Corcovado...

Corcovado is coming along. Although it's not full of crazy 16th and 32nd note runs, it's more rhythmically tricky...easier to play, but harder to write down. I think I'm going to start blogging when I start and when I finish a solo, and not in between...it makes more sense. If I don't have anything significant to say, there's no use in posting.

#2: Corcovado...

I apologize for the lack of posts for the past couple of days; I was in Connecticut for some college auditions...but judging by the lack of comments, no one reads these posts anyway, so no loss there. But it makes sense...reading about me transcribing isn't as fun as looking at photography or drawings or something of the sort. Perhaps I'll start taking pictures of the final product and post them up here.
Now for my next solo: Stan Getz, Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim-Corcovado. Getz is my all-time favorite sax player, so I'll probably transcribe a good deal of his work. I've heard this song a million times, but I'm going to start this transcription by actively listening to it in a way I've never heard it before: with the intention of transcribing it. A great sax player I studied with once told me that, when transcribing, one should listen to the solo enough times to be able to sing it, then play it, then write it down. Sounds like a good process to me.

Done!

Finished transcribing "Now's the Time." I'm refining it so I can actually play it well at a decent speed. After that, I think I'll choose a Stan Getz solo for my next transcription...

A few more bars...

Four more bars tackled today. Nearing a full solo under my fingertips!

Much Transcribing on a Slow Day...

Today was a snow day. Sure, that's nice, but when you can't leave your house, it doesn't leave you with many options. So I transcribed more than usual! I did about 16 bars and I'm almost done. But when I do finish writing out the solo, that doesn't mean I'll be done learning it. I'll have to practice it and be able to play it, of course...refining the product is just as important as the process.

Damn you Charlie Parker...you and your 32nd note runs...

A brief explanation on 32nd notes:
Speaking in 4/4 time, meaning four beats per measure, a thirty-second note is a note played for 1/32 of the duration of a whole note. Basically the chain goes whole note, dotted half note, half note, dotted quarter note, quarter note, eighth note, sixteenth note, thirty-second note, etc. Charlie Parker, a bebop player, is notorious for playing very quickly. His improvised solos are full of these 32nd note runs. The issue: reading and playing them off of sheet music is much easier than listening to them and trying to notate them note for note. A run of 32nd notes goes by very quickly, to say the least. Today I tackled the first of many 32nd note runs to come. Onwards and upwards!

Solo #1: Now's the Time-Charlie Parker

Who better to start with than Bird, the epitome of playing flawless solos over speedy changes? I have been transcribing one of his solos over his blues tune, "Now's the Time." It really is time-consuming; I have to listen to the four or so bars over and over to be able to sing it, then play it, then write it, then read and play it correctly. But I have a feeling it will get quicker and easier as I go on. Maybe each time I finish a solo I can perform it in front of the class. If not, I'll take a snapshot of the written work and upload it onto this blog. Right now, I have completed about 20 bars of the solo! It's a great feeling. Daily practices work wonders!

Just the beginning....

For my daily practice, I have opted to transcribe 4 to 8 bars of a jazz solo each day, eventually amounting to a full solo. By the end of the school year, I should have a plenitude of solos under my fingertips. For those of you who don't know, transcribing entails listening to a song, learning how to play it by ear, and then writing it down. In jazz, this generally means listening to a player's solo in a jazz song, and then learning it. This technique is essential in improving improvising and becoming a professional jazz musicians. What better way to learn how to solo better than by listening to the pros who really got it right? A musician not practicing transcription would be as foolish as a writer never reading a book! Stay tuned for further posts as I update on this difficult but rewarding endeavor!