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.

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Sinéad O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U

Level: Easy

Sinéad O'Connor's classic is a nice easy one to transcribe with plenty of common words and some handy word groupings.

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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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Rod Stewart - Maggie May

Level: Hard

This classic by Rod Stewart takes a fair bit of stamina but there are a few instrumental breaks to get your breath back including a mandolin solo famously mimed by Radio 1 DJ John Peel on Top of The Pops. Thanks to Emma Marie Webb for the suggestion.

What songs have you transcribed? Please share them here or on Twitter.

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Johnny Cash - Hurt

Level: Hard

Johnny Cash's Nine Inch Nails Cover shouldn't be too painful. It goes at a moderate pace with time to catch up but it took me a couple of attempts to get outlines which were legible. There are a number of common words and word groupings. The 'in the end' word grouping is a crucial time saver.

Thanks to Teeline Tweets for the suggestion.

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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.

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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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