Qualifications to Be a Piano Transcriber
There is a common belief that in order to create music transcriptions you need to be a musical prodigy or have a lot of expensive software. The truth is that, like any skill, transcribing music can be learned by anyone with a little time and patience. All you need is a piece of staff paper, a pencil and a bit of knowledge of music theory to get started.
The first step in the process of transcription is to find a piece of music that you enjoy and want to learn. It’s best to choose a song with a clear rhythm that you can easily tap your foot or clap along to. Then, listen to it several times to become familiar with the rhythm and the notes. This will help you transcribe it more accurately. It is also helpful to use headphones or earphones when listening to the music, so that you can block out any background noise and focus on the music itself.
Once you’ve listened to the song and are familiar with the rhythm, the next step is to begin transcribing it. Depending on the complexity of the music and how detailed you want your transcription to be, this can take a while. Eventually, you will be able to write down the chords and other melodic elements as they are played on the recording. If you’re a piano player it will be much easier for you to transcribe the melody, but even if you don’t play the instrument you can still start by identifying the notes and writing them down.
Do You Need Qualifications to Be a Piano Transcriber?
After you have the chords and other melodic elements transcribed it is important to carefully go back over your work and add any articulation marks, lyrics or other details that were not included in the original recording. At this point you can also begin to use the notation software of your choice to finalize the score. For example, many musicians use Finale or Sibelius to transcribe their music and it’s good to become familiar with these programs early on so that you can get the hang of how they work.
It is also important to remember that while a good ear is essential, transcribing is a combination of hearing and deduction. You must be able to hear the note intervals and determine whether or not they are played on a specific instrument. If something that you transcribe is not actually being played on the recording then you need to consider why that is, such as an overtone or other auditory artifact that is tricking your ears.
Transcription can be a great way to learn the music of other musicians and to improve your own playing skills, memory and creativity. Finding some time to transcribe regularly (even 10 minutes per day!) can make all the difference in your musical development. If you are a singer/songwriter, a composer, a jazz musician or a classical musician, transcribing will help you develop a more comprehensive understanding of the musical structure and form of the music that you love.
