrument to Find the Notes
Some players transcribe without writing anything down on music notation paper. This is OK especially for the more experienced player who just wants to grab a specific lick or melody that he/she heard and can just commit it to memory. But for the beginning-intermediate player, writing the notes down is pretty much the entire goal of transcribing so please, learn basic music notation even you start out just using your ear. At first, you’ll make a lot of mistakes, that’s fine, but write the notes and rhythms as best you can. Even if you know it’s wrong, write it down anyway. That’s how you will get better and make fewer mistakes. A good thing to do at first is to have an accurate transcription of the piece you’re working on so that you can compare your work to the correct version and see where you went wrong. Use pencil of course, pen is OK for final drafts but you will be doing a lot of erasing at first.
To Read or Not to Read (My 2 Cents):
In my opinion the complete musician should be able to both write down what they hear and play the music back by just using their ears. Strive to be a player who has “elephant ears” and can hear the subtlest changes AND a player who can sight-read his/her ass off. By all means ignore musicians who say learning to read and write music is unimportant. That is ridiculous! It is akin to saying don’t bother learning to read and write English, it’s not that important. You’ll be regaled with stories of famous players who never learned to read. SO WHAT? I don’t know any of those guys who would tell up and coming players “Hey, don’t bother learning to read music! It’s a big waste and will get in the way of your career.” That’s just insane. Strive to become an excellent reader.
Treat music like you would the English language. All the same rules apply. Proper grammar, syntax, tenses; all have their counterparts in the language of written music. Great sidemen bassists like Will Lee and Anthony Jackson have each played on thousands of recordings. Do they both have big ears? No doubt. Can they sight-read music that would terrify 99% of professional bass players? What do you think? That is why players like AJ and Will Lee are legends. They are legends because they can do it all and still put their unique stamp and style on everything they play. OK, you get the message, now back to transcribing.
The digital transcriber (no, I don’t have an endorsement, but I should!) I use is made by Reed Kotler. www.reedkotler.com
Reed sells several excellent digital transcribing machines that all allow you to record a piece of music from a CD, tape deck, MP3, IPOD, etc say in 90 second chunks, and then slow it down incrementally, without distorting the pitch at all. This is extremely useful for very fast passages. Some things you hear on recordings go by so fast (John McLaughlin’s solos comes to mind) that having the ability to slow them down is very useful. Many older “Rockman” type tape decks have a speed control that you can use to slow the tape down. However older, analog type, tape machines tend to distort the pitch. The newer digital transcribing machines or computer software allows you to slow the music down without and pitch loss is highly recommended. After you have a good machine to do your transcribing, the next thing you need is a high quality set of headphones. Good headphones are always worth the money and I would spend as much as you can afford on a really good quality set of studio type headphones.
I prefer to transcribe with my instrument on hand. Some experienced transcribers sometimes have the ability to transcribe without any tools other than their ears. At first though it is a good idea to have whatever instrument you play with you to check your accuracy. As I mentioned before, the more theoretical information you have, the faster you will be able to recognize things like root motion, intervals, and chord progressions. If your goal is to transcribe somebody’s individual solo on a particular song, it is helpful to know the chords that are in that song.
If it is a standard type tune, you may be able to find the chord progression in some type of fake book. These progressions are notoriously inaccurate however, and can’t always be depended on. Also, there are often substitutions that the artists make in his/her solo and you will want to know what those are. It may be a good idea to transcribe just the chord progression of a particular song first before attempting the solo.
The best way to begin recognizing chord progressions is to get near a piano or guitar. Play the various chord types, (major, minor, altered, dominant, diminished, augmented, and sus 4 etc) and get these sounds in your ear. Be able to recognize the difference between them. Listen for the “color” tones such as the 9th, 11th, or 13ths. These tones are often altered in some way especially in the improvisation. After you have the chords, you will be ready for the solo itself.
Qualities to Strive for:
a) Melodic Accuracy – Starting notes, correct octave, avoiding 2 clefs, key signature, song forms, accidentals
b) Legibility – Rough drafts, software, Photoshop etc.
c) Rhythmic Accuracy – Doing purely rhythmic transcriptions first, counting w/ your fingers, tips, & tricks. Time Signatures, Knowing when to take a break
Be aware of the meter/time signature and form of the song. This is the skeleton upon which the person is hanging their improvisation. I recommend taking no more than two measures at one time to work with. Listen for the starting note. Sing it to yourself. Singing is crucial. After you sing the note find it on your instrument. Write it down. Fast! Before you forget! After that it’s a matter of hearing the intervals. Where does it go from the first note? Is it a whole step? A minor third? This also requires practice. Play all the different intervals on your instrument. Become comfortable with recognizing them and their different sounds. I do not use key signatures when transcribing solos as a general rule. They just get in the way. Remember though, that a note that has been altered (flatted or sharped) is altered for the entire bar unless it is altered again. This is really crucial to remember.
