If you can actually sit through all 45 minutes of this video, you will get a cookie. Well, an imaginary one.

FINALLY. After MONTHS and MONTHS of procrastinating, DAYS and DAYS of actually getting it recorded and edited, and HOURS and HOURS of rendering and uploading, my transcription tutorial is here at last!

So this isn't as much of a tutorial as it is just me blabbering about random things I'm doing. While I was transcribing "I'll Fly", I thought, "hey, why not record myself doing this and upload it?" So here it is. Normally, the transcription process doesn't take this long. Everything that happened in the video would probably normally take just a few minutes (10, max). I just wanted to explain what I was doing. Unfortunately, my speaking skills aren't all that great, so this video is really slow.

If you want a shorter video that's more concise, please tell me in the comments section. If enough people ask for one, I'll make one. However, here's a short list of things you can do when you transcribe something (assuming you have relative pitch):

1) Figure out the tempo, time signature, and key signature.
- For the tempo, play the song with a metronome and adjust the metronome's speed until it matches.
- For the time signature, count beats and figure out what signature works best.
- For key signature, try to figure out which note/chord the whole piece is centered around. Once you know the note/chord, try to match it by playing a random note through trial and error.
- TIP: songs often end on the tonic chord (key of the piece). If you figure that chord out, you'll know the key of the piece. Doesn't always work, though.

2) Focus on the melody first. If you can get an a capella version of the song, this will be very easy. If not, just listen carefully to the melody.
- Figure out the first note by trial and error. Keep playing random notes on a piano or another instrument to see which one matches up with the first note.
- After getting the first note down, solving the rest of the melody is very easy as long as you have relative pitch. Listen to how many semi-tones (pitches) up or down the next note is compared to the previous one.
- You'll also have to figure out the duration of each note at the same time. I find that clapping or counting along with the beat while listening to the melody helps me figure out how long each note lasts and where they enter
- TIP: If a piece is too fast, try to slow it down either on YouTube or with a song editor (like Audacity)
- TIP: Don't try to figure out the entire melody in one go. Try to figure out a few notes at a time. It's going to be slow and boring, but it's the easiest way to figure out the melody.

3) Focus on the harmony and/or supporting instruments. Some songs have background instruments that have very distinct parts, which are easy to figure out as if they were a separate melody. If so, repeat step 2 while focusing on that instrument. If not, figure out the general harmony.
- For example, is the general chord progression D, b, G, A? In that case, put a bunch of Ds followed by a bunch of Bs, then Gs, then As.
- TIP: Try to get just a general outline of the harmonic progression first.

4) Refine the harmony. If you attempted to transcribe a background instrument part, you probably don't have to do this step. If not, you might have to make up your own harmony. Make something that not only sounds nice and matches the original song, but is also somewhat playable.
- I know some of my transcriptions are hard to play for beginners, but many of them can be played with enough practice or if you're a really good pianist to start with.
- TIP: If there's a percussion part of some sort in the original song, try to add accents or important notes on the loudest percussion beats. This give the illusion that your transcription has a percussion part. More often than not, the percussion is there to drive the piece forward in a certain way. Adding accents/key notes that emulate the percussion will help your transcription do the same thing.

5) If possible, listen to your transcription at the same time as the original piece. This will help you make sure your transcription matches up to the original piece.

Additional notes:
- You don't have to follow all these steps in order. In fact, you'll probably have to do other things in between as well.
- Try your best to balance out accuracy with playability. Obviously, if you don't give a crap about playability and just want to listen to something nice, then never mind.
- Don't give up! Transcription takes practice. You won't get better if you stop right from the start.

Hope this helps to some extent! Again, I apologize for taking so long to make this, and I apologize for the 45-minute block of boringness.

Next transcription will be Die In A Fire... (cries internally)