I'm teaching this and it comes really handy to break it down into steps as this tends to become second nature the more you do it, but you have to break it down for someone who is a beginner. About transcribing chord, sometimes with 90s PS1 style dense harmony the important thing is to pick the underlying chord/scale and not worry all that much about the exact voicing or exact chord extension, unless there are really prominent melodic inner voices. With 11th, 13th and sus/add chords it will become really ambiguous, so what matter is the picking the right chord/scale and then I wouldn't even worry about actually label the chord, then as long as you get the melody and the bass notes right you're good to go. Nice advice not to analyze as you transcribe as it can really mislead you, especially when you are confident on music theory, you can end up convincing yourself that you are listening to what you are predicting, almost.
This is an excellent point (pinning this comment). It can be super easy to lose the forest for the trees when transcribing. If a particular passage is giving you a really hard time, try your best and then move on. It's much more useful to just get the underlying harmony/melody than to try to pick out every single possible voicing exactly.
I am a proffesional pianist,director orchestra,arranger and composer. I have a proffesional band and im the one that writes the scores for the musicians to play when we have a concert. I transcribe by ear most of the time and there is no easy way to do it becose you must have at least an average good music ear.
You actually just blew my mind with the beat and measure markers. I never used them and now with the alt-loop function, I can see why it's so useful. Thank you SO MUCH I'm not even kidding
Hey there my guy, I hope I don't sound like a bot but jesus christ the beat measure markers have made transcribing so much easier it almost feels like an industry secret or something. Thanks again!
this was absolutely the video i needed to push me to practice transcription again. very insightful, helpful, and straight to the point for all the material you covered!! thank you so much!🙏❤️
I like the idea of using a separate app to loop a section. I've been bringing the piece into Reaper and then adding my tracks. It just requires you lining up the tempo. It also teaches me mastering, as it is the literal reference track.
Absolutely Transcribe is the BEST solution. Yes, it is work but the more you do the faster it becomes. Loop + EQ+ speed to detect the fast detail and layers. Great video!!!!
one tip i can give you is to let the piece run in the background on a loop and try to remember it by heart. if it's not known by heart, again, let it run in the background so you can hear both your DAW/Tracker or whatever AND the piece of music. might not work for everybody but if i have to transcribe something i do that :) also those tips are really damn good. i am glad you talked about this, and i hope this helps many people (including me)
Nice video, Matt. I would argue that it's really worth doing a first pass by hand on a physical music sheet paper and THEN translating that to software like musescore. This lets you kind of "test" yourself to see if you got it right when you play it back from the software, and allows you to identify and correct possible mistakes you've made on the notation so that you can do better next time. If you jump directly into the software, I'd say you're not really giving yourself the chance to make mistakes and learn from them so you can get better. Most professionals in most fields of art would always recommend learning and practicing on analog mediums before jumping into software (this goes for painting/drawing, at least).
Great video! When transcribing classic VGM (e.g. 8-bit/16-bit), you can also use a program which plays that specific console's sound format. This isn't a option that's universally available, and you'd need actual sound files ripped from the game, but then you have the luxury of being able to isolate channels.
Thanks, man! That's absolutely true. When I transcribed the Shinobi soundtrack for a project, I used Cirrus Retro to isolate each of the tracks from the Genesis and study them. It was a grueling process but I learned a lot.
This is great, and you basically informed me I need to quit looking for some advice how to do it and just do it. I would have said before watching this, do melody first, then bass notes, then 3rd, then the other notes. And guess what: that's what you said. :)
@@composercode VERY much - it's so straight-forward and like textbook orchestration, but SO personal from his vantage point of JFK's murder. One of my favorites - totally bypasses the hype & predictable sound of Star Wars and such. Like, "Arlington" alone, oof, Barber's Adagio for Strings imo feels like crying from feeling dead inside - Arlington feels like BETRAYED, rage, screaming from being lied to, etc. The colors and direction, all the decisions that go into making one's angst feel different from another's, and how to harness that into your decision-making. (Didn't have my accessible divisi art's implemented yet - now I do. ^_^)
hello i need your help,, I need transcription to include a chart like the attached example. This would have the Lead Vocal with Lyrics, your custom Soprano and Alto parts, and the Piano part with chord symbols - no Bass vocal or Bass guitar instrument. I can provide a couple commercial sheet music versions of the song - one is a lead sheet/piano, the other is a sort of chord version. And I can provide an Arrangement Outline with tempo, time signature & song structure, and also a Lyric Sheet annotated with where the Lead and BGVs go.