Be sure you are transcribing your music in the proper octave. Try to avoid using two clefs in the same piece. Piano music is often an exception to this. Bass solos played in the very high register will usually end up in treble clef to avoid using ledger lines, which are hard to read and to write. Which brings me to the importance of legibility. If you are using Finale, or any number of music writing soft ware programs then this isn’t much of a concern. But some old timers (like me) still prefer to transcribe by hand. Crazy, I know. So get used to doing several drafts of the transcription before you put your name on it. I use Photoshop to get rid of smudges and the like which also helps. There is no one, single, “correct” way to transcribe per se. The only thing that matters is that the transcription is as accurate as you can make it. I can’t tell you how many emails I get telling me that missed ONE note in the 34th bar of Jaco’s solo on some tune. Transcribing after all is an art. Yes it should be as accurate as possible but there will always be discrepancies between transcriptions. It is NOT and exact science, not in jazz anyway.
Pay close attention to the rhythms. This is a whole other field of study in and of itself. If you plan on accurately notating the solo, the rhythms are going to be crucial. Many times it is the rhythm of what you are transcribing that makes it so compelling. The notes may be ordinary in the sense that they are within the scale of that particular chord but the rhythm of it is what makes it special. I occasionally will do what I call a complete rhythmic transcription. By that I mean I’ve written down the rhythms first and then gone back and just plugged the notes in. This is a useful technique especially if rhythms are your weak area. Use your fingers to tap out the beats and watch where a note starts. Is it the downbeat of 2 or the “and” of 2? Tapping along seems silly but it has gotten me out of many a jam.
Another crucial aspect of transcribing is knowing when you need to stop and rest. Take frequent breaks to rest your ears. That passage you just can’t seem to get right get will be clear, as can be when you listen to it the next day. The brain absorbs it all, it’s all in there don’t worry. You just have to take a rest now and then. If you are really stuck, move on to the next line. You can also go back and connect the dots so to speak. Look for patterns in the lines. Players tend to repeat themselves. Also use the chord symbols to help you. Knowing the scale of the moment will many times enable you to deduce what the next note should be.
Most of all though, if you haven’t transcribed something before, don’t be afraid. You really can do it. When you begin to transcribe you will see a whole new world of information opening up. It will be very frustrating at times. It will be monotonous at times. It sometimes will seem like you will never get those two measures no matter how many times you listen to it! Persevere though. The rewards are well worth it.
Ready to try your hand at transcribing? Click on the link below to download the 2nd part of the lesson!
The_Art_of_Transcription
Bass Videos
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
Ian Allison Bassist extreme…
Most recently Ian has spent the last seven years touring nationally as part of Eric Hutchinson and The Believers, sharing stages with acts like Kelly Clarkson, Pentatonix, Rachel Platten, Matt Nathanson, Phillip Phillips, and Cory Wong playing venues such as Radio City Music Hall, The Staples Center and The Xcel Center in St. Paul, MN.
I had a chance to meet up with him at the Sellersville Theater in Eastern Pennsylvania to catch up on everything bass. Visit online at ianmartinallison.com/
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This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
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Features
Interview With Audic Empire Bassist James Tobias
Checking in with Bergantino Artist James Tobias
James Tobias, Bassist for psychedelic, Reggae-Rock titans Audic Empire shares his history as a musician and how he came to find Bergantino…
Interview by Holly Bergantino
James Tobias, a multi-talented musician and jack-of-all-trades shares his story of coming up as a musician in Texas, his journey with his band Audic Empire, and his approach to life and music. With a busy tour schedule each year, we were fortunate to catch up with him while he was out and about touring the US.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Dallas, Texas and lived in the Dallas area most of my life with the exception of 1 year in Colorado. I moved to the Austin area at age 18.
What makes the bass so special to you particularly, and how did you gravitate to it?
I honestly started playing bass because we needed a bass player and I was the one with access to a bass amp and bass. I played rhythm guitar and sang up until I met Ronnie, who I would later start “Audic Empire” with. He also played rhythm guitar and sang and we didn’t know any bass players, so we had to figure something out. I still write most of my songs on guitar, but I’ve grown to love playing the bass.
How did you learn to play, James?
I took guitar lessons growing up and spent a lot of time just learning tabs or playing by ear and kicked around as a frontman in a handful of bands playing at the local coffee shops or rec centers. Once I transitioned to bass, I really just tried to apply what I knew about guitar and stumbled through it till it sounded right. I’m still learning every time I pick it up, honestly.
You are also a songwriter, recording engineer, and a fantastic singer, did you get formal training for this?
