Transcribing Self by jjohannes

I don't remember when I got the idea to transcribe these recordings. It could be said that the recordings themselves are only a small part of the project. The transcriptions are what I put most of the work into. Why did I decide to write the music down? In a way it feels more real then. By writing something down that was more or less improvised, it is somehow made more intentional.

Many of the tracks were recorded in the kitchen, often with other activities in the background. I used whatever was at hand — an old Zoom recorder or a smartphone. Most of the time I play un-amplified electric guitar which is probably the way I play most of the time, unless I play steel string acoustic.

These recordings were made to document ideas and improvisations. They were never intended for release. However, upon listening to them again and again I've imbued myself with the sounds of my own playing. It is a way of rehearsing. Things that would otherwise have been forgotten have made their way into my vocabulary on the instrument. I like to think that the essence of what is "me" has become even more focused or concentrated. What was only meant as a kind of sketch has grown into something more.

(PDF WITH TRANSCRIPTIONS INCLUDED WITH DOWNLOAD.)

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