kelly campbell Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I have looked at different websites for tabs and really do not know which one is better..also where can one find a legend or key to tab symbols. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I have looked at different websites for tabs and really do not know which one is better..also where can one find a legend or key to tab symbols. For me it is Ultimate Guitar. I don't like Tab (on its own) and like to see "the dots" as well and prefer transcriptions which have Guitar Pro options. I can never understand how anybody can "read" anything from tab on its own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody78 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 For me it is Ultimate Guitar. I don't like Tab (on its own) and like to see "the dots" as well and prefer transcriptions which have Guitar Pro options. I can never understand how anybody can "read" anything from tab on its own. I agree! Tab has restrictions - especially regarding rhythms on those websites, so notation has always been the way to go for me. I can't say I've ever used tab as anything more than a reference in the books that have it alongside the standard notation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbabig Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I agree! Tab has restrictions - especially regarding rhythms on those websites, so notation has always been the way to go for me. I can't say I've ever used tab as anything more than a reference in the books that have it alongside the standard notation. Big +1 on standard notation. I'm not gonna rag on people who use tab, it's really great for people who want to learn covers of songs they know by heart. But standard notation tells you much more about the piece of music. I don't think many people bother to learn standard notation because position playing takes so much time to learn. Here are some great sites that offer standard notational music http://imslp.org/ http://classicalguitar.homeip.net It is also unfortunate that many songs only exist in tablature, adding another reason why many guitarists never bother to learn it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I use a combination of tab and rhythm notation. That's the only part of "Standard Notation" that I believe is actually necessary to transcribe music that makes sense. The only shortcoming of tab is lack of rhythm. Learn what a whole note, half note, quarter, eighth, dotted eighth ect. looks like, and most people will be able to understand what you're writing; and You'll remember how to play it. -Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 There are programs out there that have full songs tabbed out that you can play along to like Guitar Pro and Tabit. I use both both but prefer Tabit for its ease of use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I find TAB useful if I already am very familiar with a piece of music but can't work out a weird chord or riff or something. But you still have to trust that the tabber knew what they were doing. Some of those TABS are just way off. Plus most of the sites like Ultimate Guitar and such are just full of pop ups and crap that it's too annoying to even bother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Mac Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I just search for tabs on the internet and whatever I can come up with that is free is what I'll use... I was subscribed to eChords for a while but then got a little put-off by the auto-subscribe membership charging $3.95 to my debit card every month. I got my use out of it and cancelled... As for me I can't read music; standard notation. The tabs (if accurate) put me in the right place. Rhythm has always been the downfall. I can't read rhythm from the tab and I don't think there's any good way to pass along that as well as standard notation. Since I can't read music I can't write it either. I personally use a combination of tab and standard rhythm notation. I'll go so far as to put down a tempo bpm notation and site examples of recorded versions in known recorded songs for my rhythm notes. It's the only way I can think of to get my point across from the lacking I found int tab rhythm notation and my own inability to read rhythm in tabs or music for that matter, but others that understand music notation better than I will understand it better than myself, even my own music notation... Another problem I've found with so many tabs of songs is accuracy. Tabs are only as accurate as the people that write them from what they perceive as what they hear. It's no more accurate than the myriad of erroneous "how to play" vids on Youtube that teach you to play songs wrong... There's more of then than you would think. Lots of well intentioned people hear what they think is being played differently and play it differently themselves and then try to teach it differently than the way those that record the songs are actually playing it... It's funny when the real players are seen on video saying; "No, that's not how I play it, this is..." It happens alot. But, I can think of no other way to record my music than some kind of similar notation and since I can't read or write standard music notation, I find tabs useful as I can basically understand it and it puts me in either the right place or very close and my ear and memory take it from there... I play by ear, memory, and feel almost exclusively... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 As already mentioned tab is only as good as the person who did it. It's really just a reference point and nothing more. I gave up sight reading(and playing guitar) when I was 12 and my parents quit forcing music on me. When I picked guitar back up in 81 I learned the old fashioned way,, by ear and chord charts. And then I took some more lessons. If I have to pick a favorite tab site I quite like songsterr. I find it to have the most accurate tabs and some of the features(subscribed) are good. I knew guys who were killer sight readers but they had no concept of jamming. You need a balance. I can't sight read anymore and have never had any desire to do so. I can read the notation and make sense of it but to use it to learn a song would just take me forever. IMO you just can't beat doing it by ear. And nowadays it's a piece of cake to repeat the part you want to learn with the click of a mouse,, dropping that stylus in just the right place was a real pain. Audacity works good for slowing down tempo without changing pitch and it's free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american cheez Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Lol,,, Well played Kuma. And by the way,,, best avatar ever!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbabig Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Sight reading generally just leads to a higher quality of musicianship. A guitarist who knows all the notes on their fret board isn't confined to soloing within scale patterns. Sight reading also leads to a much better rhythmic sense and more precise playing. It's not so much the good that sight reading does in and of itself, and the things that it leads to. Generally a musician who can read standard notation, is much better equipped to learn music theory, and after that, the rules of musical composition. Reading a piece of music tells you far more about how to play the piece than a piece of tab can, with dynamic markings, fingers to use, strokes to use, and overall feeling of the music. A professional can also learn a piece far faster from sight reading than can be learned with tab. A guitarist who can read standard notation can start to arrange for other instruments, and tell whatever musicians they're working with what they want them to play. To say that standard notation is absolutely necessary to be a good musician isn't true, but to say that tab is just as good as standard notation is not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I can't argue with a single thing you said Kimba. You are absolutely correct. Which is why I am and always will be a self proclaimed hack. I do admire professional musicians. But for me it's just a hobby. I have a full time job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbabig Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 <br />I can't argue with a single thing you said Kimba.