Creativity Through Transcription
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. Depend- ing on the environment, there can be an incredible opportunity for a solo- ist 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 creat- ing in the moment.
During formative years, my creative vo- cabulary was extremely limited. Reach- ing out to a number of mentors and teachers, I quickly learned that, through the process of transcription, I could in- stantly find ideas and lines to take and add to my growing library of informa- tion. Tis 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 listen- ing to music. Tis 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 mu- sic 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.
Te 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 tran- scription as described above would leave
the player with a less meaningful under- standing 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 Bal- cony Jump.” Tis 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 dras- tically. Tere 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 what- ever you study is something that you can keep for your reference for the rest of your life.
Te key for me staying sane and moti- vated while transcribing is to be aware of two very important things: 1) the har- mony of the tune from which the solo is transcribed, and 2) the difficulty of the solo in relation to your ability on the instrument. Te 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. Te latter of the two ideas is relatively self-explana- tory and that is to say that you should be realistic. Do not dive into something beyond your ability. Tis 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. Tus, the information no lon- ger 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 pa- rameters previously discussed, keeping in mind that everything you do with tran- scription 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.
Originally from Normal, IL, 21 year-old Saxophonist-Composer, Rico Reeds and BARI Mouth- pieces Performing Artist ADAM LARSON, began playing saxo-
phone at the age of 11. At age 19 he was described by critic Howard Reich of Te Chicago-Tribune as “ a player for whom the word ‘prodigious’ was coined.” Larson has garnered numerous awards that showcase his abilities as a performer and a composer. Among those was being selected as the winner of the 2010 Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition for Jazz Saxophone He was also a member of the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts Jazz Fellows Sextet, receiving the Silver Award for Jazz Saxophone, a member of the prestigious 2008 Gibson/ Baldwin Grammy Jazz Ensemble, 2007 and 2008 Monterey Jazz Festival Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, 2007 and 2008 Jazz Band of America, 2008 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Residency Program, 2008 Telluride Student Jazz All-Stars, was the Jupiter XO Solo Competition winner, and was one of fifteen invitees to the 2006 Steans Institute for Young Art- ists at Ravinia, Chicago IL. Larson was also featured in the April 2008 Edition of Saxophone Journal.
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