Piano Transcription
Piano transcription is the process of translating music that you hear with your ears into something you can play with your fingers. It’s a skill that requires a lot of time and practice to master, but the rewards are well worth it. Transcription also helps musicians learn to listen more closely to a piece of music and often improve their playing, performance and appreciation of the original composition.
When you’re learning to transcribe, you may be overwhelmed by how many notes are written on a musical staff or your keyboard. The good news is that there are certain techniques used in piano transcription that can help you reduce the amount of work and focus on the important aspects of the music you’re transcribing.
For example, it’s a good idea to start with a short and simple piece of music when you first begin to transcribe so that you can get the hang of the process. Once you feel more comfortable, you can begin to work on larger and more complex pieces of music.
Techniques Used in Piano Transcription
Another crucial step in transcription is listening to the piece of music you wish to transcribe over and over again, focusing on each beat, chord, instrument and phrase. This is the only way to fully capture the meaning of the piece of music and translate it into the form that you will be able to read on the page or play with your hands.
It’s also a good idea to try and listen to the piece of music at different speeds, which will help you identify the different pitches and rhythms of the melody and harmony. This will also allow you to figure out the key of the piece – whether it is in G major, C major, or other – and understand what scales are being used in the piece of music. This is helpful because a composer can use different scales to create different tonal centers for their compositions.
Once you’ve listened to the piece of music multiple times and have a general understanding of it, the next step is to determine what instruments are being played. It is at this point that you can begin to look for the root note of the song. This is usually the first note in a measure and will be identified by its sound or its location on the piano keyboard (e.g., the first ledger line above the bass staff or the first ledger line below the treble staff).
It is also a good idea to review some of the basic intervals of the chromatic scale. For example, it is important to remember that a major interval starts at 261.6 Hz, and a minor interval begins with the note that is a perfect fifth below the major interval. It’s a good idea to take breaks when working on difficult transcriptions, especially if you are feeling frustrated, cross-eyed, or otherwise overwhelmed by the task at hand. This will give you the chance to come back to your transcription with fresh eyes and ears and make smart progress on your project.
