Favorite Music Tempo Changing App?

[aquaduct]

This is quick and straightforward. What do you folks use to slow down music while learning it? And I've never used Apple anything so it would have to be Microsoft based. Thanks in advance.

[t-bob]

It’s simple in YouTube


Another speeds with old turntable with LP albums - 16, 33 1/3, 45, 78
I had to do it slow down with Doc Watsons' pieces

[Dub]

I use a piece of software called Transcribe!. I’ve used this for years and it’s really wonderfully done. It’s available for Windows and Linux in addition to Mac. It doesn’t run on iOS or Android devices, only computers.

It will work for both audio and video files. It optionally provides a piano roll view of the audio and indicates where notes are on a piano keyboard. It can also provide chord guesses and many other capabilities too. Like any complex bit of software, you need to spend time with it but the learning curve is short, especially for someone of your experience.

It isn’t a downloader. You need to have a non-DRM file available. There are many downloaders available for both audio and video which will produce a non-DRM copy for you. I download from YouTube all the time and am not a subscriber to YouTube.

This product is updated multiple times each year without additional charge. Fiddlerina and I both have a copy on our computers and have had for many years. We use Macs but I’ve never heard of any complaints relating to the Windows version.

[Dub]

A side note.

As an engineer, you’ve probably spent quite a bit of time using UNIX workstations. Using a Mac is a lot like that. It’s GUI doesn’t look like X-windows but functions in a similar way and all the UNIX tools you’re accustomed to using are there including command line tools.

Not meant as a sales pitch. Just saying you’d probably feel comfortable on a Mac.

[coachdoc]

The best tool to learn instrumentals you haven’t been able to learn by ear. It is also an ok ear trainer.

[aquaduct]

Nov 19, 2023 1:33:21 GMT -5 Dub said:

I use a piece of software called Transcribe!. I’ve used this for years and it’s really wonderfully done. It’s available for Windows and Linux in addition to Mac. It doesn’t run on iOS or Android devices, only computers.

It will work for both audio and video files. It optionally provides a piano roll view of the audio and indicates where notes are on a piano keyboard. It can also provide chord guesses and many other capabilities too. Like any complex bit of software, you need to spend time with it but the learning curve is short, especially for someone of your experience.

It isn’t a downloader. You need to have a non-DRM file available. There are many downloaders available for both audio and video which will produce a non-DRM copy for you. I download from YouTube all the time and am not a subscriber to YouTube.

This product is updated multiple times each year without additional charge. Fiddlerina and I both have a copy on our computers and have had for many years. We use Macs but I’ve never heard of any complaints relating to the Windows version.

Very cool, Dub. Can I also enter the notes from a chart and play it back?

[aquaduct]

Nov 19, 2023 10:08:35 GMT -5 coachdoc said:

The best tool to learn instrumentals you haven’t been able to learn by ear. It is also an ok ear trainer.

Yeah, but I'm 62 and have lost much of my ability to read. Really don't have much time left on the planet to relearn stuff like that. These are fake book charts and the one I'm having trouble with is a sax lead line with all kinds of interspersed triplets. I just want to verify when I'm getting close without harshing the buzz.

[Marshall]

Audacity

Free audio App for Windows does it all. It’ll change pitch too without slowing down.

[Dub]

Nov 19, 2023 10:23:03 GMT -5 aquaduct said:

Very cool, Dub. Can I also enter the notes from a chart and play it back?

Transcribe! will display a musical score but I don’t think you can enter the notes for a score manually. Oh, wait… no, I’m wrong about that. I must be thinking of Band-in-a-Box.

When I want to produce a score that can be played back, I use MuseScore. MuseScore is another wonderful tool and it’s free to use without restriction. I think it’s the best score editor out there. I’ve bought and used Finale, Sebelius, Notion, and several others and I always come back to MuseScore. It’s available for Windows, Max, and Linux.

Like the other big names, MuseScore can handle large orchestral arrangements in addition to simple lead sheets.

There are other tools that aren’t as ambitious but I don’t try to keep up with them all.

With regards to the capabilities of Transcribe!, it might be really helpful to read their overview page.

[Dub]

And I just remembered another tool I like called PlayScore 2. This is available for Android, iOS, and Windows. I use it on my iPhone.

This app uses the camera to capture the image of a printed score and plays the score back using MIDI sounds. It’s helpful in understanding a tune if, like me, looking at the score doesn’t put a melody in your head.

[coachdoc]

Is there anything like Transcribe that runs on an iPhone. I rarely use a computer these days as the iPhone does so much.

[Dub]

Nov 19, 2023 12:35:50 GMT -5 coachdoc said:

Is there anything like Transcribe that runs on an iPhone. I rarely use a computer these days as the iPhone does so much.

Transcribe! is a powerful professional tool that doesn’t really lend itself to the smartphone format. It might look OK on a tablet but I don’t think there is any move to port it there.

If you just want to slow down a tune and get some help figuring out the chord progression, try Chord AI. I’ve found this tool to be at least as accurate as others, if not more so, and the developers have gone out of their way to make a software change for me. I like the app and company a lot.

Available for both Android and iOS.

[Dub]

Nov 18, 2023 21:38:32 GMT -5 aquaduct said:

This is quick and straightforward. What do you folks use to slow down music while learning it? And I've never used Apple anything so it would have to be Microsoft based. Thanks in advance.

I forgot to tell you, the best YouTube downloader I've found is called Airy.

It has never failed me. If YT does something to block it, the Airy folks always find a workaround.

[david]

Peter, RecForge and RecForge II are basic apps for android phones that will record with the phone's mic and play back at any speed you want, change pitch if you want, and loop sections that you want to work on. I suspect that you can also have it play back recordings that you have on your phone.

[aquaduct]

Nov 20, 2023 20:57:00 GMT -5 Dub said:

Nov 18, 2023 21:38:32 GMT -5 aquaduct said:

This is quick and straightforward. What do you folks use to slow down music while learning it? And I've never used Apple anything so it would have to be Microsoft based. Thanks in advance.

I forgot to tell you, the best YouTube downloader I've found is called Airy.

It has never failed me. If YT does something to block it, the Airy folks always find a workaround.

Thanks again, Dub. I contacted the guy who does Transcribe! and asked him about what I was thinking. He suggested MuseScore would likely be better for my purposes (gotta love personal integrity) so I've downloaded that and am starting to work with it. It'll take a bit of getting used to but I think it's going to be perfect. Just add in the portion of the chart with my questions and have it play it back so I can hear details.

And my wife showed me the Youtube trick that t-bob mentioned some time back when we were doing our duo. That's a decently powerful free tool also. Thanks t-bob.