Transcribing a piece for piano&voice (Coldplay)

[wildetudor]

Hi everyone,

I would very much like to learn how to play the piano part of the song Fix You, by Coldplay, as played here by Chris Martin: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnGmG9CZBDg. I would have to have the piece transcribed as a MIDI file, which I can then transfer to my Yamaha keyboard and start to learn by using the keyboard's Learning Mode. The singing part I can figure out for myself a lot easier

I think any transcribing software (such as MuseScore, GuitarPro or Sibelius) can export a file created in that software to MIDI format, so the question is really being able to listen to the original and put all the notes where they should be. I actually don't mind doing this at all (I think it's great training for your musical sense), but I'm still a beginner and it takes me a *really* long time to transcribe a piece, and even then it's far from perfect (I get many chord voicings wrong, or allocate notes to the wrong hand/stave, etc).

Could I therefore ask if anyone feels in a really generous mood to do this transcription for me (as well as for anyone who might bump into this page at some point, with the same intention of playing this beautiful song)? If I can do you a favour in return I'd be glad to, as I've been wanting to play this song for months but just couldn't find the time to complete my own transcription!

Many thanks in advance to anyone who might reply!!

Best wishes,
Tudor

PS: I realise not many people might respond to such a demanding request, therefore apologies for also cross-posting this here ( https://s1.zetaboards.com/ThePianistsLibrary/topic/4577444/1/?x=0#post610860 ) and here ( https://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1786690.html#Post1786690 )

[jimbo320]

This site helps by showing you how to play it...
https://www.purelessons.com/song.php?lessonId=741

[aintgotnorhythm]

If you buy the sheet music book for the Coldplay album X&Y you will find a reasonably authentic piano transcription there.

[wildetudor]

Thanks for your replies. I've looked at a couple of YT tutorials (including the one jimbo320 suggested), but found none were close to the interpretation that I linked to. I also bought a sheet music file for this particular song, from sheetmusicdigital.com, but again it was quite different from the said version, particularly in the second, more rhythmic part of the song.

I doubt that the sheet music book for X&Y will have a different version of Fix You. I think Chris is not very strict with his piano playing, so he probably doesn't play it exactly the same way in two different performances, but instead improvises around some fixed structures. Unfortunately, being a a beginner, I feel the need to learn some actual notes (which would ideally be the same as in the version I know I like) before eventually getting the gist of it and starting to "reinvent" it myself.

[jimbo320]

Yep! You got it. Chris is like Elton John. He also improvises almost every time he plays. If you read the sheet music or even find video you still better count on improvising and make it your own...

[wildetudor]

I've been trying to transcribe this on my own but it's taking AGES, because it's hard to identify the duration of all of the little notes he adds in between the chords, so as to enter them correctly into the music-notation software in a way that, when played back, it will sound like the recording. I wouldn't want to do a "simplified" transcription with just the "generic" chord structures, as learning such a version would not sound like the recording at all.

If anyone thinks they can help with this transcription, or at least advise me how it would be the most efficient for a beginner to go about doing that, it would be really appreciated!!

[megadodd]

As I hear it,
left hand mainly plays Octaves.
Right hand plays chords in different invertions (im not sure about some musical terms in english)
Sometimes it just sounds as he plays the tonic and the third in the chord to give it more substance, aswell as some bassliness.
For example. 'Cmaj7(C E G H) after you play the chord, you can basicly play any of the notes for a filler, or just Cmaj7 then C and E, again Cmaj7, in whatever chord he plays, I just took an example.

The second thing I would do, is learn what key signature this is in. And you play THAT scale, if you are a beginner this will be good for you later, but ferociously handy if you want to play a song where it would be cool to improvise, you learn the keysig scale. And when you learn the song and to play the chords. Just remember the scale you practiced, what notes was it you played, and press any of them lol, just land on the tonic of each chord when you change. It's that simple. Tonic being the Primary tone of each chord. Cmaj7 chord, C is the tonic.

The good thing with improv, if you learn the scale really good. It will never sound horrible, you can land on notes when you switch chord that dosnt fit at all, but you always know where to go.

Ahh right, the bass line it appears as if he just plays octaves, and then plays them like 1 - 3 -5 -8 or 1- 5- 8.
Take a Cmaj7 for example in right hand.
Left hand plays C G C(an octave up).

These are "simple" enough structures I think you can get down with a bit of practice.

Basically that's all I can give you. I'm sure you can find the chord theme he is playing somewhere. Since I've never really listened to Coldplay nor played anything by them. I may be totally misstaken.

Hope it helps.

[wildetudor]

Hey, many thanks for your reply. That's very useful advice. I found myself intuitively practising where the flats/sharps are for the key that this song is in (E-flat major), because, as you said, you're much safer improvising with notes from this scale than trying to quickly find the most suitable chord to play.

I would still prefer to learn this note by note, using a MIDI stored in my keyboard, at least the very first time I try something like this, but getting such a MIDI/transcription doesn't appear to be a likely option, therefore I'll have to make do with just finding my own "approximation" to what he's playing.

Thanks again for your kind help, I really appreciate it!