Most TABS are terrible, is it me??

[rick-slo]

Many tabs written recently use notation programs which have the tabs, standard notation, and a midi all combined. Other than straight ears on the simpler tunes it, plus a video if available, is the easiest way to go.

Also speaking of good ear training, figuring out a tune by ear while tabbing it out yourself in one of these software programs, listening back to the midi, making corrections as needed, may make you a more critical listener.

[Doug Young]

All music notation is just a guide. Even the most accurate is only an approximation of the music.

Free internet tabs are hit or miss, I'd think of it as being the same as asking here "what chord is that in measure 3". You'll get some answers, some right, some wrong, but perhaps enough to point you in the right direction. You have to take them with a grain of salt, but they can be useful.

But even "pro" transcriptions aren't going to be perfect, as anyone who's done them understands. You're translating from one form of communication to another, and things get lost even with best efforts. Even the artist doesn't always know exactly what he or she played on a recording - it was one performance, and many players change the way they play every time.

Sometimes you don't even want accuracy, because it overwhelms you with details. I could play some little thing where I'm just thinking "I'm fingerpicking thru I IV V", and playing *roughly* the same pattern each time, but varying a bit, maybe grabbing 2 notes in a chord on one pass, 3 on another, and so on. You could tab that out exactly, and it'd be a bear to memorize every little nuance, or you could tab out the "concept", a sort of idealized version. The exact transcription would seem complex, and may be why some people struggle to learn with tab. They're having to remember a thousand details, that the original performer wasn't even thinking about. The idealized version would be simple, in the ballpark, and let you start playing it, and introducing your own variations, but wouldn't be "correct", strictly speaking.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

All music notation is just a guide. Even the most accurate is only an approximation of the music.

Hi Doug...

I agree with you.

Unfortunately, many players/students I meet treat TAB and/or Notation as 'poured into place with epoxy and encased in concrete'.

They see TAB/Notation as the only right/perfect way to play something, and are totally inflexible about playing around with it.

And honestly that idea comes from the classical school of musical thought as it is taught even today.

[lmacmil]

Like you, I download tabs mainly for the lyrics (which are also often wrong.) I have rarely started with a song tab that I haven't had to either change chords or the position of the chord or something. However, it's still easier than doing it all myself and I often find that others hear chords (or chord variations) that I do not. Without tabs, my repertoire would be a lot smaller than it is.

[rmyAddison]

Originally Posted by MICHAEL MYERS

I imagine most people looking up internet tabs are not advanced fingerstyle players. If they are, they should probably get their butt's in gear and cease relying on kids/amateurs to figure "stuff" out for them.

Possibly true, I do it for the lyrics, but I'm mostly unimpressed with the quality of the Tabs.

[muscmp]

with any tab, i find myself adding, deleting or changing the chords. sometimes you'll see different tabs of the same song in different keys, and both are incorrect. perhaps the way to look at it is: it's a start! now, i'll take it from there!

play music!

[MICHAEL MYERS]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

And honestly that idea comes from the classical school of musical thought as it is taught even today.

Agreed. The average classical teacher would have kittens if you told him/her that you were going to listen to a piece then play it using the notation as a rough guide.

[Roselynne]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Many tabs written recently use notation programs which have the tabs, standard notation, and a midi all combined. Other than straight ears on the simpler tunes it, plus a video if available, is the easiest way to go.

Also speaking of good ear training, figuring out a tune by ear while tabbing it out yourself in one of these software programs, listening back to the midi, making corrections as needed, may make you a more critical listener.

Agreed. I tend to do stuff the hard way -- which is yet another area ripe for change!

I'll probably go ahead and invest in Guitar Pro 6. Unless there's something better?

[Diamond Dave]

Online tab can be accurate or horrible. That's why on a site like UltimateGuitar.com, there is a rating system and a way for users to comment so that the tab poster hopefully can correct any mistakes and improve upon their original.

This is the internet. Take everything with a grain of salt, especially when it's free.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by Roselynne

Agreed. I tend to do stuff the hard way -- which is yet another area ripe for change!

