The Unexciting Truth About Transcribing Music

There’s a version of music practice that shows up a lot on social media.

Someone is playing their bass to a track. It’s often a solo or groove that they transcribed. And they’re playing is clean. It looks effortless. And then the clip ends before you can even ask, “How long did that take?”

What you don’t see is the part that comes before that video.

I’m talking about the unexciting middle. Here’s an example of this part of the process.

I was transcribing a long phrase from a Jonathan “Boogie” Long improvised solo. No flashy reveal. No “before and after.” Just me looping the phrase and slowly increasing the tempo by about 3% at a time until it completely fell apart.

And honestly? That’s what transcription usually looks like for most people. You’re gonna be taking many takes.

Transcribing Is Mostly Repetition

The reality is this: Transcribing music is not exciting most of the time.

You’re going to hear the same phrase hundreds of times. You’ll miss notes. You’ll second-guess notes, rhythms, and even chords. You’ll think you have it… then realize you don’t. You’ll think you internalized it… and then tomorrow you can’t even remotely sing what the phrase sounded like.

This isn’t a failure of focus or discipline—it’s the process working exactly as intended.

Most of the players you see shredding online didn’t skip this stage. They just didn’t hit the record button during this part of the process.

Speeding Up Is a Reality Check (Not a Flex)

Incrementally speeding something up isn’t about showing progress—it’s about finding the truth.

At some point, the phrase stops being clean. Your hands rush. Your fingers will get clumsy, because you’re playing something that you normally wouldn’t have come up with on your own. Your articulation collapses. Or your ear struggles to keep up.

That point is valuable. That’s where the work actually is.

Not where it sounds good. But where it starts to fall apart. Because at the end of the day this is where you know what to redirect your focus on when you practice.

Why Enjoyment Matters More Than “Required” Solos

Here’s the part most students overlook:

If transcribing is going to involve this much repetition, you have to enjoy what you’re working on.

If you’re transcribing something just because someone said, “You must learn this solo,” every repetition becomes friction. And every loop will feel like homework.

But when the sound genuinely pulls you in—when you want to hear it again—the repetition stops feeling like punishment and starts feeling like curiosity.

And that’s when, I believe, internalization actually happens.

This Is the Part That Builds Musicians

The unglamorous middle is where:

• Your ear learns to stay present
• Your hands learn patience
• Your sense of time gets exposed (and refined)
• Your confidence becomes real instead of performative

If your transcription practice feels slow, repetitive, or boring—good. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re doing the part that most people skip showing.

And if you’re going to spend that time anyway, make sure the music you choose is something you genuinely love hearing.

That joy is what makes the repetition sustainable. And sustainability is what turns practice into actual musicianship.

If you want to go deeper into ear-first, shape-based ways of internalizing lines like this—without turning practice into a grind—explore my Jazz Harmony & Shapes section.

Frequently Asked Questions