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Since August 5, 2019, I have been transcribing melodies for 186 consecutive days without missing any days. A period of 6 straight months. What I can say is that there is nothing really apocalyptic or the heavens part open when I transcribe melodies. It is as benign, mundane, and totally uneventful when I do this activity.
However, what I’ve learned in 186 days is that the magic doesn’t happen when transcribing a melody...
- The magic happens when you commit the solfege of that melody to memory and internalize it in your brain. -
I have a thread in this forum called “Play By Ear Series Compilations.” The thread features multiple posts/youtube videos that I have transcribed. All the songs there where I transcribed the melody in its entirety, I know them by heart and that’s how I build my vocabulary. The same thing goes with the chords. I regularly watch and listen to my Youtube videos by rotation. I do this so that I won't forget them and committing them to my long term memory.
I encourage everyone who wants to improve their melody recognition to do this method. Believe me, since I have been posting Youtube videos of me playing melodies of songs, I’ve been having several incidents of me recognizing a melodic pattern or groups of notes reminiscent from the melodies I have transcribed and committed to memory.
Everyone should do this!
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02-06-2020 11:47 AM
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Hi Jason,
I just want to thank you for your thoughts and experiences regarding transciption and your ephiphany of chromatic Solfege singing. I would be keen to learn more about your thoughts and expereinces. Kind regards Sibbs
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No! Everyone should learn Jazz the way I'm teaching myself to do it....
Originally Posted by Jason Sioco
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My brain does not do solfege. It's a bummer, I think it's a great system.
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I think in solfege (when I’m thinking). I’m glad I learned it, but the only advantage is one word syllables rather than there sometimes being 2 (b3). Makes one wonder how much the work was worth it. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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I try to ,make it somple for myself so in any key ascending or descedning these are the notes/sounds I use...
C Do
C# Di
D Ra
D# Ri
E Mi
F Fa
F# Fi
G So
G# Si
A La
A# Li
B Ti
C Do
I sometimes use moveable Do i.e in the key of G maj G is now Do but I prefer to make it simple so G maj the note is So .... I hope this helps Sibbs
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I try to,make it simple for myself so in any key ascending or descedning these are the notes/sounds I use...
C Do
C# Di
D Ra
D# Ri
E Mi
F Fa
F# Fi
G So
G# Si
A La
A# Li
B Ti
C Do
I sometimes use moveable Do i.e in the key of G maj G is now Do but I prefer to make it simple so G maj the note is So .... I hope this helps Sibbs
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I just had lessons with my pastor (a play-by-ear musician) yesterday. I was discussing after the lessons about this topic. My pastor can just listen to any melody with a key center on the radio, tv, youtube, etc and recognize the solfege instantly. He demonstrates it all the time at church. Originally Posted by Sibbo01
My pastor said it will take about 3-5 years of avid, consistent practice to acquire his instantaneous melody recognition skills.
I'm just done transcribing melody today, so since the writing of this thread, I have now transcribed at least a melodic phrase for 213 consecutive days since August 5, 2019. 3 years is roughly 1,095 days. 4 years is roughly 1,460 days. 5 years is roughly 1,825 days. This does not include a leap year. So if I keep up at this trajectory, I will reach 5 years of transcribing melodies by August 5, 2024. The only thing that can stop my current streak would be some kind of a debilitating circumstance, God forbid, I get hospitalized, or I go to prison, or pre-mature death. But highly unlikely from happening. I am very healthy. I stay away from trouble. And my lifestyle is very narrow. I don't go to parties or live a high life and stuff like that. I don't drink, smoke, no drugs, no tattoos and earrings.
