Do you remember the first song / solo you transcribed?
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Joshua Redman, Moodswing, I started on Chill but finished Faith first. I think that one is really good to start with but I think it is up to the preference of style of music as well.
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I'll take a look at this tune, thank you
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Cool man, thanks. Listened to both the songs, they're nice! Not what I'd normally listen to but definitely some good phrasing in there that'd be good for me too look at. When you learnt Faith, did you analyse the harmony as well or just look at the melody and solo? Any insight you could give me into the harmony of this tune?
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I’m not a transcriber of whole solos and I know if I worked harder/ more time on it I could gain more, but I don’t have the focus of attention to learn note-for-note full solos. I just listen a ton and play along to grab bass movement, licks I like and ideas. That said, Chet Baker is a gold mine for outlining changes in a simple and beautiful way whether he’s playing trumpet or singing. I haven’t heard many of his solos that aren’t perfect, and they’re all very approachable. ‘It Could Happen to You’ is one of the few I’ve learned beginning to end and it’s a great one. The most important thing is to pick songs/ players/ styles you dig, listen to the songs until you can sing/ hum/ whistle every part, learn the head and work it through every key, THEN start dissecting the solo(s). Have fun!
Keilwerth saxes (S/A/T), Selmer clarinets (S/B), Altus Azumi flute
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+1 for thinking beyond saxophonists.
The first jazz solos I can remember "transcribing" (I rarely write down my transcriptions) were those of Miles Davis (e.g., from Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, and a number of the "original quintet" recordings).
I was doing this before I knew much about theory and long before I started transcribing my favorite saxophonists. Miles's solos are beautiful and much more "singable" (and thus easier to get in your head and transcribe) than those of most jazz saxophonists. They are also masterworks of voice leading, phrasing, rhythmic placement, and economy of notes. A great place to get started.
The guitar break from Louie Louie by the Kingsmen, when I was 12 and it was a top hit tune. Played it at parties with my cousin playing acoustic guitar. This was about the coolest thing we could do, next to making up obscene lyrics. It's been all downhill since then 
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Chris Vadala's solo on Chuck Mangione's Feel So Good. Not that I wrote it down... when I transcribe I do it by ear and commit it to memory... and I know for some that's not really "transcribing", and that's fair. But I couldn't even play that solo at the time, as it was the first time I realized as a youngster that the saxophone could play above the keyed range. Probably why I remember trying to learn it, as it inspired me to teach myself altissimo.
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Yes! Love the Tull!
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Yes. I was about 15 years old, in my second year of alto sax. Back then, transcribing had to be done by needle drop or reel-to-reel tape. The solo was Paul Desmond's "Perdido" (Dave Brubeck Quartet). Well, I got some of it right! Then, without any knowledge of harmony, I tried lifting Glenn Miller's "Sleepy Lagoon" for my school ensemble. By any standards, both were rather flawed, but these initial attempts were rewarding and gave me the confidence to press on.
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The first few choruses of Sonny Rollins' Best Wishes. Great tune!
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I've decided today I'm gonna learn Mile's lines on Summertime. You're right about his phrasing, simple enough but you can definitely hear a bit of what is to come. Thanks man
“I play sax but mostly it plays me”
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First thing I ever transcribed was Chris Vadala's solo on Mangione's Feel So Good.
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