Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence

Level: Medium

Thanks to Teeline Tweets for suggesting this. There are some complicated lyrics here and some words you're unlikely to meet in any exam. There are also several words you almost certainly will. The lyrics are delivered clearly and at a suitable pace to make this a challenging but achievable song. 

Lyrics

David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World

Level: Medium

In a memory of David Bowie. A short gentle-paced song with a few challenges.

Lyrics

No Doubt - Don't Speak

Level: medium

Thanks to new Musical Teeline fan Bridget Tanner for this suggestion. No Doubt's early hit goes at a steady pace with plenty of Teeline theory. The chorus races by but you have a few chances to nail it.

Lyrics

Frank Sinatra - My Way

Level: Medium

To mark the centenary of Ol' Blue Eyes here's one of his classics. Smooth, clear and not too fast it's a good one to practise. There are a one or two tricky lines and it's quite a long song which is good for learning to stay focused.

Lyrics

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Take That - A Million Love Songs

Level: Medium

An early hit from Take That with a couple of special outlines in the title. Large numbers frequently come up when taking down Teeline but they're quick and easy to write if you know the outlines.

Lyrics

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Abba - Dancing Queen

Level: Medium

The Swedish popsters are a great choice for Teeline practice with clear, easy to follow lyrics. You'll need to use plenty of shortcuts and word groupings to keep up though.

Lyrics
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Steve Harley - Make Me Smile

Level: Medium

Thanks to Joe Sturdy for suggesting this. It's a bit difficult to make out all the words on the first listen but the lyrics are worth studying and it goes at a challenging but manageable pace.

Lyrics

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Bob Dylan: Blowing In The Wind

Level: Medium

A nice steady piece with some good vocabulary from Bob Dylan. It's useful for practising CN blends. Cannon is a particularly tricky one but unlikely to come up in an exam. With a bit of practice this song's easy to do.

Lyrics

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The Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

Level: Medium

Thanks to Douglas Adams for suggesting this one. Douglas is working toward 80wpm at the moment. If you can do a solid transcription of this, the 80 should be no problem. It's worth practising a few times to really nail the useful vocab and word groupings it contains.

Now that I've passed 100wpm I feel I can write with some authority on how to learn shorthand. Check out my tips for passing your exams here. They're ideas I found most useful and things I wish I'd known earlier.

Lyrics

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Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol

Level: Medium

All the songs on Definitely, Maybe the debut album by Oasis are good for Teeline practice. This is fairly slow and short but with enough tricky outlines to make it a challenge.

Lyrics

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Nick Cave - Into My Arms

Level: Medium

Here's a great one for all levels. Some lines are slow and simple others zip past with some tricky outlines but if you get the first letter at least you should be able to read it back.

Lyrics
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The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset

Level: Medium

A smashing tune from The Kinks and a good Teeline dictation. You don't want to be writing Waterloo Sunset out each time so I've shorted it to WS. I put the S over the W to make a distinctive outline; it even looks a bit like a sunset. You may find something else works better for you. It also includes slightly fiddly but handy word grouping 'as long as.'

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Lyrics

Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On

Level: Medium

The Canadian songstress's Titanic hit is clear and sung at a steady pace so you should swim not sink with a bit of concentration.

Lyrics

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The Crash Test Dummies - Mmm mmm mmm mmm

Level: Medium

No prizes for transcribing the chorus of this one and the lyrics are easy too if you remember the special outlines and word groupings. This song is full of them. The first line could have been lifted from a Teeline textbook.

Among the word groupings is the very useful 'all over the' written with an 'a' indicator over the following word. Three words with a single small dash makes this an essential time saver. All over the place / world / country are more likely to come up in NCTJ dictations.

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Lyrics