I'll probably go ahead and invest in Guitar Pro 6. Unless there's something better?

I use PowerTabEditor (works with Windows, not Mac). It is free here
http://dcoombsguitar.com/Guitar%20Mu...p/powertab.zip

[imwjl]

There are places where you will see corrections or comments to improve.

For those who use the iReal b app, the forums will at times discuss corrections and fixed versions get uploaded. For any of those you're only getting a basic framework to begin with.

[Paikon]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Doug...



And honestly that idea comes from the classical school of musical thought as it is taught even today.

Even though i agree with Doug i totally disagree with your explanation.Classical schools dont turn students into puppets...on the contrary.
I was watching a documentary about Vienna Philarhmonic Orchestra the other day where they were explaining that when they play valses 3/4, they play the second beat faster and third beat later than its time so that the piece will have a more dance feeling.....WOW

[wcap]

This is probably very different tablature than what Rich was referring to, but these sites have great tablature (with the option of also viewing as standard notation, and also with the option of listening to a midi rendition of the arrangement):

http://www.frettedinstrumentsnyc.com/

(Well, I should say, this site HAD great tabs.... most of the tablature arrangements on this site are unavailable now, but it seems to vary from day to day. Just now, for example, the Chet Atkins section was working... download them now while you have the chance!).

and


http://dirk.meineke.free.fr/ A great site!


And another similar site (I have not actually downloaded anything from this site yet): http://www.herso.freeservers.com/tabs_and_midis.html

[wcap]

Originally Posted by MICHAEL MYERS

Working stuff out is the best thing to improve the ear. Skipping that step and automatically looking up a tab without trying is the road to nowhere.

For complicated fingerstyle pieces (and even more so, perhaps, for 5-string banjo arrangements, especially in melodic style) good tablature can be invaluable as you can learn approaches to fingerings that you might not have come up with on your own. In the case of the huge collection of Chet Atkins arrangements at www.frettedinstrumentsnyc.com, it is a little bit like having Chet Atkins sit down with you and show you how he played his arrangements.

Once one masters pieces like this from tablature one then internalizes the approaches used in the arrangements. They become second nature, and part of a collection of tools that can be pulled out and implemented on the fly in new contexts in the future. Each piece you learn can potentially enhance the diversity of approaches you have to draw upon in the future, potentially making you a fundamentally different guitar player.

Originally Posted by MICHAEL MYERS

I imagine most people looking up internet tabs are not advanced fingerstyle players. If they are, they should probably get their butt's in gear and cease relying on kids/amateurs to figure "stuff" out for them.

See my post above with the links to some great fingerstyle/classical/flamenco tablature. There is a lot of really challenging music there on those sites. It would take quite a lot of experience to get to the point of being able to figure some of this stuff out on one's own (or at least to be able to do it efficiently). There is no shame in making use of resources like this, and it is no simple task to master a lot of this music.

I learned Classical Gas, Recuerdos de la Alhambra, some Jobim pieces, and some other pieces from tablature from these sites. It would have taken me a very long time to have figured out those pieces from scratch. Perhaps I don't qualify as an advanced fingerstyle player though.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Paikon

Even though i agree with Doug i totally disagree with your explanation.Classical schools dont turn students into puppets...on the contrary.
I was watching a documentary about Vienna Philarhmonic Orchestra the other day where they were explaining that when they play valses 3/4, they play the second beat faster and third beat later than its time so that the piece will have a more dance feeling.....WOW

Hi Paikon...

You are free to disagree. There are great centers of classical training; for a few privileged students.

But most classical music is taught on a local school level, and the approach is radically different than in the professional end of classical teaching.

I wish it were different.

I've been teaching recovering guitarists in our city for nearly 38 years now, and most of them had started on classical music in the school system, and then abandoned guitar till their teen years or adulthood.

It would probably be interesting for you to hear the stories from their side of it, and help them deal with learning to experience and play music in a more casual setting.