You are given an audio file of a jazz tune and asked to transcribe a solo.

You will:

• Acquire and open the project files (an audio file and a Transcribe session).
• Locate the solo in the tune and transcribe it on staff paper
• Enter your notation into a notation software program
• Share your work

•From the link at the top of the page, download the project files to your work folder.

This will download a .zip file. If necessary, double-click the file's icon to decompress it. The folder contains two files: an audio file of Take the A Train by Duke Ellington, and a file formatted for the transcription application Transcribe.

•Rename the project folder using your first and last name.

•Open the project folder and find the file a_train.xsc. Drag its icon to the Transcribe icon in the Dock to open it.

The extension .xsc identifies the file as a Transcribe-formatted file.

Transcribe can be found in the Applications folder if its icon is not in the Dock.

•In Transcribe open, go Help > Transcribe Help to open the local Transcribe Help file.

This is a thorough and comprehensible help file, and you might take a few minutes to browse thru it. In particular, you might peruse the Commands link (under Various Topics) where keyboard shortcuts are addressed.

•At the bottom of the window, find the transport controls, and hit the Play button to start playback. Make sure you can hear the audio and adjust the playback volume as necessary.

If your window does not show the triangular shapes under the waveform, go View > Navigation Bar and select Show.

Note the red triangle at the left of the navigation bar. If you hit the Stop button to end playback, the start point will revert to that spot. This helps if you want to always start from the same point and play that section several times. If you want to continue playing from the stopped spot, hit the Pause button instead.

•If you like, play thru the tune until you find the solo (it starts at bar 36). Click there in either the Navigation Bar or above the waveform to reset the location of the start point.

USE SPEED & EQ CONTROLS

•At the top of the window, click the button marked 50%, then play the tune and notice the change.

One great feature of Transcribe is the ability to change the speed of the playback without changing the pitch.

You can experiment with different speeds until you find one that allows you to hear and process the notes of the solo the best.

•Now go Window > Audio Effects and Controls to open the Audio Effects and Controls window.

•From the tabs at the top of the window, click EQ.

•Try changing setting in this window to more closely reveal the trumpet solo.

TRANSCRIBE THE SOLO

•Using blank staff paper, transcribe (notate) the solo by hand.

There is sheet music with the chord changes available by request from your instructor.

CREATE A FINALE FILE

•Using notation software Finale, create a new single staff file.

You can use the Default Document or the Setup Wizard. If you use Setup Wizard create a concert-pitch file, not a transposed Trumpet file.

CREATE THE TRANSCRIPTION

•Enter the notes from your handwritten transcription in Finale.

You can use either Simple Entry or Speedy Entry. If you are unfamiliar with Finale, feel free to use the tutorials Finale provides to learn those skills.

•Add chord symbols to match the chords from the original piece.

•You are free to notate a different solo if you like. You would need to create your own Transcribe file, and place section and measure markings as needed.

•You may use Sibelius or another notation program if you choose.

•When you are finished, create a PDF version of your file and post it to your web page, or include your name in the file name and submit to the course dropbox.