The Composer's Life
Diving into the day-to-day details of a composer: what they do, how they do it, and why. Nadia, the host, is a composer for film and media and a graduate from Berklee College of Music. She shares tips on how to compose, music theory, her experiences, and interviews other composers to give you an insider's view on composing professionally.
Website: https://www.nadiamair.com/the-composers-life
Email: nadiammair@gmail.com
The Composer's Life
How to Transcribe by Ear
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Transcribing music by ear is one of those skills that feels impossible until it suddenly isn’t.
In this episode of The Composer’s Life, I talk through how I approach ear transcription — not as a perfect process, but as something you get better at through repetition, patience, and breaking things down into smaller parts.
When you start listening more closely, you begin to hear patterns instead of just sounds. Melodies become shapes, harmony becomes movement, and rhythm starts to make more sense without needing to look at it on paper.
This episode is about that shift — from hearing music passively to actively working it out by ear, and why that process is so valuable for anyone learning composition or working as a composer.
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