Important Skill As a Piano Transcriptionist
Whether they are transcribing a musical recording for a music publisher or creating sheet music from scratch, piano transcriptionists must have a number of important skills. These skills include attentiveness, accuracy, and speed. They must also be able to work independently and be professional at all times. In addition, they must have good computer knowledge to be able to use transcription software and other related programs.
Transcription is an art, and it requires a lot of attention to detail. For example, if you miss a punctuation mark or forget to capitalize a word, it can ruin the whole transcript. It’s also common for a transcriptionist to listen to the audio file multiple times to ensure that they have captured all of the words and phrases.
Because they are responsible for listening to and transcribing audio files, transcriptionists must have great hearing. They may have to listen to the same audio file multiple times, and it can be difficult to understand some recordings due to poor sound quality or background noises. This is why it’s important for transcriptionists to have a pair of headphones and a foot pedal. These accessories allow them to control the playback of the audio file with their feet, which leaves their hands free for typing.
The Most Important Skill As a Piano Transcriptionist
Some transcriptionists rely on special software to help them with their work. These programs allow them to slow down the music, change the pitch, or make other changes to improve the quality of the music that they’re listening to. While it’s best to transcribe music by ear, these programs can be helpful for those who haven’t mastered this skill yet. For example, jazz saxophonist Miles Davis once said that he only felt ready to transcribe a song after he had heard it at least half a dozen times.
Another important trait that a piano transcriptionist must have is the ability to communicate clearly. This is necessary both verbally and in writing, as a transcriptionist must be able to explain their work to clients. It’s also vital that a transcriptionist can respond quickly and accurately to questions from clients.
Piano transcriptionists typically work freelance, and they often have a variety of clients. One of the most common employers is music publishers, which rely on piano transcriptionists to create new arrangements for popular songs. These arrangements usually appear in books of sheet music for piano/voice/guitar or solo piano. Other clients include amateur musicians and academic institutions.
Although some pianists do make a living working solely as transcriptionists, it’s more common for them to use their skills in this field as a way of supplementing their income while they continue creative work like composition or performance. This is because transcription is an essential part of music preparation, which goes hand-in-hand with other types of musical jobs, such as copying, proofreading, and orchestrating. Those who do make a living working exclusively as transcribers typically do so through online transcription services. However, there are also some companies that employ transcriptionists in-house.