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Lucky that, tattoos and earings can real fuck with the solfege... Originally Posted by Jason Sioco
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Party at Jason’s. Originally Posted by princeplanet
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Avoid women at all costs. Originally Posted by Jason Sioco
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Yeah, and avoid women that cost too much... Originally Posted by Drumbler
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Living the clean lifestyle has worked out for countless jazz musicians including Parker, Coltrane, Miles.......it goes on and on. And the no tattoos and earrings thing is an amazing addition to that sparkling clean lifestyle. Kudos to you. Originally Posted by Jason Sioco
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solfege is great to learn, i don't see how you could do it with changing keys in jazz tunes, i know i couldn't, but if you transcribe that much, you are probably way better than me anyhow
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Everybody knows how tattoos and earrings can be soooo detrimental to musical progress.... Originally Posted by Jason Sioco
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This is a very strange thread.......
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Over the years, both before and after taking up guitar, I've been able to pick up melodies fairly simply. I don't have perfect pitch, I have relative pitch, but it gets better with time. Transcribing was and still is good work. I don't have any solfege training at all, but with my mom playing classical on piano around the house when I was a kid, the notes got impressed into me anyway, I suppose.
I come at it from intervals more than scales nowadays, but somewhere over the years the ears got decent. So I don't have the proper solfege names down, but rather I've fastened on the relationships and can hear melody fairly well as a result.
It's like using different languages to say the same thing, I think.
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I'm not edumicated about solfege and stuff, but I feel that learning melodies of tunes by ear is the only way to fly.
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You get what you pay for... Originally Posted by princeplanet
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That kind of experimental learning is quite time - consuming...However, what I’ve learned in 186 days is that the magic doesn’t happen when transcribing a melody... - The magic happens when you commit the solfege of that melody to memory and internalize it in your brain. -
No!Everyone should do this!
Kidding... seriously great that it works for you... but people have different ears, i was always quick with picking the song melody and chords by ear - mostly I do nto consider it a task for a conventional music (I do not know what kind of songs you speak about though - maybe you transcribe Schoenberg and charles Ives?) but to be a better musician there is a lit of other things I had (and have) to do.
Another point - transcription as method is good for some, and not good for others - you never know..
last but not least - consistency is not always a way for everyone...))
Sounds strange but true
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Just to be clear, you're talking about good ol music dictation right? When you say transcribing melodies you dont mean just playing them on an instrument by ear? Originally Posted by Jason Sioco
Music dictation was a dread for me in college, as I was primarily an ear player and connect the sound with writing the dots on paper wasnt easy at all. But it got better by doing it of course. Good for you man!
Btw I have a few tattoos, my music abilities probably declined since then.
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I think solfege is stupid and annoying.
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I think we were in the same educational system? Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
Just to be clear, you're talking about good ol music dictation right? When you say transcribing melodies you dont mean just playing them on an instrument by ear?
Music dictation was a dread for me in college, as I was primarily an ear player and connect the sound with writing the dots on paper wasnt easy at all. But it got better by doing it of course. Good for you man!
Btw I have a few tattoos, my music abilities probably declined since then.
I remember ... I was about 10 .. I am sitting at the desk in the class, the teacher plays 2 voices dictation (about 8- bars realtively simple polyphony) on piano (three times with no pauses)... and I clearly remember how I idiotically look at the blank note paper in front of me.
I also could easily pick it up on the isntrument or sing the voice... but the task was to write it down.
Eventually I learnt to do that but even now I asm not too good at it.
It is not really difficult.. must be -- it is relation between the sign and pitch... like sound and letter.
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I don't see why going to prison would have to interfere.
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Probably not in California. Don't you get a new guitar in prison? Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
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waitress, Rice or chips
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Only in Folsom. Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
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Yes, of course, Mussorgsky college in my case. Almost all my classmates were better at solfege, coming from kids music schools prior to college, I only learned music notation a few months before with a private tutor. But later in US college I got much better at it. Originally Posted by Jonah
But the Russian system was quite unforgiven, I remember that much. You suck at something, you get laughed at by teachers and mates both. It was a good school for life in general. Not quite like Whiplash, but pretty close. At least my experience.
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Yea, but you need to know do-re-mi-do-re-do. If you ever find yourself with Russian musicians, sing it to them. Originally Posted by christianm77
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I don't know if you are a person of color. But if you are, you could just come to California and drive a car. You'll find out right quick. Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
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