Transcribing with a foot pedal

The other night I met with a friend who wanted to see what kinds of computer tools I use for learning and writing music. We spent most of our time on Band in a Box and Transcribe! Today I want to talk about Transcribe! because I use it daily and just got a foot pedal for it that makes it so much fun I can hardly stop transcribing.

Transcribing is one of the most important methods for learning jazz. It is great ear training, improves the vocabulary, and helps you to hear not just phrases but how to play those phrases with inflections, accents, etc.

For years I’ve used a program called  Transcribe! to markup the music so I can find passages easily, slow it down or speed it up, loop sections, and change the key. The software does quite a bit more but these are the main reasons I use it.

Jazz & the Mind of the Improviser

Jazz & the Mind of the Improviser is the title of a 10-week course, taught by Mary Ann Stephenson and Jerry Sanders. The deadline for signing up is tomorrow! The course is taught over the lunch hour at the Downtown Senior Center and is open to all ages. Jerry is a musician and very experienced teacher (more about Jerry at a later date). It sounds interesting. Here’s the publicity blurb:

The course begins Monday November 24, from 12-1:30 pm. This course includes a survey of the various periods from earliest beginnings through modern jazz, an examination of the task of the improviser as she/he attempts to compose a new melody “on the fly.” A variety of informational sources will be used including the Teaching Company course entitled Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion by Prof. Bill Messenger. The cost is $10 charge. Advance registration in necessary, call 266-6581 (deadline is Thursday, November 20.)

Cheap Soundproof Booth Available

If you live in an apartment or have had issues with trying to practice without bothering others, then you have probably often wished for a sound proof room. Soundproofing a room can be a big ordeal (it took months and thousands of dollars to do my basement), so maybe you’ve wondered about a soundproof booth. The only one I’ve seen advertised is the Whisper Room. I don’t know much about these except the price tag puts it out of range for most of us. Several weeks ago I surfed to the UW Swap shop to check out the latest surplus and what do you know, they have a sound proof booth listed for $30. Now I haven’t checked it out so who knows what it really is, but I have gotten some amazing deals through the swap shop. Their website still lists it as in stock today. Just giving a head’s up in case you need something like this.