The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I just had to post because I'm so pleased with Transcribe! software.
    http://www.seventhstring.com/xscribe/overview.html
    (no affiliation, obviously) I'd been using a half-decent iphone app (iLift), but the precision, flexibility, and sound quality of Transcribe is leagues ahead. I know tons of people recommend Transcribe, but I'd been resisting because (1) it's $40 for a rather old piece of software, and (2) I was trying to keep the laptop out of my practice space to cut down on distractions.

    I've been struggling with some Clifford Brown licks. Between the tempo and the unfamiliar sonority, I had to do a lot of guessing. I installed the trial of Transcribe this morning, and got through eight bars of bebop in the time it had been taking me to get a few beats. The real strength is that I can zone in on just a few notes, and loop it slowly with very high sound quality, until I can sing it. The iphone app I was using didn't get as slow, or sound as good, and it was hard to home in on such a small range.

    Anyway, one more happy customer. The $40 will be well spent for me.
    Last edited by dingusmingus; 07-25-2014 at 12:29 PM. Reason: added link

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Transcribe is a VERY essential software to learn how to play jazz because it allows you to focus on the parts rather than just the whole. You can highlight one beat, one measure, or an entire section. Whatever area you need to zoom in on. It doesn't get any better than transcibe! for play back, looping, and many other things.

  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by dingusmingus
    I just had to post because I'm so pleased with Transcribe! software.
    Transcribe! - software to help transcribe recorded music
    (no affiliation, obviously) I'd been using a half-decent iphone app (iLift), but the precision, flexibility, and sound quality of Transcribe is leagues ahead. I know tons of people recommend Transcribe, but I'd been resisting because (1) it's $40 for a rather old piece of software.
    Well, it's "old" in the sense it's been around for years, but there are regular updates (free once you register).
    And of course - as you will know, but others may not - you don't have to pay the $40 right away. The "demo" is the whole program, so that first month is plenty of time to fully test it out.

    Between you and me - hehe - when I first got it, countless years ago, the message reminding you to register could just be clicked away, and I managed to keep it using it free for two months... (they've probably plugged that loophole now)... but then I realised it was so good, they damn well deserved the fee. I can honestly say it's the best program I've ever used, of any kind. The early versions were totally transparent, no superfluous bells and whistles, intuitive interface. A few extras have been added over the years, of course, which I have no use for, but they don't get in the way or slow things down.

    Do you know it also works with video? Only with MOV or MP4, unfortunately (meaning youtubes need to be converted), but - being a guitarist - I've occasionally found it useful to watch fingers as well as listen.

  5. #4

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    A very good product, I've been using it for many, many years, but I prefer the pitch change facility with Song Surgeon. I have both products, pitch change on Song Surgeon is very accurate.

  6. #5

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    Geez, you guys make this sound like must-have stuff. Have you SEEN my list of must-have stuff? Endless, that's what it is! But I must add this....

  7. #6

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    Well, being a Transcribe! addict, I have to chime too ...

    I've been using it for years. Among its outstanding features

    - The ability to slow down a selection by 20x still keeping a reasonable sound.

    - Play a video in sync with any selection even short. Useful not only for the fingering but sometimes to be sure of the played notes.

    The GUI could be improved a bit, specially replacing the slider used to navigate the music window by a mouse click, hold and drag. I should rather say navigate the music the same way as you do so in your notation program. I'm often confused in between using Sibelius to write music, it uses this click drag technique, and Transcribe! which uses the slider.

    On the Transcribe! web site, it is written that Pat Metheny is an user ...

  8. #7

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    How dies it compare with Amazing Slow Downer?

  9. #8

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    Well, it can't be must have, because the old guys used to just use a record player. Dwayne Alman apparently used his toe to to reset the record arm!

    My ears are slow, if improving slowly, so I sure appreciate the help. I try to do a phrase at a time, and sing along, until I'm pretty sure I have the notes, before I go to the guitar to double check.

    Anyway, if you're gonna use some software, this is good stuff!

    Henry: I've never used the Amazing Slowdowner. I understand they're comparable. If you're already familiar with that, I doubt there's a reason to switch. I was comparing it to an inferior program, so I was pleased with the difference.
    Last edited by dingusmingus; 07-25-2014 at 03:10 PM. Reason: adresss Henry's question

  10. #9

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    I've sung the praises of Transcribe many a time on this forum. And in my estimation it's a must have...who in their right mind would go back to lifting tunes off records again?

