The purpose of transcribing music is to allow others to learn how a piece of music is played, or how it is structured so that they may apply their own interpretation. For the two methods presented in this document, chording and tablature, each method is given in it's entirety, however, it is up to the transcriber to fill out the transcription with whatever further explanations are useful.

Each transcription should clearly state the artist, the song title and preferably the album the song appears on. Other information, such as the date/year of release may be useful.

Of course, there will generally also be comments about the music itself. For example, it is often the case that a part of the song will be repeated a number of times. In this case, simply state that the following section is to be repeated a certain number of times, and then transcribe the section.

It may be useful to comment on how the song should be played, so that the reader may attempt to re-create it as it was originally recorded. There are many different types of comments that could be appropriate. For example:

- the type of effect(s) used (e.g. distortion, chorus, delay)
- the type of guitar (if important to re-create the original sound)
- perhaps the transcription is an interpretation of the original as opposed to a transcription of the original itself
- perhaps it's an adaptation of a piano piece
- tips on playing techniques specific to the song
- perhaps a section can be played in more than one way, this could be stated, with each way being given

These comments may apply only to sections of the song. In this case the song should be transcribed in sections, with each section being described before it is given.

In general, please try to keep the transcription clear and easy to understand. And remember, ultimately, a transcription is only someone else's opinion of how the song is played.


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