Thank you, that means a lot! I had a couple of voice lessons when I was in my early teens, but didn’t really like the instructor. I did however take a few lessons recently through ACC that I enjoyed and think really helped my technique (Shout out to Adam Roberts!) I was not a naturally gifted singer, which is a nice way of saying I was pretty awful, but I just kept at it.
As far as recording and producing, I just watched a lot of YouTube videos and asked people who know more than me when I had a question. Whenever I feel like I’m not progressing, I just pull up tracks from a couple of years ago, cringe, and feel better about where I’m at but I’ve got a long way to go. Fortunately, we’ve got some amazing producers I can pass everything over to once I get the songs as close to finalized as I can.
Describe your playing style(s), tone, strengths and/or areas that can be improved on the bass.
I honestly don’t know what my style would be considered. We’ve got so many styles that we play and fuse together that I just try to do what works song by song. I don’t have too many tricks in the bag and just keep it simple and focus on what’s going to sound good in the overall mix. I think my strength lies in thinking about the song as a whole and what each instrument is doing, so I can compliment everything else that’s going on. What could be improved is absolutely everything, but that’s the great thing about music (and kind of anything really).
Who were your influencers in terms of other musicians earlier on or now that have made a difference and inspired you?
My dad exposed me to a lot of music early. I was playing a toy guitar while watching a VHS of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble live at SXSW on repeat at 4 years old saying I wanted to “do that” when I grew up. I was the only kid in daycare that had his own CDs that weren’t kid’s songs. I was listening to Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, and The Doors when I could barely talk. I would make up songs and sing them into my Panasonic slimline tape recorder and take it to my preschool to show my friends. As I got older went through a bunch of music phases. Metal, grunge, rock, punk, hip hop, reggae, ska, etc. Whatever I heard that I connected to I’d dive in and learn as much as I could about it. I was always in bands and I think I kept picking up different styles along the way and kept combining my different elements and I think that’s evident in Audic’s diverse sound.
Tell me about Audic Empire and your new release Take Over! Can you share some of the highlights you and the band are most proud of?
Takeover was an interesting one. I basically built that song on keyboard and drum loops and wrote and tracked all my vocals in one long session in my bedroom studio kind of in a stream-of-consciousness type of approach. I kind of thought nothing would come of it and I’d toss it out, but we slowly went back and tracked over everything with instruments and made it our own sound. I got it as far as I could with production and handed it off to Chad Wrong to work his magic and really bring it to life. Once I got Snow Owl Media involved and we started brainstorming about a music video, it quickly turned into a considerably larger production than anything we’ve done before and it was such a cool experience. I’m really excited about the final product, especially considering I initially thought it was a throwaway track.
Describe the music style of Audic Empire for us.
It’s all over the place… we advertise it as “blues, rock, reggae.” Blues because of our lead guitarist, Travis Brown’s playing style, rock because I think at the heart we’re a rock band, and reggae because we flavor everything with a little (or a lot) of reggae or ska.
How did you find Bergantino Audio Systems?
Well, my Ampeg SVT7 caught fire at a show… We were playing Stubbs in Austin and everyone kept saying they smelled something burning, and I looked back in time to see my head, perched on top of its 8×10 cab, begin billowing smoke. We had a tour coming up, so I started researching and pricing everything to try and find a new amp. I was also fronting a metal band at the time, and my bass player’s dad was a big-time country bass player and said he had this really high-end bass amp just sitting in a closet he’d sell me. I was apprehensive since I really didn’t know much about it and “just a little 4×10” probably wasn’t going to cut it compared to my previous setup. He said I could come over and give it a test drive, but he said he knew I was going to buy it. He was right. I immediately fell in love. I couldn’t believe the power it put out compared to this heavy head and cumbersome cab I had been breaking my back hauling all over the country and up countless staircases.
Tell us about your experience with the forte D amp and the AE 410 Speaker cabinet.
It’s been a game-changer in every sense. It’s lightweight and compact. Amazing tone. And LOUD. It’s just a fantastic amp. Not to mention the customer service being top-notch! You’ll be hard-pressed to find another product that, if you have an issue, you can get in touch with the owner, himself. How cool is that?
Tell us about some of your favorite basses.
I was always broke and usually working part-time delivering pizzas, so I just played what I could get my hands on. I went through a few pawn shop basses, swapped in new pickups, and fought with the action on them constantly. I played them through an Ampeg be115 combo amp. All the electronics in it had fried at some point, so I gutted it out and turned it into a cab that I powered with a rusted-up little head I bought off someone for a hundred bucks. My gear was often DIY’d and held together by electrical tape and usually had a few coats of spray paint to attempt to hide the wear and tear. I never really fell in love with any piece of gear I had till I had a supporter of our band give me an Ibanez Premium Series SDGR. I absolutely love that bass and still travel with it. I’ve since gotten another Ibanez Premium Series, but went with the 5-string BTB. It’s a fantastic-sounding bass, my only complaint is it’s pretty heavy.
