Transcription Article for WMEA

A transcription assignment: learning and improvising

Welcome to winter in the Northwest all you music teachers! By now you’ve probably finished some great fall concerts and have wrapped up the football band obligations. In my last article I presented a list of issues and systems that jazz teachers could consider when trying to get their students to improvise more and at a higher level. This article is a bit of a continuation of that theme.

In an effort to keep jazz band about learning and improvising and not just performing the jazz ensemble arrangements, I like to have my students get into a transcription project that helps them understand one of the main tools for developing authentic “jazz vocabulary.” I realize that playing another artist’s work isn’t always considered creative. However, if jazz is a language, imitation is a great way to focus on the nuance of great artists as well as a method to strengthen the ears of the players. Transcription may be considered equally important to learning the “scale to chord” theory that has become so popular in jazz education. Another added benefit is that this assignment is one of the best ways to get students to do some intentional and repetitive listening. Another benefit of the assignment is that the rhythm section of the band will learn many tunes and be able to play and recognize at least 20-25 different selections.

For your consideration I’m copying the assignment below–please feel free to use it or refine it for your level. Parents and students have told me that this is the most important and enjoyable assignment of the year. It’s a great way to showcase each student and have all of the members of the group hear and appreciate many of the masters. Plus, it’s just fun to hear. We hold the final performance at a local venue, Roy’s Place at Kennelly Keys Music in Lynnwood. The Home-Ec class makes cookies and coffee, and the presentation feels a bit like a jazz club with bistro-style seating. There is a grand piano, drum kit and a nice PA system plus lights, so it all feels pretty professional. We also accept donations and use it as a fund-raiser.

I’m adding some commentary in italics. The main focus of this assignment is language development, not necessarily proper notation of the solo in question. Some students may decide to share tunes, which helps cut down the length of the evening. Also hiring a professional rhythm section is another option if you find yourself struggling to get this much music out of your own players.

Of course transcription is a great tool for all types of musical study; I recommend a series of articles in In-Tune magazine by Jon Chappell for a thorough review of basic music theory that can be helpful.

“Solo Night ” Assignment 2010 Edmonds-Woodway HS Jazz

Assignment Date: September 29, 2010

Due Date: November 17, 2010

Purpose:

To refine independence, develop solo vocabulary, increase knowledge of jazz repertoire and gain additional opportunity performing. This project should help you to produce an asset for use when auditioning for camps, colleges, other groups, etc.

Timeline:

October 5–Have tunes chosen and submit for approval, including lead sheet and recording; begin listening constantly and memorizing. I have found that given free rein, the students might choose a piece that is too ambitious or not quite in the style that I’m hoping to cultivate. By having them produce lead sheets early on, it saves a bunch of time later as their rhythm section accompanists won’t have time to study each recording as deeply as the main soloist has.

October 7–Approval of selection by Mr. Bergevin

October 12–Lead sheets and recordings to rhythm section–these should be         submitted on CD so that they can be used on campus for listening in addtion to being emailed to the rhythm section members. Some class time will be used for rehearsing; having the lead sheets and CDs on file saves time.

October 12–First 8 bars of transcription due by singing and playing live

October 23–Second 8 bars of transcription due; head memorized

October 30–Last 16 bars of transcription due; chord changes memorized           

November 6 & 7–Play for class–turn in the written transcription for final evaluation, turn in a PowerPoint file with four photos and biography of artist

November 17–Thursday, perform it for an audience of parents/guests and present the PowerPoint as part of the introduction to the performance.

Guidelines for Picking Tunes:

•    Choose a standard, AABA form, no blues tunes. Select a recording of a consummate jazz artist–The Greats from the 1950s and 1960s–a list may be in order here–I recommend Hank Mobley, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Kelly, Ray Brown, etc.

•    Solo should be not too fast, not too busy, not extreme in register

•    Solo must have evidence of jazz vocabulary–specific stylistic elements that are now well known to be standard jazz phrases

•    Solo should be somewhat repetitive in nature–evidence of melodic memory

Steps for Success:

Pick a tune that you like–it should be considered a standard, ideas to figure out if it’s a standard include:

1.  Can you find several recordings of it easily–library, friends, record store, etc.

2.  Can you find a lead sheet of it easily–Real book, Aebersolds, etc.

     •    Practice it in many different situations:

          o  With the original recording

          o  With Jamie Aebersold in the right key

          o  Solo with a metronome

          o  With a live rhythm section

     •    Play for many people and get advice (teachers, friends, cats)

     •    Record yourself (and listen to it) many times

     •    Want a challenge? Consider composing a solo that is similar over the changes

Grading:

Each deadline is worth five points. This final performance will be worth 20 points; total for the project is 50 points–a very heavily-weighted project. You should give a good deal of your practice time to being successful.

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I hope you might consider this lesson in an effort to heighten the appreciation and understanding of jazz and improvisation in your ensemble classes. I hope to see you in Bellevue at the conference in February–drop into my session on quality charts featuring WSU Jazz Ensemble with Greg Yazinitsky. As always, feel free to drop me a line (jazz@wmea.org) and let me know how it turned out. Best of luck!