Transcribing by ear
  • unfatmatt
    Posts: 29
    What is the best way to learn to transcribe by ear? There are so many chants I'd love to learn, but can't find the music anywhere. One in particular is the Alleluia from the Mass of St. Sebaldus on Das Ganesbuch by Schola Hungarica. I'd love to use the Alleluia refrain and insert other verses.

    What's the best way to start?
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    Someplace where you can tap in notes on the screen and hear them and then write them down.

    http://www.globalchant.org/index.php

    I initially thought that this offered a chant staff to place notes on and listen to, but it does not. Anyone know of such a beast (not to insult the geese!).

    Eventually it appears you will be able to buy a DVD of the entire book to view which will be incredible. The Geesebook!

    http://www.public.asu.edu/~cschleif/

    The fox reminds me of a tenor I once knew.
  • Jeffrey CogginsJeffrey Coggins
    Posts: 360
    I would try contacting Schola Hungarica to see if they can give you any information about the piece you're interested in. They might have printed music for it:
    Email: ingram.johanna@upcmail.hu

    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=303614339043

    Sure, they're Hungarian ... maybe you could send them a Babelfish translated e-mail.

    Transcribing by ear can take a long time regardless of how good you are at it. It depends on how complex something is and how detailed you want it to be (how "perfect" you want it). Sometimes it's easy to dictate something on the first listen, and then other times you have to listen to it over and over and over ... I guess you have to think about how long it'll probably take you and decide if it's worth your time. Having the printed music in front of you gives you the opportunity to interpret the music yourself, instead of transcribing it and then basing it on someone else's performance/interpretation.

    I remember transcribing a piece from a movie soundtrack for a friend's student recital. It took such a long time because I wanted it to sound as close to the recording as possible. Unfortunately, I was sick of it by the end of it, but I still like the piece.

    Being a music major, you take "sight-singing and ear-training" classes which [should] involve a lot of dictation/transcribing. I assume that you haven't done much dictation/transcribing before based on your question. In a nutshell, the best way to first learn is to take baby steps and do easy dictation exercises. First break things down - do pitch and rhythm separately, then put them together. After doing that well, increase the difficulty of the exercises a little each time.

    I also assume that you know how to read music, but you'll also have to be able to identify intervals. For an online "ear trainer", I've always thought this website was very helpful:
    http://www.good-ear.com/
  • Jeffrey CogginsJeffrey Coggins
    Posts: 360
    Characteristically, Schola Hungarica does not rely on modern practical editions but uses the material of medieval sources as a basis, drawing thereby a realistic picture of some local plainchant tradition of the Middle Ages. Since the overwhelming majority of the sung items are not available in literature, the recordings of the Schola can also be regarded as a kind of publication.


    http://www.chantvillage.com/bio.php?k=13&h=1

    I still wonder if they made their own printed copy for their use and would be interested in sharing it. You'd be surprised if you contact arrangers and composers about their work.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,872
    unfatmatt

    if you point me to the sound file, i will transcribe it for you... i know this doesn't solve your desire to learn yourself, but the least i can do is give you the music for the piece you mentioned above. after i hear it, i will tell you how long it will take.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    Fixed Do Keyboard online piano

    http://www.people.vcu.edu/~bhammel/theory/resources/flash/fixed do keyboard.swf
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