Imagine you're transcribing and admire a certain artist's playing style and want to capture the specific fingering used, but you don't have video. How would you tell the difference between 2nd string 5th fret E vs 1st string open E? Or for example XX0XX31 vs XX076X ?
Hmm, this is really really tough. I don't know if there's a specific way to do that - you may have to compare the two and see which one "fits" better. Also, pay attention to context. If the artist is playing something that's obviously unplayable near the headstock, there's a much higher likelihood that it's being played toward the body of the guitar. You can learn a lot about what's being played by studying/transcribing the parts *around* it
@@0516bfgb-x9o audacity works! I would just recommend something that allows you to slow down, pitch down, EQ the track to hear certain parts of the track
how would you go about transcribing a tune you dont know they key sig for? I'm transcribing some jazz tunes and they have no transcriptions online anywhere. Just wanted to know if there is a way to figure out the key signature or chords possibly with just notating on musescore or sheets.
I saw the title, I instantly liked subscribed and look forward to learning! I want to learn Fortunate Youths " Good Times" sax solo that starts at 2:33! can you help me out? lol JK I wan't to do it myself!
how do i get the keyboard or piano on my TRANSCRIBE software show or play the aCTUAL NOTES OF ANY SONG ONCE I play the music file that i had opened by the TRANSCRIBE software
This is tough, but I’d recommend using a tool like Transcribe! to do something as complex as a full score. Try extracting the MP3 from the TH-cam video and using MuseScore
This guys a liar, and a PHONY! I followed the instruction, handed over a full score to some guitarist friends and imagine my surprise when, instead of immediately playing it as advertised; they asked me: what kind of tab is this?!
I really cannot watch videos that are constantly interrupted by irrelevant graphics and noises. It really does not make a video more professional. It is simply irritating. A great shame, as I was very interested in what I might have learned. But not from you, unfortunately.
womp womp on a serious note, I understand this is meant to be a constructive criticism on the editing style of the creator, however the comment comes off as pretentious and arrogant This video’s style is not meant to be overly serious and professional but instead more laid back and humorous
I'm teaching this and it comes really handy to break it down into steps as this tends to become second nature the more you do it, but you have to break it down for someone who is a beginner. About transcribing chord, sometimes with 90s PS1 style dense harmony the important thing is to pick the underlying chord/scale and not worry all that much about the exact voicing or exact chord extension, unless there are really prominent melodic inner voices. With 11th, 13th and sus/add chords it will become really ambiguous, so what matter is the picking the right chord/scale and then I wouldn't even worry about actually label the chord, then as long as you get the melody and the bass notes right you're good to go.
Nice advice not to analyze as you transcribe as it can really mislead you, especially when you are confident on music theory, you can end up convincing yourself that you are listening to what you are predicting, almost.
This is an excellent point (pinning this comment). It can be super easy to lose the forest for the trees when transcribing. If a particular passage is giving you a really hard time, try your best and then move on. It's much more useful to just get the underlying harmony/melody than to try to pick out every single possible voicing exactly.
I use Transcribe all the time. Love all its capabilities like key changing, fine tuning, slow down, looping, isolation, etc.
Me too! It’s an awesome tool.
I am a proffesional pianist,director orchestra,arranger and composer. I have a proffesional band and im the one that writes the scores for the musicians to play when we have a concert. I transcribe by ear most of the time and there is no easy way to do it becose you must have at least an average good music ear.
And the catch is, to get a good ear you’ve gotta transcribe!
