Was spent, on this occasion, over a computer screen, a pair of headphones and occasional quick noodles on instruments, transcribing virtuoso violin covers for my serial colleague Sabrina Virtosu. The most psychoactive substance involved was green tea. Work stopped about 10pm when I was worried I might disturb the neighbours continuing to play what I thought was on the recording when I wasn’t sure.
But, when paying work crops up and it’s urgent, this is what the self-employed do! After all no one would be surprised if I was off gigging a hundred miles away until the small hours; as it is desk work, an early night and so a fairly early start in the morning are the work that has come my way, and if nothing else practice at transcribing precisely from recordings is a good bit of discipline for me (most of the time if I learn something from record I never write it down or think too closely about what it would like; almost as if I’ve thoroughly separated the reading and unwritten parts of my musical skill-set. Not this time).
Besides, the arranging / transcription / music editing area of my skill-set is generally underused (though has attracted some of my most positive client feedback), something I rather enjoy as long as it doesn’t predominate over playing too much, and in general even if not this time has the advantage of being relatively time-flexible.
Here’s to more copying out what I haven’t been able to get hold of written down …