Grant Green - Moon River Solo Transcription

**Josejzz** · 04-21-2024, 04:42 PM

Hello,

I hope everyone is going well!

This time I share you a new transcription from Grant Green, probably one of the best guitarists in the whole history of jazz! So the song is Moon River, this song is pretty cool, I remember the first time that I heard this song, it was the version from Frank Sinatra. The last year I was being working in a few transcriptions from Grant Green, and recently I re-discover this lovely version!

Thanks for reading and for watching! I hope that you'll enjoy the video!

I wish you a great Sunday!

Jose

**AllanAllen** · 04-21-2024, 05:42 PM

Very nice, I saw a group do this in 5. How long does it take you to work out something like this? Do you write it out too, or just memorize it?

**Josejzz** · 04-22-2024, 07:28 AM

Originally Posted by AllanAllen

Very nice, I saw a group do this in 5. How long does it take you to work out something like this? Do you write it out too, or just memorize it?

Dear Allan, I hope that you're going well! Thank you so much for your comment, I really appreciate it! For being honest, it depends on songs or the level of difficulty, sometimes I learn solos quietly fast but interpretation or precision will require more work than the transcription itself. This transcription took me 2-3 nights working 1-2h through learning it and getting able to play it. I always start by singing and learning a few phrases or sections and then I start to play them with the guitar. Frequently I make the transcriptions after teaching at conservatory and 99% of time I just memorize it. I began writing them, but I'm a little bit impatient with writing properly, specially transcribing instruments as trumpet, saxo or even the scats.

By the way thank you so much Alder Statesman, Mick-8 and bluenote61 for giving like to the post

I wish you a great week!

Jose

**AllanAllen** · 04-22-2024, 09:37 AM

Thanks for the insight. I really appreciate it. I pull licks and lines from solos, at parts where I have trouble improvising, but I haven't done a full solo yet.

**Mick-7** · 04-22-2024, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by Josejzz

I began writing them, but I'm a little bit impatient with writing properly, specially transcribing instruments as trumpet, saxo or even the scats.

Yeah, I feel the same way, it can take me less time to figure it out than write it all down, so I'll usually only write down the phrases that really stand out.

**pamosmusic** · 04-22-2024, 07:35 PM

This is my experience too. Though writing it down doesn’t usually take me much time, the learning always takes way longer than the transcribing.

I’ve been trying to transcribe every day lately, but I have to have two groups of potential things to transcribe — one of things I want to learn, and one of things from which I want to glean some information. I’ve been working for about six weeks to learn one that took me about a week to transcribe. So I’m transcribing bits and pieces of people on Fee Fi Fo Fum, just because I want to know what they’re doing. No real intention of learning it all.

**Josejzz** · 04-26-2024, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by AllanAllen

Thanks for the insight. I really appreciate it. I pull licks and lines from solos, at parts where I have trouble improvising, but I haven't done a full solo yet.

Hey Allan,
You're welcome! Transcribing is a great exercise, I think that sometimes is great to transcribe a full solo to understand the style of a musicians or to understand the melodic mouvements between the harmony. But probably it's better just to copy or to pick the phrases that you find interesting! I really enjoy transcribing but more for the aspect of getting the knowledge of style and even for the technical aspect, this point is really different in comparaison of my classical guitar technique knowledge. Keep jazzin'

**Josejzz** · 04-26-2024, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by Mick-7

Yeah, I feel the same way, it can take me less time to figure it out than write it all down, so I'll usually only write down the phrases that really stand out.

It's always a little bit tricky to write the transcription properly, for many reasons but principal rhythm and ornamentations...!
I feel always more comfortable learning by ear the solos than writing

**Josejzz** · 04-26-2024, 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by pamosmusic

This is my experience too. Though writing it down doesn’t usually take me much time, the learning always takes way longer than the transcribing.

I’ve been trying to transcribe every day lately, but I have to have two groups of potential things to transcribe — one of things I want to learn, and one of things from which I want to glean some information. I’ve been working for about six weeks to learn one that took me about a week to transcribe. So I’m transcribing bits and pieces of people on Fee Fi Fo Fum, just because I want to know what they’re doing. No real intention of learning it all.

Transcribing is something that I really love and I really enjoy! I feel more comfortable learning and transcribing than writing, probably because when I was student at conservatory I had a lot of examens where we got 5min listening extracts of music and then you should be able to play it (between the time of preparation you should do it without the instrument). I feel easier to sing and figure out the melodic design (arpegios, scales, intervals, etc) and then when I'm able to sing the whole solo and I already memorized I played directly into the guitar (I don't have perfect pitch, but I spend a lot of time making this kind of exercise when I was student at conservatory). I transcribe daily at least 1-2h, it helps a lot into the process of learning, analyzing, understanding information.