You actually just blew my mind with the beat and measure markers. I never used them and now with the alt-loop function, I can see why it's so useful. Thank you SO MUCH I'm not even kidding
Hey there my guy, I hope I don't sound like a bot but jesus christ the beat measure markers have made transcribing so much easier it almost feels like an industry secret or something. Thanks again!
this was absolutely the video i needed to push me to practice transcription again. very insightful, helpful, and straight to the point for all the material you covered!! thank you so much!🙏❤️
Super glad to hear it!
I like the idea of using a separate app to loop a section. I've been bringing the piece into Reaper and then adding my tracks. It just requires you lining up the tempo. It also teaches me mastering, as it is the literal reference track.
Dude, yes!! I love to hear this. Transcription can teach you so much, even mixing and mastering principles!
Good luck trying to transcribe any jazz piece or a band ike stone temple pilots...have fun learning how to make a click track
Excellent video with so many great tips. I love how you trim all the fat and dive right into the good stuff. Thanks Matt!
Thanks, dude
Absolutely Transcribe is the BEST solution. Yes, it is work but the more you do the faster it becomes. Loop + EQ+ speed to detect the fast detail and layers. Great video!!!!
I forgot to finish watching this video because of "Transcribe!" lol. Made so much progress already on transcription, thank you
Awesome!! Thanks for watching
Great tutorial, thanks!
one tip i can give you is to let the piece run in the background on a loop and try to remember it by heart. if it's not known by heart, again, let it run in the background so you can hear both your DAW/Tracker or whatever AND the piece of music. might not work for everybody but if i have to transcribe something i do that :)
also those tips are really damn good. i am glad you talked about this, and i hope this helps many people (including me)
That’s very true!
Great information, much appreciate your insights.
Nice video, Matt. I would argue that it's really worth doing a first pass by hand on a physical music sheet paper and THEN translating that to software like musescore. This lets you kind of "test" yourself to see if you got it right when you play it back from the software, and allows you to identify and correct possible mistakes you've made on the notation so that you can do better next time. If you jump directly into the software, I'd say you're not really giving yourself the chance to make mistakes and learn from them so you can get better. Most professionals in most fields of art would always recommend learning and practicing on analog mediums before jumping into software (this goes for painting/drawing, at least).
Good point!
Agreed. I know Matt said transcribe with the software but for some reason, transcribing by hand first works for me for the reason you stated.
Thank you sooooo much from Korea. Video helped me a lot :)
Glad it helped!
this is very helpful thanks a lot
Great video! When transcribing classic VGM (e.g. 8-bit/16-bit), you can also use a program which plays that specific console's sound format. This isn't a option that's universally available, and you'd need actual sound files ripped from the game, but then you have the luxury of being able to isolate channels.
Thanks, man! That's absolutely true. When I transcribed the Shinobi soundtrack for a project, I used Cirrus Retro to isolate each of the tracks from the Genesis and study them. It was a grueling process but I learned a lot.
This is so informative! Thank you very much Matt:))) cheers
THANK YOUUU!!!!!!! This video was an important find!
great video, exactly the information in the format i needed. thank you!
It's fun actually
Thanks for the heads up on Transcribe. Did the trick immediately😊
You are a sweetheart Matt!
THANK YOU
YOU'RE WELCOME
This was a splendid video, thank you so much
This is great, and you basically informed me I need to quit looking for some advice how to do it and just do it. I would have said before watching this, do melody first, then bass notes, then 3rd, then the other notes. And guess what: that's what you said. :)
Great vid mate very helpful thanks for sharing :))
Share your transcription tips in the comments!
this was super useful thank you!
Gracias!...perfect for a beginner like me :)
Very good video. I love so much Transcribe, so useful. And price is very cheap.
Recently been transcribing John Williams' JFK film suite, which has led to many changes in my template. ^_^
Holy crap, that's a doozy!! Probably so many great lessons to learn from that though.
