Most TABS are terrible, is it me??
 

While I consider TABS a great resource, mostly for lyrics, in my experience the majority have a lot of wrong chords, missing transition chords, and/or are just incomplete or plain bad.

I realize you get what you pay for with free TABS, but it amazes me why "some" folks take the time, which is nice of them, but are clueless to the correct chords or any music theory, and can't tell a C from an A minor, or ever heard of a progression.

Again, a good resource for lyrics, but there are just a lot of bad TABS out there. Agree or disagree...............?????

I agree. This is why professional TABS are so nice. TAB is just about how I have learned almost everything, so accuracy is something I really looked for. It is nice that people like John Stropes (and helpers) have taken the time to make extremely accurate TABS. They are worth every penny! :)

I suspect it depends on what type of music you're playing and how complicated the original is.

A lot of songs are just I, IV, V7, VIm, IIm, and perhaps a IIIm/I (usually a Imaj7, I think).

Throw in more "color" than that, and most people either aren't going to even hear that it's in there, or if they do, they don't know exactly what it is.

The other one I hear a lot (or maybe it's just because I end up playing it a lot on piano) is the IV/V (in the key of C, an F chord over a G in the bass).

Agree, but considering just about anyone can post a tab set on a web page it's to be expected. Even if the tabs are out of wack at least you can get the general idea and take it from there. I generally play my own versions of songs so anytime I resource tabs I end up changing things around so it's no biggie.
But, like you said, good luck finding 100% accurate tabs unless they are pro tabs.

Blues

I generally stay away from tabs and just use the Chord progressions on websites like ultimate guitar or whatever tab sites are out there. I like getting a general direction of the song and learning the rest by ear. I think that's the main point of tabs, it's not to teach the whole song, but rather get you on the right track. I do agree that a lot of tabs are way off though. A lot of times I'll see two tabs with 4-5 stars that are completely different. They're still a great resource in my opinion though.

I'm strictly an instrumental tab guy, with Guitar Pro 6 ready to go all the time. I also have thousands of compatible tabs, and while there are many arrangements to which I'm not partial, the tabs themselves are, for the most part, pretty decent. These are mostly "professional" tabs, I believe. I can't really speak about tabs for chords and lyrics, as I don't sing -- not ever, not even in a locked and sound-insulated bathroom, as that would generate far too much negative karma for me...:)

There only as good as the people posting. I usually try to get 2-3 versions and work from there. Growing up in a small mountain town with 1-2 sources of sheet music (which I couldn't read), I think the internet (TABS) are a great resource. Yeah, some are terrible, others pretty dang good. FWIW

It depends. Free tabs can be very good, detailed and accurate, or they can be sketchy and inaccurate. Sometimes the songs being tabbed have been played in various ways by the artists and the tab reflects a particular version. IMO it is kind of hard to rant against freebies - just look for another tab. BTW, I have seen paid tabs (tab books) that leave much to be desired. :)

I have some sort of mental block when it comes to tablature...or maybe it's a learning disability of some sort...I don't know. Bottom line, for me, tabs are the absolute slowest and most laborious way to learn. Add to this the fact that a lot of them are wrong, and they become pretty much a waste of valuable playing time.

I know that a lot of us like tablature and benefit from it...but some of us do much better by seeing and hearing. I seem to be one of those types.

Eyes and ears don't lie nearly as often as tab.

Does anybody else feel this way?

Internet
 

And the problem with tabs is that there is no "peer review" or editorial check for accuracy. Anyone can publish a tab. 30 years ago, I took a music theory class in college and would transcribe sheet music to my own tabs. I wasn't good at it so it was slow and painstaking.

30 years ago, traditional sheet music was all that was avaialable. Tabs became the "norm" for guitar music over the past decade(s).

But, like I said, anyone can write anything.

I have used my ears on recordings, my ears and eyes on videos, tabs, and standard notation. A lot of stuff you can listen a bit and play it. On complicated stuff I use whatever is available. Often using a combination of sources gets it down the fastest and with the most accuracy.

I know what you mean about tabs. The exception is our own Toby Walker. His tab downloads are done very nicely. I would prefer standard notation but I understand his reason for doing so. A+ for him.

i try and dedicate one hour per day to creating and distributing very inaccurate tabs in the hopes of slowing down the competition. i'm always a little bit moved when i hear one of my versions being played in guitar center. i recognize them because of the hand crafted cringe-worthy notes that i delicately place in selected spots.

i also do midis - they're truly awful!

I'm actually surprised at how close they get it sometimes. What irks me is when I pay for sheet music and the tabs are incorrect. That happens surprisingly often for some reason. At least with the sheet I can figure out what's wrong.