How to properly transcribe?

[ChunkyMunky]

I've seen all kinds of sheet music for various basslines (MarloweDK's site for one comes up in my mind) and I'd love to know how to do it properly. I've had a whack at it by writing out basslines like Earth, Wind and Fire's 'September' and everyone's fabulous favourite - YMCA. Both of which had relatively limited success, although I was kind of impressed with it to begin with.

To anyone whose fairly fluent at listening to something and then writing it down on notational paper, what's your advice for someone to start out with it all? Obviously, I'm not wanting to notate the syncopated slurries of Jaco or Rocco, but you get the jist! Thanks all.

[Bilbo]

Transcribe software. You can slow stuff down without changing pitch. It is not expensive and wotth every penny.

http://www.seventhstring.com/

[ChunkyMunky]

I've already got it, it's great stuff and thanks for the recommendation. I think I'm probably not explaining myself very well but I'm trying to learn how to write what's in my head and hands onto pen and paper, you know? Any ideas?

[moonbass]

This site looks pretty good for the basics:
http://www.musictheory.net/lessons
I'd bear in mind that learning music theory properly can be like learning a new language, and might take longer than you would think (and a lot of it is pretty dull!)

[Bilbo]

It is a case of understanding the process of reading music but in reverse. You know what it sounds like so, by default, you should know what it would look like on papaer. The only thing you need to do over and above the reading part is to be able to recognise intervals by ear and to relate them to theory. If, for instance, your line says root to b7, you need to decide what key you are in to identify the root and what the flat seventh note is (C - Bb, F - Eb etc). It is all about ear-training. It isn't easy but it does get easier the more you do it.

[dlloyd]

I find it reasonably easy but I had ear training/transcription lessons when I was at school. They involved a lot of clapping written rhythms, singing intervals in tonic sol fa (do re mi fa so la ti do, etc), getting you to be able to recognise rhythms and intervals and convert them to written music.

There's no trick to it, you just have to learn it in a slow, methodical fashion and practice.

[TKenrick]

Your ability to read directly impacts your ability to write things down quickly and accurately, particularly from a rhythmic point of view. This is something that can easily be practised and developed away from an instrument - a good use of time spent in waiting rooms or on public transport, provided you don't mind funny looks from those around you...

As far as developing your inner ear to the point where you can hear a melody and notate it immediately without the need for an instrument goes it's a long process (I'm still nowhere near it...). Learning to recognise intervals relative to a key centre is a vital part of this, I found that working through [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hearing-Writing-Music-Professional-Training/dp/0962949671/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393507825&sr=8-1&keywords=hearing+and+writing+music+professional+training+for+today%27s+musician"]Hearing and Writing Music[/url] was a big help, as is [url="http://www.joehubbardbass.com/473/ear-training/"]this Charlie Banacos exercise[/url] for developing relative pitch.

[lobematt]

I'm not the best reader around but I do a lot of transcriptions, one thing I find helpful when trying to notate the line you;re working on is to find which notes are falling on definite beats, like beat 1 or beat 3 and go from there. Also trying to figure out the smallest subdivision, eg 8th notes and split the whole bar into eighth notes and tidy it up later. As everyone else has said, it's not easy but it does get easier!