@@composercode
VERY much - it's so straight-forward and like textbook orchestration, but SO personal from his vantage point of JFK's murder. One of my favorites - totally bypasses the hype & predictable sound of Star Wars and such. Like, "Arlington" alone, oof, Barber's Adagio for Strings imo feels like crying from feeling dead inside - Arlington feels like BETRAYED, rage, screaming from being lied to, etc. The colors and direction, all the decisions that go into making one's angst feel different from another's, and how to harness that into your decision-making. (Didn't have my accessible divisi art's implemented yet - now I do. ^_^)
Thanks a lot!!! 🌻
great video. Thanks!
Great!
Do you do a session on how to use musescore and transcribe
all this for free? you're a mad lad but amazing
hello i need your help,, I need transcription to include a chart like the attached example. This would have the Lead Vocal with Lyrics, your custom Soprano and Alto parts, and the Piano part with chord symbols - no Bass vocal or Bass guitar instrument. I can provide a couple commercial sheet music versions of the song - one is a lead sheet/piano, the other is a sort of chord version. And I can provide an Arrangement Outline with tempo, time signature & song structure, and also a Lyric Sheet annotated with where the Lead and BGVs go.
Imagine you're transcribing and admire a certain artist's playing style and want to capture the specific fingering used, but you don't have video.
How would you tell the difference between 2nd string 5th fret E vs 1st string open E?
Or for example XX0XX31 vs XX076X ?
Hmm, this is really really tough. I don't know if there's a specific way to do that - you may have to compare the two and see which one "fits" better. Also, pay attention to context. If the artist is playing something that's obviously unplayable near the headstock, there's a much higher likelihood that it's being played toward the body of the guitar. You can learn a lot about what's being played by studying/transcribing the parts *around* it
Hello, is it possible to use audacity as a transcribing tool? I feel like it's kind of hard to use it. I have tried transcribe! before and I like it.
@@0516bfgb-x9o audacity works! I would just recommend something that allows you to slow down, pitch down, EQ the track to hear certain parts of the track
Does this work if I have a guitar finger style instrumental (say from TH-cam) ? Can I play a tune and this program tab it out?
how would you go about transcribing a tune you dont know they key sig for? I'm transcribing some jazz tunes and they have no transcriptions online anywhere. Just wanted to know if there is a way to figure out the key signature or chords possibly with just notating on musescore or sheets.
Yes I'd start with Musescore. Can you find a tonic chord?
@@composercode this is the tune - Whim Within: Joanne Brackeen
Awesome video!
I saw the title, I instantly liked subscribed and look forward to learning! I want to learn Fortunate Youths " Good Times" sax solo that starts at 2:33! can you help me out? lol JK I wan't to do it myself!
but check it out lol! It's a great solo
Are ya’ll talking about the app Transcribe+ by Dynamic Design LLC ? How much is it? Does it work with mp3s?
how do i get the keyboard or piano on my TRANSCRIBE software show or play the aCTUAL NOTES OF ANY SONG ONCE I play the music file that i had opened by the TRANSCRIBE software
😎 Please respond!! How do writer's are producer decide a song slow are fast?
how do i transcribe a youtube video into sheet music (full score)?
This is tough, but I’d recommend using a tool like Transcribe! to do something as complex as a full score. Try extracting the MP3 from the TH-cam video and using MuseScore
My goal is to transcribe rap lyrics
my transcribe has a bunch of unnececary notes can i fix that?
tl;dr methods differ, nothing is set in stone, *PRACTISE*
This guys a liar, and a PHONY! I followed the instruction, handed over a full score to some guitarist friends and imagine my surprise when, instead of immediately playing it as advertised; they asked me: what kind of tab is this?!
Lmao as a fellow guitarist, this checks out
Noice
1,000th like
𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖔𝖘𝖒
you said a lot but really you said nothing
Facts lol
this helped me a bunch. idk about you
I really cannot watch videos that are constantly interrupted by irrelevant graphics and noises. It really does not make a video more professional. It is simply irritating. A great shame, as I was very interested in what I might have learned. But not from you, unfortunately.
womp womp
womp womp
womp womp
on a serious note, I understand this is meant to be a constructive criticism on the editing style of the creator, however the comment comes off as pretentious and arrogant
This video’s style is not meant to be overly serious and professional but instead more laid back and humorous