    As to converting youtube files, aka flv files, to mp4 video files, that takes all of 10 seconds via countless free downloaders on the net.

    I use 'download helper'. It attaches to the Firefox browser. So, ANY website video that's playing back flash video's on your computer, youtube, etc., can be easily downloaded and saved onto your computer or alternate drive. Download types, including HQ mp4, are countless and many. The software has a conversion option, allowing you to download and convert flv. to mp4, automatically.

    https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...ownloadhelper/

    If you have a MAC, and why wouldn't you , then I'd highly recommend the flv crunch for conversion of all video file types....namely because it doesn't attach spying software onto your computer.

    http://download.cnet.com/Flv-Crunch/...-10909295.html


    Don't pay for a downloader...




    Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 07-25-2014 at 04:34 PM.

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by dingusmingus
    Well, it can't be must have, because the old guys used to just use a record player. Dwayne Alman apparently used his toe to to reset the record arm!

    My ears are slow, if improving slowly, so I sure appreciate the help. I try to do a phrase at a time, and sing along, until I'm pretty sure I have the notes, before I go to the guitar to double check.

    Anyway, if you're gonna use some software, this is good stuff!

    Henry: I've never used the Amazing Slowdowner. I understand they're comparable. If you're already familiar with that, I doubt there's a reason to switch. I was comparing it to an inferior program, so I was pleased with the difference.
    I used Amazing Slowdowner ("ASD") for a couple years before switching to Transcribe. I would say Transcribe is much, much better...easier to hone-in on what you are looping; easy to add tags ("end of Fmin phrase and anticipation of next chord begins etc"), EQ-ing can be useful sometimes, and there's a free trial so why not give it a try? I still have ASD on my iPhone but I haven't used it in ages. Perhaps because I never listen to music from my iPhone (I use a Fiio X3 which is far superior as a music player) so I don't have my current 'tunes to learn' on there.

    But more importantly, it is Duane Allman...not Dwayne Alman! I had to correct that. He was my entry point into jazz (Kind of Blue was his favorite album for the year prior to his death).
    Last edited by coolvinny; 07-25-2014 at 05:57 PM.

  12. #11

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    Why is it better than ASD?

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by coolvinny
    But more importantly, it is Duane Allman...not Dwayne Alman! I had to correct that. He was my entry point into jazz (Kind of Blue was his favorite album for the year prior to his death).
    Thanks Vinny!
    Last edited by dingusmingus; 07-25-2014 at 05:17 PM.

  14. #13

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    I have had Transcribe for a few years now. I really enjoy it when I get the chance to use it.
    Lately I've been using Anytune + on the I-Pad. I love, love this program. It reminds me a lot of transcribe.

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/anytune-pro+-slow-downer-music/id478293637?mt=8

    Check it out. If you use an I-Pad more than a laptop, checkout Anytune.

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by henryrobinett
    Why is it better than ASD?
    You force me to be more explicit !!


    - Displays waveforms (mono or stereo) for the song
    - Can select any part of a waveform, whatever small
    - Can attach text notes anywhere to the waveform (chords, section name, whatever)
    - Can set markers on the waveform (section, bar, beat)
    - Can automatically add a specified number of divisions between set markers (ex: 4 between bar markers, or 3 between beat markers). Helpful to quickly identify rythms
    - Recognizes and displays notes on a piano keyboard (along with an indication of the probability the note is correct)
    - Suggests chord names for the notes belonging in a selection
    - Can create a MIDI piano roll for the song (note recognition for the whole song. Recognition algorithm different from the keyboard note recognition, that means double check)
    - Can play the song video in sync with any selection in the waveform, taking into account slowdown and pitch change
    - Can slowdown up to 5% (ASD = 20%)
    - Plenty of keyboard shortcuts
    - Can use with a pedal system to launch actions (eliminate mouse mouvements).

    And

    - Cheaper (plus one month free trial period)
    - Written by a jazz guitarist who created what he needed
    - Well maintained and supported.

