Theory & Impro learning to transcribe riffs ets

[thehunt]

I am learning a tune called Angel Eyes and need to improvise some parts of it. What i would like to ask is how do you go about listening and putting that onto your sax? I would welcome any suggestions, thanks Phil

 

[Simon]

Hi Phil,

This is the fun part - find recordings, listen and find bits you like of the player's solo, copy these on your saxophone... get frustrated, try again with an easier bit, experience success, use everytime you play this song...

😉

I like the Gene Ammons versions ( for tenor players); I'm sure there must be a good alto version out there too.

Simon

 

[spike]

"Transcribe" can be a very useful aid in such times of need, torment and pulling yer hair out.

 

[TommyD69]

I use computer software called "The Amazing Slowdowner".

It an't rel gud anglish, but that is what it does.

It really is amazing, you can play MP3 clips, or songs off of a CD, set starting and ending (loop) points anywhere during a song, and slow down or speed up the music so you can figure it out, and write it down.

Do an internet search and you will find it. It is also fairly inexpensive, and makes a GREAT holiday gift!

 

[thehunt]

Thanks Tommy, i will check that out, what i have learnt though is that good old fashioned hard work and studying is paying off. Still long way to go though. rgds Phil

 

[spike]

perhaps my post was a little obtuse - "transcribe" is in fact also a software to aid the job of transcribing tunes and songs, operas and concertos along with the bits and pieces that old slow gold downer can do it has spectral analysis, a piano keyboard for reference, something that I always use is the box of markers: beat, bar and section. Try 'em both, and compare, Transcribe is probably available from [email protected]'mon. or direct from the seventhstring website as a 30 day try out. I once bought 'em both but - Transcribe is the one I've used for years now - have fun.
gruss - spike

 

[Semiquaver]

As simon says, this is fun.

I have decided that 2009 is the year i knuckle down and learn some Standards. My plan is to use this as a way of memorising chord/scales that I need for the current tune and of course subsiquant ones. I figure at some stage I will know most of the well used chords/scales and that they will become second nature. I also hope that i will recognise ii-v7-i progressions more readily.

Anyway, what I have found is that searching out cd's of others playing and how they interpret it in their own way is very interesting. I am currently on Night and Day and have aquired covers by Ben Webster and Art tatum, Bill Evans and of course Billie Holiday. The Bill Evans track is wonderful and i go cold everytime i play it.

 

[thehunt]

Since i last posted on this blog i come to realise that yes you do need to know your way around the chords and scales but sometimes it just helps to try and feel what you're playing. I'm not saying that i'm a virtuoso now but it has freed me up a great deal. On Pete's site he says you can get restricted just by going up and down the scales. Thanks everyone for the help. I'll let you know how things progress.

 

[Simon]

... this and a whole lotta listening!!! Start now!
simon

thehunt wrote:
Since i last posted on this blog i come to realise that yes you do need to know your way around the chords and scales but sometimes it just helps to try and feel what you're playing. I'm not saying that i'm a virtuoso now but it has freed me up a great deal. On Pete's site he says you can get restricted just by going up and down the scales. Thanks everyone for the help. I'll let you know how things progress.