If you haven't been keeping up with me (like you should have), I made a schedule within my first week of this project that outlined what I wanted to accomplish. Basically, I had myself learning everything I needed about transcribing and the program that I would be using to assist so I could get into the real work as soon as possible. Looking back, I might have overshot a little. I'll get more into that later.
(Here's what the software looks like by the way. It's called Transcribe!, I know, what a creative name. I thought that you guys might want to know what I'm actually working with before I really get down into it.)
Transcribe!
This program is a nifty little thing. Now when I first came up with this idea, I had this misconception that I would somehow be able to simply listen to things and write down exactly what I heard, despite the fact that I definitely wasn't born with a musical ear.
(That's Beethoven by the way. Did you know even he used Transcribe?)
After exploring for a bit, I figured out that I was very very wrong. Even those who are experienced with transcription don't just transcribe by ear. Instead, they use software, much like mine, in order to be able to alter the music to make the transcribing process easier. After looking around for a bit online, I found that Transcribe! was widely suggested, and decided to get it even though it won't last me the entire duration of the genius project (I'm going to have to pay the subscription fee :( ). Now here comes the problem, Transcribe turns out to be kindddaaa difficult to use.
When I first started, I couldn't understand a thing. I knew that it was supposed to allow you to do all sorts of cool stuff (bookmarking points in music, taking out vocals, slowing things down), but I couldn't figure it out. However, after some experimenting, and many Youtube videos, I think I'm getting the hang of it. I should be ready to start with the actual transcriptions by about the middle of next week. I have some of the videos that helped me below.
When I first started, I couldn't understand a thing. I knew that it was supposed to allow you to do all sorts of cool stuff (bookmarking points in music, taking out vocals, slowing things down), but I couldn't figure it out. However, after some experimenting, and many Youtube videos, I think I'm getting the hang of it. I should be ready to start with the actual transcriptions by about the middle of next week. I have some of the videos that helped me below.
Your project looks like it would take a look of work, especially if you usually play with music in front of you, instead of playing by ear. What piece(s) are you planning to transcribe and what genre (I'm assuming classical since that's what you play and there's a picture of Beethoven in your blog)?
ReplyDeleteLooks good so far! I like how you shared your setbacks, but I'm glad you're overcoming them. What software programs are you planning on using? Looking forward to seeing your progress!!
ReplyDeleteThough I'm sure your struggles were frustrating, I'm sure they probably helped you to learn the software and work around certain issues. I also play the piano and I think that the Transcribe software is really cool and usefull. I can't wait to see how exactly you are able to take out the other aspects of the song and extract your final product!
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