Piano Transcription
If you’re a musician, you’ve probably heard of piano transcription. Piano transcription is the process of rewriting a piece of music so that it can be played on a different instrument. Typically, it involves playing the melody on a keyboard alone, but there are other options as well.
A composer might write a piano arrangement for a solo instrument or a chamber ensemble. An orchestral arrangement is a more complex arrangement of a piece, with up to two dozen parts. Most of the time, the original piece is transcribed for the symphony, but some smaller subdivisions are used as well.
Piano transcriptions are written in standard musical notation. This means that each note is marked with a name and is positioned in space on the staff. Each note has a different name based on its key signature. Notes are grouped in sets called partials. In a chord, notes in treble and bass are arranged in a pattern of alternation. For example, the G2-D3-B3 chord is a group of notes in treble and bass. The pitches of these notes are mapped into familiar terms, such as a major or minor scale, a fifth or minor third, or a quarter note.
Piano transcription is a relatively easy task, because most music is written in standard notation. It’s also easier to play than other instruments because the piano can produce any note. As a result, it’s common to find arrangements of songs without a bass part. However, you’ll have to learn to identify the notes in order to transcribe them.
What Happens in Piano Transcription?
When a piece of music is transcribed, its melody may be divided into separate parts, or accents may be separated. The latter technique is called the “attack-sustain” effect. This type of arrangement is best suited to the piano, which can handle large, florid arpeggiations.
Some of the more common methods of piano transcription include using pitch detection. Pitch detection identifies individual notes in a song, but can be used to detect notes in a chord. Often, the transcriber includes the chords played by other instruments above the melody line.
Other methods of piano transcription use a ‘pizzicato’ technique. A pizzicato is a snap pizz played on the lowest string, known as the “Bartok pizz.” Sometimes, the bass and melody part can be divided into separate parts. These techniques are sometimes called piano reductions or piano arrangements.
A piano transcription is usually accompanied by sheet music, which is composed of multiple parts that are arranged into a chord. You can play more than one melody at a time, but it’s usually best to keep the octaves the same. Occasionally, you’ll need to flip the pages over and read the notes from top to bottom. This technique is particularly useful for visualizing the octaves of the keyboard.
The process of writing a piano transcription is not hard, but it does require a lot of practice. Many pianists who’ve spent years developing their ear are still unable to recognize notes.
