# Tips on transcribing chords



## JulianF (Sep 9, 2017)

I can transcribe melodies fine cause they are usually in the high end and standout but when it comes to bass/chords, I can't. 

I try hearing for the bass line but it's too much of a mess.

Thanks


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## BenG (Sep 9, 2017)

I think that listening for the bass line is really your best option. It gives a really clear idea of the harmonic progression, inversion, and so forth.

Other than that, you can usually use some theory, orchestration and counterpoint conventions to fill out the inner chord voicings.


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## tack (Sep 9, 2017)

I first listen for the top note of the chord. If the bass note isn't clear (sometimes in dense orchestrations it can indeed be a little slippery) then I've no qualms about using an EQ to isolate the bass frequencies to hear them better. Then I listen for the quality of the chord: major, minor, suspended, 7th, etc. And with that you know enough to determine the inversion. Finally I listen for extensions, and just fill in the pieces until my ear tells me I've got it matched.


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## Daniel Petras (Sep 9, 2017)

Slowing down the recording really helps to discern each note from the whole. Also, having a good understanding of harmony helps to make educated guesses.


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## Rob (Sep 9, 2017)

all of the above, and grab a program like "transcribe" (https://www.seventhstring.com/xscribe/overview.html) or the IOS app "audiostretch" that does similar things. Not only you slow down the track, but if you select a portion of the waveform it shows you the content on a piano keyboard...


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## Saxer (Sep 9, 2017)

Listening to bass gets really easy when you transpose the complete track one octave up. Even if it plays at double speed.


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## wst3 (Sep 9, 2017)

the other thing, which I'm once again in the midst of, is just play chords, and sequences of closely related chords. Play Maj7, Dom7, Min7, or Maj to #5, or minor to b5, or Maj to add 9 or add 11, and so on. Get the feel of the sound of these chords in your head. Just a thought.


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## agarner32 (Sep 9, 2017)

All really good advice from various folks. One thing that really helps is developing a pretty solid harmonic vocabulary. I teach classical theory and I really drill my student's ears. Once they understand a particular harmonic concept, we work on hearing it. Since I transcribed so many jazz pianists, I now just hear voicings and pretty instantly know what the chord is. I had pretty good ears naturally, but I certainly wasn't any kind of genius and I don't have perfect pitch. As an example, I can hear something like a dominant 13th with a b9 and #11 and know instantly what it is because I have heard a gazillion times. It's just like recognizing any other chord - you just memorize the sound. Then it all goes to shit when you transcribe Herbie Hancock.

Listening to the bass can help, but if the bass is not the root you still have to hear the quality. Same with the melody. I like Tack's approach.


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## ctsai89 (Sep 9, 2017)

always listen to the bass first, if you don't have the bass down yet then forget the inner voices and chords. 

I have trouble with inner voices and in fact most people can't get all the inner voices right. They can get most of the notes in there but to get all of them right in the right octave is pretty hard because of sometimes in synthestration or orchestration those notes are doubled in octaves. Anyways you might also need some music analyzing skills, being able to name how chord sound by calling it "major or minor" and its inversions. You can pause and ask yourself, does that chord sound happy or sad? but don't be fooled because some major chords sound sad in context of a song and vice versa. etc. Get yourself some jazz music piano lessons maybe?  best of luck. 

It's hard for me to relate to you people who learned it. I was taught but I also knew how to jot down music by ear because I was born with perfect pitch (lucky me) but that doesn't mean it's truly a gift. I can never be as great as Wagner, who deosn't have perfect pitch :(.


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## mikeh-375 (Sep 10, 2017)

ctsai,
I'm so jealous. However, as good as my relative pitch is, I felt sorry for a fellow student at the Royal Academy when I was there. She had PP but could not get her head around transposing instruments and consequently had terrible trouble listening to music whilst reading a transposed score. I hope you didn't have that problem...


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## ctsai89 (Sep 10, 2017)

mikeh-375 said:


> ctsai,
> I'm so jealous. However, as good as my relative pitch is, I felt sorry for a fellow student at the Royal Academy when I was there. She had PP but could not get her head around transposing instruments and consequently had terrible trouble listening to music whilst reading a transposed score. I hope you didn't have that problem...



I have way too much of that problem. Constantly irritates me having to read orchestral scores especially those Bb instruments and the ones in F.

I'd be so pissed about my life if my mother made me play 2 instruments that had different transpositions with each other but luckily enough I play the cello and piano

Recognizing in the exact octave a pitch is in is also a difficulty

I'd say there are even more disabilities that is associated with AP when it comes to playing string instruments especially when playing with an orchestra not tuned to the standard 440.

Sometimes reading double sharps and flats are pain in the ass as well

And in a way and very subtly it limits my creativity when i compose

Mental disorders like ADHD and high functioninv autism, high IQ and OCD are found in high frequency amongst us and I was not surprised to have met most of the criteria for ADHD

It's the best to not be born with AP but to have learned it through ear training


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## The Darris (Sep 10, 2017)

The saying that has literally saved me so much time. "When an instrument plays a "C" the name of the instrument comes out." My theory teacher taught this to me years ago and I've never forgotten it. I completely understand transposing instruments. It totally makes sense when you think about keeping things visually tidy and easy to read for a player. However, I'd much rather use different clefs versus transposing keys. I love that Bruce Broughton writes for his French Horns in Alto Clef and in C versus F. It makes so much sense. There are a lot of instruments that could make use of that clef a lot more. Too bad they don't.


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## mikeh-375 (Sep 11, 2017)

Bad luck ctsai. I can sort of understand what a pain this must be. The girl I mentioned was indeed a string player and yes, that just compounded the issue.
Anyway apologies to the OP for my instigating a digression.





ctsai89 said:


> I have way too much of that problem. Constantly irritates me having to read orchestral scores especially those Bb instruments and the ones in F.
> 
> I'd be so pissed about my life if my mother made me play 2 instruments that had different transpositions with each other but luckily enough I play the cello and piano
> 
> ...


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