Creativity Through Transcription

Photo by Will Boisture

Creativity Through Transcription

(from the 2011 Winter Edition of The Illinois Music Educators Association Journal)

Creativity–a source of contemplation, angst, and enjoyment is something that the musician always seeks. I often am having to police myself about playing material that I have played countless times before in a current solo. Depending on the environment, there can be an incredible opportunity for a soloist to develop a solo that is both new/fresh for himself and for the musicians around him. Getting to this point however does not happen overnight. In fact, developing and continuing to develop an arsenal of vocabulary you can draw upon and incorporate in your playing over changes is vital to being able to move toward the ability to “un-cuff” yourself from the stranglehold that chord changes can present to the musician who desires to truly be creating in the moment. 

During formative years, my creative vocabulary was extremely limited. Reaching out to a number of mentors and teachers, I quickly learned that, through the process of transcription, I could instantly find ideas and lines to take and add to my growing library of information. This was crucial for me, for it was the first time that I found myself playing ideas, phrases and lines that were what I had been listening to and hoping to play, but previously had not. 

Chances are good that when I am not practicing my instrument, I am listening to music. This was especially true of my routine in high school. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to be an active listener. Critical listening enriches one’s understanding of the music and the history of it as well. When I started transcribing I did not transcribe entire solos; rather, I would transcribe lines that I liked and then would practice these lines in all twelve keys. 

The topic of transcription seems to be one in which many different viewpoints exist amongst teachers and players alike. For many, the idea of going about transcription as described above would leave the player with a less meaningful understanding of the player’s soloing. Where I completely respect this concept, I know that my ear at age 12 was not ready to take on the process of transcribing an entire Bird solo. In fact, it was all that I could do to lift a single line from one of the master’s solos–but how satisfying it felt when I did! 

When I was 14, I had the good fortune of attending Birch Creek Summer Jazz Program. My mentor, Doug Stone gave me the assignment of transcribing Dexter Gordon’s solo on “Second Balcony Jump.” This would be the first full solo that I would transcribe from start to end. It took me almost an entire week to get through it, but as a result my ears and my ability to recognize how harmony worked improved drastically. There is an immense amount of joy that can come from going through the pains of transcribing a solo, and the information that you grab from whatever you study is something that you can keep for your reference for the rest of your life. 

The key for me staying sane and motivated while transcribing is to be aware of two very important things: 1) the harmony of the tune from which the solo is transcribed, and 2) the difficulty of the solo in relation to your ability on the instrument. The former is of the utmost importance, for there is much less to be gained from transcribing a solo to which you do not know what chords the notes you are transcribing go over. The latter of the two ideas is relatively self-explanatory and that is to say that you should be realistic. Do not dive into something beyond your ability. This will cause only frustration and will inevitably be a waste of your valuable practice time. 

Once you have done a sizeable amount of transcribing and you have processed the information along with the recording (ad nausea), the final and perhaps most rewarding/creative part of transcription can be achieved. What I speak of is the chance for you take the information you have learned and start to put “your own spin” on it. Thus, the information no longer owns you, but rather you start to own it; respecting where and who it came from, while putting your own stamp on it. In theory, through this process it is then possible for one to have the tools necessary to construct a great solo; one that can develop in the moment and have maximum potential to be uniquely distinct and creative. 

In closing, I would urge anyone curious about the language of the music to dive in head-first with awareness of the parameters previously discussed, keeping in mind that everything you do with transcription is an investment; one that will undoubtedly deepen your understanding of the language and the masters who created the history of the music before us. You will be empowered, through this remarkable repertoire, with the chance to create yourself. 

Until next time,

Adam Larson