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I Think This is a Great Lesson

Attached is a PDF. I think these types of exercises are invaluable. However they take a lot of time in the beginning and get easier towards the end. But you are a changed musician at the end.

Put the chords in (it's All the Things You Are). Analyze it a little bit.

Play it and memorize it.

Put it through all the keys, from memory. This is the very very important part. Eventually the melodies will be in your head and you will go to the right notes. You'll then see alterations in other keys, you'll be training your ears. I did so much of all this, back in the day!

Has anyone used the Transcribe! software program?

One of my professors is assigning a lot of transcriptions (not just jazz; it's a class on various world musics) and suggested we buy the Transcribe! software program. Has anyone used this? Is it worth spending money on as opposed to using something free like Audacity? Most students in the class don't do much transcribing, so I've got an advantage since I've been transcribing jazz licks. I've always transcribed by ear and been fine with that so I'm hesitant to spend money on a program when I don't even use the free stuff.

I Posted This Before But For a Different Reason (Easy Exercise)

I've posted this simple exercise before. I'm reposting for a different reason.

I think doing this scale exercise fast and well means a shift in your thinking. Everyone has trouble doing it at first. At first we look at the bottom note of the double stop and the exercise is difficult to do. After a while you will shift your thinking and you will see this from the top note, which is the goal. I accompany myself in this way. That is playing a line and using mallet one to accompany the line.