Let Post And Discuss Transcriptions!

I noticed a distinct lack of transcriptions here. While not necessary to composing, I find transcriptions offer up valuable melodic and harmonic ideas. It is great for a performer to transcribe to understand another performer's style, but a composer can easily analyze a solo for its harmonic content. I'm constantly amazed at how soloist like Ronnie Cuber weave in and out of chord changes spontaneously.

The first transcription I'm going to post is Dig from his album In A New York Minute in Concert Pitch, Bass, Eb Transposed and Bb Transposed. This is his full, 4 chorus solo, in all its glory. I have also included my analysis of his solo here, in concert bass clef for analysis purposes.

Anyone else doing the transcriptions? Do you find it useful? What, for you, is the most difficult part of transcribing? What do you find the most useful to transcribe? What's your favorite transcription youve made?

The wonderful thing about transcriptions is that they only get easier the longer you do them. I find saxophonists the most useful to transcribe (but that might be because I'm a saxophonist), and big band arrangements (although those can be seriously difficult to transcribe, totally worth it). My favorite transcription I've made was of Ronnie Cuber's solo on Mingus' Moanin'

I do some transcriptions too (just a few, in fact). It's good to exercise idiomatic use of instruments, as well as a good way to express your analytic point of view of the piece.