My Music Journey
Introduction
Welcome to my musical journey! This post is a deep dive into my adventures with sheet music transcription, exploring how I developed a keen ear for transcribing complex music and the skills I’ve honed along the way.
The Beginning
In the summer of 2021, I started my YouTube channel to share transcriptions of various piano players like Kiefer, Anomalie, and some old videos of Oscar Peterson (though some were taken down due to copyright issues). As people began reaching out to me for PDFs and expressing their appreciation for my work, I found a new passion for transcription.
Discovering New Inspirations
Around June 2021, I discovered Jacob Collier’s music. His sophisticated musical works became a learning opportunity for me, and I began transcribing his short videos and Instagram posts. These transcriptions went viral due to their meme potential, which led me to transcribe works of other artists like Bill Wurtz and Louis Cole. I found it a bit funny though, that the videos I put the least effort in (such as a transcription of Jacob doing a random thing) got really popular leading the channel growing and sometimes get a good chuckle thinking about it.
Expanding My Horizons
This period also saw me experimenting with reharmonizing songs and microtonality. I developed a plugin for MuseScore to compose just intonated music and created a negative harmony plugin. My YouTube channel started to grow, and so did my motivation to transcribe and upload more videos of my piano performances.
Becoming a Better Musician
As I improved my piano skills and delved deeper into music theory, I began to explore niche content. This included pendulum wave polyrhythms and negative harmony explorations, alongside transcriptions of jazz fusion and guitar legends like Guthrie Govan, Greg Howe, Tom Quayle, and Max Ostro.
Recent Projects
One of my ongoing projects in music is transcribing works of Herbie Hancock, though I haven’t published any sheets yet. Other inspirations include Tigran Hamasyan, Brad Mehldau, and Eldar Djangirov. My journey is a blend of being a music nerd, theory enthusiast, and a performer.
Collaborations and Releases
I have music released on Spotify, iTunes, and other streaming services, including collaborations with artists like MLLN and LachV. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I honed my beat-making skills, producing a variety of music influenced by VGM, RnB, J Dilla, and Nujabes. Currently, I’m working on a remix of “Take me Away” by Bangalore-based artist Tarang Joseph.
The Transformative Period
The year 2021 was transformative for me. With a new piano, I made my mark in the jazz meme and music scene, growing my YouTube channel to over 40k subscribers. Alongside my music endeavors, I continued to develop my skills in tech, balancing my artistic and engineering passions.
Conclusion
This journey has been filled with exploration and growth, both in music and technology. My background in classical piano provided a solid foundation, and my continuous learning in transcription and music theory has shaped my path. A bit too interested in microtonal music these days :p. Stay tuned for more updates and feel free to reach out if you’re interested in collaborations or just want to talk about music!
This post is part of my broader explorations in music, tech, and software engineering. Stay tuned for more insights and projects!