Love your new video Take Over! Let us know what you’re currently working on (studio, tour, side projects, etc.)
Thank you!! We’ve got a LOT of stuff we’re working on right now actually. Having 2 writers in the band means we never have a shortage of material. It’s more about getting everything tracked and ready for release and all that goes into that. We just got through filming videos for 2 new unreleased tracks with Snow Owl Media, who did the videos for both Love Hate and Pain and Takeover. Both of these songs have surprise features which I’m really excited about since these will be the first singles since our last album we have other artists on. We’ve also got a lot of shows coming up and I’ve also just launched my solo project as well. The debut single, “Raisin’ Hell” is available now everywhere. You can go here to find all the links distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jamestobias/raisin-hell
What else do you do besides music?
For work, I own a handyman service here in Austin doing a lot of drywall, painting, etc. I have a lot of hobbies and side hustles as well. I make custom guitar straps and other leather work. I do a lot of artwork and have done most of our merch designs and a lot of our cover art. I’m really into (and borderline obsessed) with health, fitness, and sober living. I have a hard time sitting still, but fortunately, there’s always a lot to do when you’re self-employed and running a band!
Follow James Tobias:
jamestobiasmusic.com
Facebook.com/james.tobias1
Instagram.com/ru4badfish2
TikTok.com/@jamestobiasmusic
audicempire.com
Bass CDs
New Album: Avery Sharpe, I Am My Neighbors Keeper
Avery Sharpe and his Double Quartet to release, I Am My Neighbors Keeper
A new recording will be released on JKNM Records by internationally renowned bassist/composer Avery Sharpe, “I Am My Neighbors Keeper” is scheduled for release in June 2024.
Sharpe has composed a new work that highlights our commitment to one another. Avery initiated the project as a response to the political and racial division that has grown over the past seven years in the country. “The U.S political climate has drastically changed in the past 40-plus years, especially during the last seven of those years. In this age of greed, which Sharpe refers to as “IGM,” I Got Mine, basic human compassion has been eroded. Racial, economic and social strides are being turned back.
“We have food insecurity, the unhoused, pandemics, school shootings, domestic violence, and an opioid problem, just to name some. There is a need to remind people that each of us is here on this planet for a very short period of time. It doesn’t matter if one has a religious approach or a secular approach, it all comes down to concern and compassion for each other. Through these compositions and recordings, Avery’s mission as an artist is to remind us that we all are interconnected and that ‘We Are Our Neighbor’s Keeper.’ When we help to uplift one, we uplift everyone,” Sharpe said.
Each movement in the piece describes the values we should strive for to help one another for this multi-media (video slide show during performance) and multi-discipline performance.
Many of Sharpe’s projects and recordings have been about “standing on the shoulders of ancestors, heroes and sheroes.” Among his recordings and projects, include “Running Man” (celebrating the athlete Jesse Owens), “Ain’t I A Woman” (about Sojourner Truth), and his most recent project “400: An African American Musical Portrait” (marking the 400 years from 1619 to 2019).
Avery Sharpe has recorded and performed with many jazz greats from Dizzy Gillespie to Yusef Lateef. He had an illustrious run of 20 plus years with the legendary Jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, of which he recorded more than 25 records with Mr. Tyner and performed countless worldwide concerts.
Visit online at averysharpe.com/
Bass Videos
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
Spector Launches Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II…
Spector Musical Instruments expands their celebrated Woodstock Custom Collection with the Volume II series – a breathtaking series of 12 handcrafted, one-of-a-kind bass guitars, each one masterfully designed by members of the Spector team. Crafted in the Spector USA Custom Shop in Woodstock, New York, these works of art go beyond musical instruments and expand the boundaries of Spector Bass design.
Spector’s iconic design lays the foundation for the Volume II collection. Each bass showcases a unique vision, including the selection of tonewoods, electronics, captivating finishes, and intricate design details. The collection highlights Spector’s commitment to craftsmanship and artistry and the individual people and stories that make up the team.
“The Woodstock Custom Collection was such a huge success, and we had so much fun with it that we couldn’t wait to do it again,” said John Stippell, Director – Korg Bass Division. “With Volume II, we’re expanding on everything we learned from the first collection, as well as pushing our design and Custom Shop team even further. These basses are a testament to the inspiring talent, creativity, and skill of every person on the Spector team. I’m excited for all of these basses and love how they tell the unique stories of all involved.”
Visit online at spectorbass.com/
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
New Gear: The Dingwall John Taylor Signature Model
Interview With Bassist Edmond Gilmore
Have Fret Sprout? Sharp Fret Management… a How-To Video
This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
New Gear: The Dingwall John Taylor Signature Model
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
