26 votes

Truth behind Mozart memorizing Miserere and then writing it down later in full

I wasn't there, but I would not find it completely out of the question. In every field of expertise, experts are capable of chunking information in ways that amateurs are not. An expert listener ...
microtherion's user avatar
24 votes
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How can I slow down a YouTube video I'm trying to analyze or transcribe?

There are at least two options: Option 1: You can slow down the video by changing the Playback Speed setting Below are browser instructions (mobile instructions are here) Click on the Settings menu ...
Aaron's user avatar
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23 votes
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Truth behind Mozart memorizing Miserere and then writing it down later in full

Neuroscience still can't explain some of the amazing things human brains can do. A person alive in our time has interesting and similar ability to mentally manage music in a way that suggests that ...
Adam Davis's user avatar
21 votes

Truth behind Mozart memorizing Miserere and then writing it down later in full

It's worth noting that the Miserere is extremely repetitive. For example, this version is roughly 15 minutes long, but you get all the melodic and harmonic content in the first 2:45 except for the ...
Micah's user avatar
  • 1,569
21 votes

How can I slow down a YouTube video I'm trying to analyze or transcribe?

I'd probably recommend starting with the built-in YouTube controls. But for the sake of completeness here's another workflow that makes use of 3rd party software called a "phrase trainer" or ...
user66401's user avatar
  • 854
21 votes
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How to notate 3 quarters framed by eighths?

Let's discuss the pros and cons of each version, albeit slightly out of order: Version 3 This one is mainly non-ideal because of the half note that crosses the midpoint of the first measure. A sight ...
Richard's user avatar
  • 83.2k
17 votes

Truth behind Mozart memorizing Miserere and then writing it down later in full

All documented resources I can find agree with the story. The Pope, instead of excommunicating Mozart, conferred on him the Order of the Golden Spur, a papal knighthood, for "contributing to the glory ...
KeithS's user avatar
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17 votes
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Transcribing as music and relative pitch practice?

Transcribing music is EXCELLENT ear training practice. I like to tell students that transcribing one song to completion is like an entire semester of ear training. Don’t just listen for intervals and ...
jjmusicnotes's user avatar
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15 votes

Should one transcribe granular 16th information in sung melodies?

Whether you transcribe literally or not depends on your purpose. If you want to communicate as precisely as possible how the melody is sung, then use the greatest granularity manageable. However, if ...
Aaron's user avatar
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12 votes
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How to transcribe the impossible?

All transcribed notation is an approximation. The classic dots and stems are simply not adequate for many types of music. But before we even talk about transcription, consider that many composers ...
NReilingh's user avatar
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10 votes
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Why did Anna Magdalena Bach write funny accidentals sometimes?

Yes, this seems to have been Bach's (and his family's) practice in the early part of his career. Schweitzer mentions it in his book 'Bach' (1911). I don't think anyone's come up with a plausible ...
Laurence's user avatar
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10 votes
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Can this chord be played or is it transcribed incorrectly?

The transcription is correct. Below is a screenshot from a YouTube video that includes the score. To play the chord, play the grace note (A#) with your pinky, and hold it with the pedal. The remainder ...
Aaron's user avatar
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8 votes

How to transcribe the impossible?

To build on NReilingh's great answer, anything* is transcribable. Transcription is just making music so that it can be communicated visually to another musician. Most conventional music makes a trade ...
Josiah's user avatar
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8 votes
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Transcribing music which has no obvious metre

If I were transcribing this, I would approach it just like you have--by tackling one bar at a time. Then I would follow this method. Within each bar, I would use with the right hand melody/solo line ...
jdjazz's user avatar
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7 votes
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Confused by overtones when transcribing music

I think your idea is definitely reasonable: an emphasis in the treble part of any sound will tend to emphasize higher partials which could throw off your transcription. This is vastly more likely to ...
Pat Muchmore's user avatar
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6 votes
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How to transcribe Indian classical music using Western music notation?

Most melodies - in any style - can be transcribed using: 1) pitches, 2) rhythms, 3) motives, 4) phrases, 5) overall form. Unfortunately, in the videos you cited, the musician does not play the ...
Everett Steed's user avatar
6 votes
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How do I figure out whether rhythms have beats with 2/3-1/3 splits or 3/4-1/4 splits?

These are definitely triplet subdivisions, not duple 32nds. With experience, you can tell the difference even at fast tempos like this. If I was doing this transcription, however, I would take a very ...
NReilingh's user avatar
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6 votes
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Why did Liszt change/add so much to his piano transcription of Danse Macabre?

In terms of Liszt’s music, the label “piano transcription” is often misleading. Although Liszt did write many (relatively) faithful transcriptions, such as the Beethoven Symphony series, most of his ...
3576251's user avatar
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6 votes
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How to add extra notes to the original music sheet

Those circled pitches are pitches played by other musical lines. In this case, the notes that you're thinking of comprise the melody, and these circled notes comprise the accompaniment. These ...
Richard's user avatar
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6 votes
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A question about transcribing using a software

I’d say it was the actual act of transcription which brings the most benefit to your musical development, and the medium is secondary. Recognising pitch, harmony, and rhythm, to a level where you can ...
Steve Mansfield's user avatar
6 votes
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Determining open tunings while transcribing

A few ideas: If you become familiar with a number of the most common open tunings, some chances are there that the song you're trying to transcribe uses one of them, and at least some of the time you'...
MMazzon's user avatar
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5 votes

What happened to the orchestral scores of Johann Strauss?

A few different orchestrators, Michael Rot among them undertook the gigantic task of recreating the scores of the Strauss dynasty after WW II. These appear under Strauss Edition Wien, available at ...
user36764's user avatar
5 votes

Truth behind Mozart memorizing Miserere and then writing it down later in full

I agree with what microtherion says: Most professional classical pianists who practice pieces during all their lives end up remembering an outstanding succession of notes and rhythm and this is ...
Lolo's user avatar
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5 votes
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Determine whether to keep the original key when arranging a solo piece

When playing any piece on an instrument different from the one(s) it was originally written for, it is extremely common to make minor changes in the peice, including transposing it. Usually those ...
Todd Wilcox's user avatar
5 votes

How much theory and how much transcribing?

Consider an analogy with literature. You can become an author by reading good books, or by studying language and grammar. In reality, you will want some of both. Each is valuable, but in different ...
Caleb Hines's user avatar
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5 votes

How to work out the key of a song whose chords don't seem to fit an obvious scale?

Regarding the larger question, the key for a song is more about the tonal center than it is about fitting into a pattern of notes (a scale). Like so many things in music, a tonal center is mostly ...
Todd Wilcox's user avatar
5 votes
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Are theremin's pitch hand positions unique?

Mostly no, but maybe in certain situations In general, the answer is no. When you turn on a theremin, the first thing you have to do is "tune" it. There will usually be object close enough to trigger ...
Todd Wilcox's user avatar
5 votes
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the right way to notate enharmonic notes

We would have to see the score to know for sure. But it sounds to me that both those enharmonics should be sharps, because they both go up a half step, making them leading tones or scale steps. Thus,...
Scott Wallace's user avatar

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