Canadian Musician - January / February 2020 | Page 25

GUITAR Hal Rodriguez is a published writer, music transcriber, and music teacher based in Toronto. He has studied with Greg Howe, transcribed music for guitarists such as Oz Noy, and interviewed artists such as John Scofield. Contact him at [email protected] and @jazzscriber on Instagram. By Hal Rodriguez Happy New Ears! W ould you like to become a better guitarist this New Year? If you’ve already made resolutions to this end for 2020, do yourself a favour and throw them in the trash; there’s only one resolution you need to make as a guitarist: train your ears. A musician with a well-trained ear can learn any song or solo with- out tabs, play the music they hear in their minds, and steal any of your licks. Wouldn’t you want that same advantage? The Process By now you’re wondering how to best train your ears. There’s one well-proven method used by many accomplished virtuosos such as Steve Vai: transcribe your favourite music. I’ve been transcribing music for almost 10 years, both for myself and as a freelance transcriber for guitarists such as Oz Noy, and it has helped me tremendously. Being able to learn music by ear and write it down is not only satisfying, but it gives me unlimited freedom to learn any lick, chord, or even genre that piques my curiosity. If you’ve never transcribed music before, here are five steps to get you started. I suggest you begin with figuring out single-note solos before you jump into chords as they are easier to hear in the beginning. Step 1: Technology Is Your Friend Pick a song with a solo that you are interested in learning and open it in an audio editor like GarageBand or Audacity. Stories abound of musicians in the past lifting needles on their record player and damag- ing their vinyl in the process of figuring out solos, but you’ll be much more efficient with an audio editor. Step 2: Start Slow If the solo features fast licks, slow down the tempo of the song to the point where you can easily hear each note. Audio editors like Garage- Band and Audacity allow you to do this without changing the pitch of the song. You’re now a step closer to figuring out those killer licks! Step 3: Learn & Loop One Bar at a Time Select a region of music that is equivalent to one bar and play it on loop. This will help you quickly learn a few groups of notes at a time without getting overwhelmed. After you’ve finished transcribing one bar, move on to the next. This way, you’re not just working hard; you’re working smart. Step 4: Write It Down You’ll be glad you’ve written down your favourite licks and solos when you forget them later on. Writing music down as tab and/or standard notation can be laborious, but using software like Guitar Pro can make the process faster. Writing it down also forces you to figure out the rhythm of the music and reinforces your familiarity with standard notation. Guitarists can be notorious for being poor sightreaders, so being able to read well gives you a competitive advantage over others. Step 5: Check Your Work Take regular breaks from transcribing so you can come back with fresh ears to play what you’ve written. Compare it to the recording and make sure your transcription is accurate. Fortunately, software like Guitar Pro also comes with a convenient playback feature where you can listen back to your transcription. Like developing any new skill, you should start with easy tasks and work your way up to the harder ones. For example, I wouldn’t recom- mend a shred solo as your first transcription if you’ve never transcribed before. When I first started transcribing jazz solos, I found it helpful to start with Charlie Christian’s blues licks before working my way up to Charlie Parker’s bebop choruses. Another benefit of having a trained ear is that you’ll be able to offer more as a musician on the job. For example, when working with singers, I can figure out the notes they’re singing and then arrange vocal harmonies on the spot. When teaching students, I can figure out any music they want to learn and write it out for them to practice without consulting inaccurate tabs online or buying scores. I’ve also been able to audition for bands without sheet music as I can learn their sets by listening to their recordings on YouTube. Simply put, train your ears this year because it will make you a better musician. CANADIAN MUSICIAN 25