Songscription blog & music transcription resources
Explore Songscription’s guides to music transcription, sheet music, MIDI, piano roll, and AI-powered music learning, plus product updates and company announcements from the Songscription team.
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318 articles- Resources8 min readOne-pass vs per-instrument transcription: When to use eachSongscription can now transcribe every instrument in a recording in one pass with Multi-Instrument, or focus on a single instrument at a time. Both have a place. Here is how the two approaches differ, the honest tradeoffs of each, and how to pick the right one for the recording in front of you.Resources · · 8 min read
- Resources7 min readTransposing instruments explained (with a full chart)A transposing instrument reads its music in a different key than it sounds, which is why a trumpet and a piano playing the same written note do not match. This guide explains what makes an instrument transposing, why it happens, and gives a full chart of the B-flat, E-flat, F, and concert-pitch instruments.Resources · · 7 min read
- Tutorial6 min readHow to transpose a song for trumpetHand a trumpet player a concert-pitch part and it comes out a whole step too low. The trumpet is a B-flat instrument, so it reads in a different key than the piano. Here is the interval the trumpet needs, why a concert-pitch part sounds wrong, and how to get a part in the right key without doing the math.Tutorial · · 6 min read
- Tutorial6 min readHow to transpose a song for clarinetThe B-flat clarinet reads a major second above concert pitch, so a piano part handed straight to a clarinetist sounds in the wrong key. Here is the interval the clarinet needs, how its registers affect the result, and how to get a part in the right key without transposing by hand.Tutorial · · 6 min read
- Tutorial6 min readHow to transpose a song for french hornThe French horn in F reads a perfect fifth above concert pitch, a different interval from the B-flat and E-flat band instruments. Here is exactly how far to move a part for horn, why concert pitch comes out wrong, and how to get a readable part without working out the interval yourself.Tutorial · · 6 min read
- Resources7 min readCan Gemini or Claude turn a song into sheet music?People are asking Gemini and Claude to turn recordings into sheet music, the way they once asked ChatGPT. Here is what these AI assistants can and cannot do with audio, and what actually produces accurate notation.Resources · · 7 min read
- Tutorial8 min readHow to make a Nashville number chart from any songThe Nashville Number System lets a band read a song in any key, but every charting app makes you type the numbers in by ear first. Here is how to get the chords automatically and turn them into a number chart.Tutorial · · 8 min read
- Tutorial7 min readHow to convert a YouTube video to MIDIThere is no button on YouTube that hands you a MIDI file, but you can get there. Here is how to turn a YouTube video into MIDI you can drop into your DAW, and how to skip the audio-download step entirely.Tutorial · · 7 min read
- Resources7 min readHow to get chords and sheet music for spontaneous worship songsThe most powerful moments in a worship set are often the spontaneous ones, and they never come with a chart. Here is how to capture a spontaneous song or a brand-new release the publishers have not caught up to yet.Resources · · 7 min read
- Tutorial7 min readHow to transpose a song for alto or tenor saxHand a sax player concert-pitch music and it comes out in the wrong key. Here is how transposing instruments work, the interval each saxophone needs, and how to get a part in the right key without the math.Tutorial · · 7 min read
- Tutorial8 min readHow to transcribe a jazz solo from a recordingTranscribing solos is how jazz players learn the language, but working one out by ear can take hours before you play a note. Here is how to do it well, and how to get an accurate first draft of the notes fast.Tutorial · · 8 min read
- Tutorial7 min readHow to transpose a song to fit your voiceIf a song sits too high or too low, change the key instead of straining to reach it. Here is how to find a key that fits your range and get the sheet music and chords in that key, not just a pitched-up recording.Tutorial · · 7 min read
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