Just a couple of my thoughts about transcribing...
1. Any transcribing is good transcribing! When you do it you are using your ear, and getting in the player's head, and this is how jazz has been created since it's inception, so just keep listening! When you are in the car and you hear something you like, try to imagine how the lick is built. Even if you aren't ultimately in the right key, you are thinking linearly, and when you do that, you can easily put it in the right key once you get home and get your horn out.
2. If the solo is really tricky and you can't 'hear' the whole thing, get what you can. When you get to a spot that is beyond you, skip it and go on to the next part. You are still getting a lot of new knowledge, and you may get it the next time you practice, or you may have a friend who can help you. The important part is to expand your vocabulary, and you are doing that!
3. Writing the solo out is a great way to help you analyze it. It helps you to see what the player did, and how it fits with the changes, as well as helps you to coordinate what you hear with how it should look on paper. That being said, I don't think that's the only way to go. Anything you listen to and try to copy, or try to use to then create your own version of the lick, is good!
4. If you are stuck on a lick and really want to figure it out, try figuring out where it ends first! Then figure out the last two or three notes... Then find your 'point' notes (top or bottom notes, or accented notes). Sometimes I find that this is all I need to get me started, and then I can figure out the other parts, just by knowing where I'm going, turning, and landing.
5. Have fun! This is a great thing you are doing! Every little bit helps, and is going to make you a better, more inventive player, so keep up the good work!
