Kathleen
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HI Robert,
I've never seen it after a measure number and hand sign, actually. It's best on the line with the preceding measure. Sometimes this is not possible and I've had to place it on its own line below the parallel, indented two cells to the right of the hand sign.
Kathleen
Hi Robert!
First of all, congrats on becoming a new music transcriber!
Rates and fees definitely vary depending on many factors. Different transcribers have different expectations, expertise, and experience levels that affect their rates. Some transcribers work as volunteers and some are transcribing as a career, so it's hard to generalize and feel confident in giving you a definitive answer. My response here should be taken as simply my personal opinion and what I've seen in the field and not as a definitive declamation of how much transcriptions should cost.
For straight-forward music, (single-line music, line-by-line vocal, piano, etc.) prices tend to range from $7.00-$10.00 per braille page. It can vary depending on how fast you work - if you can get it turned around in a short amount of time, the rates can be higher. If it takes you 6 months to get a single-line piece of music to a client, I'd probably recommend lowering the fee.
More complicated music can be billed at a higher rate - music that uses non-traditional notation can cost between $12-$18 per page - again also depending on the level of expertise and time it takes to get the work done.
Proofreading tends to sit in the $2.00-$3.00 per braille page range but also depends on speed and accuracy.
Again, these rates I've quoted are merely my experience in the field and shouldn't be seen as "this is how it should be for everyone." But I hope this gives you some sense of what is out there right now and what you can expect moving forward with your transcribing!
Congrats again!
Kathleen
Hi there!
Let’s see if I can help with these very good questions!
- No, all the music symbols do not need to be on the special symbols page. The Music Braille Code Table of Signs does include indication of symbols that need to be on a SS page – they are indicated by asterisks. Apart from that, I tend to list symbols that I need to look up when transcribing. If I have to look it up, it’s probably not very common and therefore couldn’t hurt being on the list.
- Braille order is like alphabetical order, but with using the dot configurations to determine the order. Section 1.1.2. of the Rules of Unified English Braille gives the braille order in a handy table that I actually printed out and put on my wall above my computer. Also, there is an index of signs at the end of the Music Braille Code that lists the symbols in braille order. It is quite useful in putting together your special symbols page.
- We use the note C to represent any note just hanging out without a staff (also used in unpitched percussion music).
- We have ways of doing fingering charts for the instruments. The method is determined by the instrument.
- I’m not entirely sure what you mean by this question. If we are transcribing the print into braille, there won’t be any need for the print any longer. Sometimes when we transcribe for a teacher, we will do a “facsimile” transcription, including elements that are normally omitted from braille music, such as clef signs and the like. But otherwise, I don’t see the need to have anything duplicated.
Let me know if you need any more clarification!
Kathleen
Hi Christina!
I usually make my decisions based on the meaning of the expressions rather than solely on the font and size of the print. Here are my thoughts, and I mostly agree with what you've laid out -
I can't see measure 1, so I'm not sure what the expression is (but you're more than likely correct in using it as a music heading).
M 6 Cedez – relax the tempo (in the music line)
M 8 En mesure – in time (in the music line)
M 10 un peu retenu – holding back a little (in the music line)
M 11 En elargissant – widening (in the music line)
M 12 1er mouvt – first tempo (free line, music heading, applying to the second half of the measure, of course)
M 13 Tres lointain – very distant (free line, music heading)
What do you think?
A lot of this is transcriber's choice, but this is what I think I'd do here.
Hope that helps!
Kathleen
Hi Christina!
I'm definitely not an expert on the software conversion programs! I experimented with a program a while ago and found the editing was too cumbersome for me to utilize. I, too, 6-key enter each and every one of my music transcriptions. It's just the fastest and easiest way for me to do my work. (I know that you can download a trial version of Dancing Dots' software if you want to try it out!)
Kathleen
Hi Lindy,
Sorry I can't cite any sources. None that I know of mention this and therefore there is no agreed-upon method. I've had many discussions with other transcribers about this issue. Some have suggested using a flat or a sharp before the fingering, but a flat in front of a finger number 2 would read as a downbow for the next note. Some people have used word-sign expressions before the note. I've personally used dots 12 after a fingering for the Low and a dot 1 after a fingering for Hi. Of course, whichever method you land on, add a transcriber's note to explain what you're doing.
Hi Julie!
The DeGarmo Intro to Music Braille Transcription 2005 is out of date. It is currently being revised to reflect UEB and the Music Braille Code 2015 updates. Hopefully the revised edition will be available soon!
In the meantime, it's helpful to have the Music Braille Code 2015 by your side to look up things like this.
