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