Over the years I’ve attended dozens of masterclasses. Poured through hundreds of interviews with master musicians, and took lessons with the best players I could find. However, after a few years ONE thing kept surprising me – there was a disconnect between what these great players said and what they actually did…
In fact, some of the most important and downright essential concepts for learning this music (practice, ear training, technique) were often passed over with a few words:
“Make sure you can hear those changes. Get that line together in all keys. You gotta know your intervals. Just play what you hear!”
Solid advice with good intentions, but starkly vague and lacking the nitty gritty details it had taken these players to improve in the practice room. And this is especially true when it came to transcribing solos.
I’d hear the process of learning jazz language described as: “Yeah, I spent a little time checking out some Miles solos,” or “I used to memorize Coltrane lines note for note,” or “You really gotta understand Parker’s language if you want to play bebop…“
For years I assumed that I could simply listen to some records, study a few lines from a transcription book, or memorize a couple licks in all keys and I’d suddenly be playing amazing solos.
…but that magical moment never happened because I didn’t realize that each of these statements uttered by great players hinted at a much deeper process – a process that few people even talk about or describe in detail.
For many players the term “transcribing” is familiar…but the who, what, why, and how of the transcription process remains a mystery. And that’s exactly why today’s lesson is going to help you bridge this musical gap.
With a simple Blues solo as our model, we’ll take you through the step-by-step process of learning the information from your favorite records.
Showing you what transcribing actually entails, rather than simply telling you to “transcribe solos.” With a defined process in your mind, you’ll start achieving real results in the practice room.
You’ll learn how to:
- Effectively listen to a solo that you want to transcribe
- Break down & ingrain individual phrases on your instrument
- Analyze the harmonic & melodic techniques in the solo
- Practice exercises to ingrain these techniques
- Apply these devices to your own solos
This process might sound like a lot to tackle, but it’s actually much simpler than you might think. Let me explain…
It all starts with sound
The transcription process starts with listening to music.
Listening to a solo that you love, to a melody that moves you, or a musical phrase that you want to incorporate into your playing.
However, the tendency for many musicians and educators is to go right to music theory and scales. To look at a written transcription and try to guess what the notes and chords mean, to memorize licks based on theory rules.
But this is all missing the point. Remember, the answers you need are right there on the recording.
Today we’ll focus on a simple blues solo by Cedar Walton, from Kenny Dorham’s album Blue Spring. The solo starts at [4:24] in the recording below…
With anything that you transcribe, your first step must be focused listening. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many players don’t even listen to the solos or tunes they’re struggling to learn.
The key to gaining musical benefit from transcribing isn’t knowing the note names within a solo, rather the process in which you learn these notes from the recording.
If knowing the notes of a solo was all it took to improve, you could simply look at a book of transcriptions and sound like a pro. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy! The secret to improving lies in the process of how you learn those notes.
Looking at a written transcription without listening is practically useless for improving your playing. Sure, you can analyze the notes and chords, but without your ears, it’s just another theory exercise devoid of style or feeling.
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