We use UEB italics where they are needed, not EBAE.
Parentheses - there are three types we use in braille music. (See MBC2015 section 1.3.) UEB literary in ordinary literary context; Music parentheses (dots 6,3) in the music. Special parentheses (dots 2356) for chord symbols, music headings, and in word-sign expressions.
In the case of numbering vocal music verses, we use UEB parentheses. (See MBC2015 section 35.7.)
Hope this helps!
Kathleen
Hi Julie,
There is no certification for music proofreading. Most of us proofread for each other!
Kathleen
Hi Lindy!
The lines of continuation terminate after the last affected note. So in measure 3, the two lines would both be terminated after the D quarter note.
Measure 9, terminate after the F; likewise in measure 10. In measures 11-15 the secondary lines (the pdf is blurry and I can't read the number - is it 2?) would all terminate after the Gs. The line for 1 would also terminate after the G in measure 15.
Hope that helps!
Kathleen
Hi Lindy!
Indeed, MBC2015 dictates that one numeric indicator serves both page numbers, so no need to repeat the numeric indicator after the hyphen. Only recently has Braille2000 adjusted the automatic music pagination to reflect this rule. (Not sure how Duxbury does automatic pagination ...)
Thanks!
Kathleen
Hi Debbie!
I commend you for taking on music braille!There are some resources you can find online. The Music Braille Code 2015 is an invaluable tool that is useful for any level of music braille transcriber.
I'm also glad to hear that you've been watching the webinars! We've been enjoying presenting them so I hope that they are proving to be helpful!
Some resources I know of are: (and I'm not in a position to endorse any of them but these are the ones available that I know about !)
How to Read Braille Music by Bettye Krolick https://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/MUSIC.html
Who's Afraid of Braille Music by Richard Taesch and William McCann https://www.dancingdots.com/prodesc/whosafraid.htm (Dancing Dots has other resources and training as well)
Feel the Beat by Christine Short https://www.aph.org/product/feel-the-beat-2/
Also, most of us music transcribers are always happy to help out in providing transcriptions for music students. Don't hesitate to reach out if you need assistance or have questions as you go along.
Hope that helps!
Kathleen
Great question!
I would place the key signature for each part after each marginal hand sign (and after a space) as we would if there were a key change or a time signature change. I have had some Bartok piano pieces in which the two hands are in different keys. This is how I indicated those different signatures. The time signature would remain in the music heading with the tempo indication (if present), but without a key attached to it. You can always cover your bases by adding a sentence about the irregularity on the Transcriber's Notes page or right before the music to give the reader a heads-up.
Hope that helps!
Kathleen
That's a great question!
There really isn't anything standard at this point. I have used transcriber-added rests matching the beat value of what's missing. That helps with the counting of the measure - knowing how many beats are missing and being able to properly evaluate what is already there.
The word sign O could work too, if there is no ambiguity with the counting of the measure. You could try out both ways and see which one feels better. (Be sure to give the student a heads up in a TN whichever way you chose.)
Hi Anna!
These method books are certainly filled with eye-candy.
Where items are labeled in print, as you described in the first part of your question, I usually add a TN and say something to the effect of "the following items are labeled on the staff:" and then just list each one. I don't believe we are necessarily required to describe the way things actually look. It wouldn't be wrong to do it, but it's not required, in my opinion.
For the highlighted material, I think it would be a good idea to let the reader know what is being highlighted if it's not labeled. A TN is an easy way to take care of that. Or you could come up with a way to have the highlighted element (time signature, staccato note, etc) listed before the music. Just off the top of my head, in looking at the page you attached, the first piece has the whole note and whole rest highlighted along with the time signature. These could be listed after the piece title. If you decide to retain the color on the boxes, you could assign a transcriber created typeform to each color and color code the listed things, too. But the necessity of that could be debated!
Don't you just LOVE method books!!
I hope that helps a little. Let me know if you need more clarification.
Kathleen
Hi Shelley!
Thanks for your question about formatting hymnals.
The most common method for transcribing the music for hymnals is using piano format with the right hand containing the soprano and alto parts, (intervals read downwards) and the left hand containing the bass and tenor parts (intervals read upwards). This highlights the melody and the bass line, but contains the inner voices as well. The lyrics would then come after the music, in 3-1 paragraph format, beginning with the stanza number and a period. If there is a refrain or chorus, it is a separate paragraph below the first stanza.
One could use open score, as if for a full choral ensemble, as shown in section 37 of the MBC 2015. Rarely would one do a hymnal with single voice parts done separately.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have further questions!
Kathleen
