Learning songs - How do you do it?

Aerys_Drums

New Member
Hi everyone,

My Name is Aerys, I'm new on the forum and I have a question.

I listen to alot of "Technical" music that dont have your everyday drum rhythms.
And I was wondering what steps do you take when practicing/learning difficult drum parts?

I'm asking this because I want to write out drum transcriptions. to release online for others so they can learn as well!
and so I get better at writing down drums parts.

well see you around the Forums..

-Aerys
 
When I write a piece where the notes don't fall on the paper intuitively, I typically record it to a metro in Garageband. I then hop on my e-kit and navigate the guitar phrases, and convert the midi notes to sheet music.

So I start with some stream-of-consciousness playing like this...

And I'll hop on just a ride or snare and play along with the phrases, record, convert the midi to sheet music, and then clean up the sheet music by hand.

The alternative is to figure it out and simply write the sheet music by hand, in the hope that the task will become easier in time.
 
Hi everyone,

My Name is Aerys, I'm new on the forum and I have a question.

I listen to alot of "Technical" music that dont have your everyday drum rhythms.
And I was wondering what steps do you take when practicing/learning difficult drum parts?

I'm asking this because I want to write out drum transcriptions. to release online for others so they can learn as well!
and so I get better at writing down drums parts.

well see you around the Forums..

-Aerys

It just depends of what you call "Technical" music that dont have your everyday drum rhythms, and "drum transcriptions", because those terms have been really "deformed" in the latest years.

If we speak about conventional accurate transcription (example 1) that´s the easiest way to learn a rhythm, phrase, etc. IF YOU READ. Auxiliary methods are the recording and/or video to have the sound, character, dynamic, etc. very present But I would say an accurate transcription is the fastest, because if I see a video to me the next step to practice, if it´s really hard or long, etc... is to make the transcription. Is like reciting a poem, if you have all the words you just practice them as much as you need, no need to rewind, etc. If you want to copy how SOMEONE has RECITED the poem the video or recording will give you extra tips ON THE CHARACTER, but the transcription still is more essential.

EXAMPLE - 1

88224


That answering your case..., because a lot of music is played at sight read in form of drum charts (example 2), and can be play perfectly (see big bands, professional sessions, etc.), those drum charts, as you might know, have more a kind of "interpretative freedom" qualities than a verbatim transcription like in classical music.

EXAMPLE 2 -

88225


The last, just to still make emphasis in the point that the transcription is the BEST, fastest way.
 
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Seems your question isn't really about learning how to play a part, but just about how to document it.
Same process for easy and hard rhythms/drum parts if you want to get down to a note for note transcription.
Go through section by section and write it all out.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies and examples! can really use some of these!

I know how to transcribe drum parts, the thing is that sometimes the difficulty of the drum parts make it hard to hear what they are playing and along with perhaps techniques or just crazy fast or polyrhythms etc. so actually what i want to discover is a way to make it easier to hear what they are playing and the process of documenting this

I'm mostly trying to transcribe all sort of metal such as this one (tips or improvement for notation are welcome)
88230

I'm now trying to write out this song:
I'd like to hear your approach of learning such drum parts

again thanks for all your replies! very much appreciated!

-Aerys
 
It just depends of what you call "Technical" music that dont have your everyday drum rhythms, and "drum transcriptions", because those terms have been really "deformed" in the latest years.

If we speak about conventional accurate transcription (example 1) that´s the easiest way to learn a rhythm, phrase, etc. IF YOU READ. Auxiliary methods are the recording and/or video to have the sound, character, dynamic, etc. very present But I would say an accurate transcription is the fastest, because if I see a video to me the next step to practice, if it´s really hard or long, etc... is to make the transcription. Is like reciting a poem, if you have all the words you just practice them as much as you need, no need to rewind, etc. If you want to copy how SOMEONE has RECITED the poem the video or recording will give you extra tips ON THE CHARACTER, but the transcription still is more essential.

EXAMPLE - 1

View attachment 88224


That answering your case..., because a lot of music is played at sight read in form of drum charts (example 2), and can be play perfectly (see big bands, professional sessions, etc.), those drum charts, as you might know, have more a kind of "interpretative freedom" qualities than a verbatim transcription like in classical music.

EXAMPLE 2 -

View attachment 88225


The last, just to still make emphasis in the point that the transcription is the BEST, fastest way.

Hi Mister Sanguinetti,

I am indeed talking about the accurate transcription, I want to put down every note played in the songs because that just adds so much in the complete sound of the type of music im listening to.. everything just has to be perfect or else it will sound messy.. alot of the songs the guitars bass and the bassdrum are aligned but putting this on paper is not always that easy for me (yet I hope) because there's happening alot around it I hope to find a clear view of the process / steps you have to take to achieve learning / hearing these parts

Thanks

-Aerys
 
As well as listening, I try and find an accurate Youtube clip so I can watch the drummer. Helps to pick up ghost notes, sticking, which tom, etc.
 
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