If you want to really understand what’s going on in songs you hear, there are few more effective training methods than transcription.

Taking the time to transcribe a song, working out the pitches and rhythms played by each instrument and how they all fit together is a truly powerful way to move your musical expertise and aural skills forward.

Transcribing a song by ear can seem like an overwhelming process at first though! Most guitarists do not approach it systematically. Often, people pick a random riff or lick in the song and just try to learn that first. Generally, taking a more structured approach makes the whole process much easier.

Here are 7 important tips and tricks to help you transcribe:

1. Tools

Good news: There really isn’t that much you need to transcribe a song, apart from your ears!

The CD containing the song is usually the best choice to transcribe from. Music file formats (like MP3s) can sacrifice audio quality to make the file size smaller, so if you use a file make sure it’s a high quality version – or you may be making your job harder than it needs to be!

All you really need is a media player that lets you jump to any part of the song you want. There are also specialist song transcription programs which can be a better choice. Most of the tools are not really necessary unless you are transcribing a song with 10+ simultaneous tracks, but other features (like being able to bookmark parts of the track) can be quite convenient and speed the transcription process along.

Click to read the rest…

You might like to check out the guest post I just wrote over at MusicLessons4YouOnline.com, entitled “Want to play it? Hear it first!”

It’s about how you need to hear music in your head to be able to really bring life to your playing, and create new compositions or improvisations. I outline the steps to doing this, and how you can use ear training to help you hear more complex music in your head and connect it with your instrument. Here’s an excerpt:

“It may sound like a contradiction, but if you want to create music when you play you must be able to hear the music first – in your head. This goes doubly if you want to improvise, compose or play by ear!

Ever noticed how great jazz improvisers often sing along with their own solo? Or how rock guitarists’ mouths move as if they’re singing out each note they play? These players know exactly what sounds their instruments will make before they move their fingers to make it happen. It’s no coincidence that this is a habit shared by many of the greats!”
Read more…

Make sure you check out all the other great posts on MusicLessons4YouOnline.com too, there’s an incredible wealth of information, tutorials, and videos to help you learn music and instruments. Here’s a few starting points:

• How to Play Piano By Ear
• Guitar Practice Tip for Success (Most of these are helpful hints for any instrument, or indeed ear training!)
• 7 Reasons to Learn Music Theory

There’s also an associated site at MusicLessonsOnDVD.com which sells some great instrumental lesson DVDs.

So, take a look at the guest post and let me know what you think – in the comments here or there!