  16. #15

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    Sounds cool. Except I don't like the chord names suggestion. I can take or leave the waveform, piano roll thing. I like asd though I don't really use it too much these days. I was asking because I just can't imagine any features I'd need beyond slowing down, setting and saving locate points.

    But thanks.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by henryrobinett
    Why is it better than ASD?
    I like being able to add markers with notes and chord changes as well as save multiple loop selections and easily jump between them in transcribe. I've never used ASD so maybe you can do the same thing with that.

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jazzpunk
    I like being able to add markers with notes and chord changes as well as save multiple loop selections and easily jump between them in transcribe. I've never used ASD so maybe you can do the same thing with that.
    Yeah you can do that with asd.

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by dortmundjazzguitar
    plus you can use any foot controller to stop and start the loops. works even with a game contoller. making loops has been mentioned. the speed up by increments function is also very useful.

    Now that's cool. I don't know if you can do that with asd but I doubt it.

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by dingusmingus
    Well, it can't be must have, because the old guys used to just use a record player.
    Frank Vignola says he did this with Django records, slowed them down to 16 rpm (revolutions per minute.) Though this would drastically alter the pitch! I remember those "selector switches" on the record players of my youth. The options were 16, 33 (-an album), 45 (a single) and 78. My uncle Tommy had some old 78 rpm records, so I got to hear some of those. I never knew what the 16 was for----does anyone here??? Sometimes we kids would select 78 for records so that the voices would sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks. (I always thought this is how "Alvin" was discovered...)

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by dortmundjazzguitar
    plus you can use any foot controller to stop and start the loops. works even with a game contoller. making loops has been mentioned. the speed up by increments function is also very useful.
    Speeding up by increments would be very useful. When working with a metronome, you have to stop playing to raise the tempo. Worse, you (-or at least I) change hand positions doing so....

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by coolvinny
    But more importantly, it is Duane Allman...not Dwayne Alman! I had to correct that. He was my entry point into jazz (Kind of Blue was his favorite album for the year prior to his death).
    I was going to let that slide.... Ha, get it, "slide"? Duane Allman? I kill me....

    I loved Duane's playing. I still listen to "Mountain Jam" sometimes. (This was TWO sides of a double live album when it came out. In those dark days, one could put one record on a stereo and suspend another one above it, which would fall when the tone arm returned at the completion of the first one. We. Were. Amazed!)

    Duane did a lot of session work. Here's Duane on Wilson Pickett's version of "Hey Jude." (Shouldn't there be a comma there, as in "Hey, Jude..."?)

  23. #22

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    I have been using Transcribe for many, many years. I really think it is a great learning source and can highly recommend it.

    wiz

  24. #23

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    Transcribe is good, although I wouldn't go so far as to call it a "must-have" or "essential". Your ears are what is essential.

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by henryrobinett
    Sounds cool. Except I don't like the chord names suggestion. I can take or leave the waveform, piano roll thing. I like asd though I don't really use it too much these days. I was asking because I just can't imagine any features I'd need beyond slowing down, setting and saving locate points.

    But thanks.

    I rarely use the chord suggestions for sure ! The only interest I can see is to come up quickly with all possible namings for a set of notes ...

    The waveform view not useful per se, but because it's the place to anchor text notes and markers. That's very useful to keep track of a song analysis.

    The piano roll view is not useful per se either, but because one can click on a MIDI note in it and hear the corresponding sound, while the current selection is being played. That's a good way to be sure the software - and you - identified the right notes (both are prone to errors, specially the software when the song contains percussion sounds or many instruments). I agree one can play a note on a music instrument to the same intent, but it's convenient to be able to do so when you work on a song without an instrument at hand (eg while on travel with a laptop).

    Also because when zoomed in, one can follow the displayed notes in the piano roll view and compare them to the corresponding sound as well as see note durations (sustained notes, anticipation, etc ...). Put another way, helps to analyse the details of how the music piece is played / interpreted.

    The video view is invaluable on certain occasions, specially analyze the fingering.

    Transcribe! author, a jazz guitarist, says that all Transcribe! features have been added because he needed them or because he's been asked for them by users.

  26. #25

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    It is an excellent example of practical software-I like the "chord guess" function in particular. Very useful for working on chord melody material e.g. pieces by Johnny Smith and similar players.

    gstarfire