Focus Session: Solo Transcription - Maximizing the Benefits of Solo Transcription

The author offers a sequence for maximizing the benefits of transcribing jazz solos. He recommends selecting a meaningful transcription, learning a complete unit of the solo by ear, writing the solo down along with chord changes, selecting a phrase from the solo, practicing it in all 12 keys, and applying it to the same tune as well as others. He reports that students who worked through this process often were unable to creatively adpt the learned material. As a result, he suggests practicing the phrase in half-time or double-time, using different meters, and trying displacement, fragmentation, addition, and rhythmic variation.