<br />You are absolutely correct.<br /><br />Which is why I am and always will be a self proclaimed hack.<br /><br />I do admire professional musicians. But for me it's just a hobby.<br />I have a full time job.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Hey, there's nothing wrong with hobbies. I hate to come off as an elitist jack***. Anyone who enjoys making music gets my respect, and I hate to discourage anyone. I understand people have jobs (I do not, so I'm probably the real hack :b ). I must recommend though, that anyone who has the time should try to learn standard notation because it opens up a world of understanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 <br /><br /><br /> I hate to come off as an elitist jack***. I must recommend though, that anyone who has the time should try to learn standard notation because it opens up a world of understanding. Lol,, not at all Bro. I never took it as that at all. And I agree that learning notation is a big help. I can read it,, but I can't sight read it. Having my kids in music has got me back to reading music again. But I haven't applied it to guitar at all. To be honest, I haven't even looked for guitar notation for decades. I just recently joined a small band so I am learning a bunch of new tunes, some I never even heard before and I don't know at all. I may just take your advice and see if I can track down some notation for one of these songs and see how that goes. But I'm playing old rock and blues type stuff. Any suggestions on finding that kind of material in notation? Some of the stuff we are playing I can't even find in tab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody78 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 <br /><br /><br /> Hey, there's nothing wrong with hobbies. I hate to come off as an elitist jack***. Anyone who enjoys making music gets my respect, and I hate to discourage anyone. I understand people have jobs (I do not, so I'm probably the real hack :b ). I must recommend though, that anyone who has the time should try to learn standard notation because it opens up a world of understanding. Can't agree more with Kimbabig's statements I come from a music degree background, so reading music was always important for me to understand for composing/ arranging strings, brass, woodwind as well as guitar etc. There is no true substitute for standard notation and bear in mind if you are to learn an extended piece with many changes/ movements it is very difficult if you can't read. Having said that many great players can't read and tab is fantastic for this reason...as a way to communicate the language of music. Until you learn to read, you can't fully appreciate what a fantastic tool it is to have as a musician... For anyone interested here is a great book that starts from scratch and works up in difficulty quite quickly to get you reading at a fairly good level. Many books can put people off, but this one presents things clearly and would be quite fun to work through as well as rewarding. http://www.amazon.com/Music-Reading-Guitar-Complete-Method/dp/0793581885 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbabig Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 <br />=But I'm playing old rock and blues type stuff. Any suggestions on finding that kind of material in notation?<br />Some of the stuff we are playing I can't even find in tab.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Yes, there's the drawback with standard notation, there's really not much notation in rock and blues. You might be able to find some arrangements, but then, people are generally asking for money for sheet music. If you find any sheet music or even tab I could try transcribe it into a guitar part for you, I really love the practice, as I'm a music student. What songs are you looking to play? I'm sure the everyone on the forum is more than willing to help you look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbabig Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 For anyone interested here is a great book that starts from scratch and works up in difficulty quite quickly to get you reading at a fairly good level. Many books can put people off, but this one presents things clearly and would be quite fun to work through as well as rewarding. http://www.amazon.co...d/dp/0793581885 Hey that looks like a great book. I never knew how to point guitarists in the direction of reading music without books that teach "classical techniques (finger picking)" oriented books. Does the book give an option of playing fingerstyle or with a plectrum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Yeah I don't use tab much.. BUT as people have mentioned it can be useful for working something weird out or something you just cant quite get by your self... The one I use is http://www.guitaretab.com and I use that cos I can usually find what im looking for :) (the search only seems to work for songs rather than bands but the bands are listed A-Z). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 <br /><br /><br /> What songs are you looking to play? Well we all just got together a few weeks ago so everyone just met each other about 5 weeks ago or so. So our set list is small to start out with. I never in my days ever thought I would play a Huey Lewis tune but, it's actually pretty fun to play. I hated the 80s..lol. The ones in bold are the ones we have started and more or less have down. I just started looking at the Matt Good tune and have it more or less down as well the others I haven't even looked at yet. I certainly wouldn't expect you to transcribe anything. And we have yet to work out who is doing what guitar parts. There are 2 guitars. But thank you for your most generous offer. But if you do find any sites let me know. These tunes were chosen by the fellow who put the ad up. Once we get these down we will all make suggestions and vote on the keepers as a group. Set list: This beat goes on / Switching to glide - The Kings Movin' on – Triumph Rainshowers - Pagliaro All Hell for a basement – Big sugar Walking on a thin line – Huey Lewis and the News Heart and soul – Huey Lewis and the News Hasn't hit me yet – Blue rodeo Everything is automatic – Matt Good band Jet airliner – Steve Miller band That's a man – Kim Mitchel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody78 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Hey that looks like a great book. I never knew how to point guitarists in the direction of reading music without books that teach "classical techniques (finger picking)" oriented books. Does the book give an option of playing fingerstyle or with a plectrum? The book assumes you have been playing for a couple of years already and know either fingerstyle or plectrum technique. It mainly covers basic to more intermediate classical pieces, but looks solely at learning how to read and not so much on the technique side of things - as you can opt to play either with fingers or a pick as the author figures you know how to do this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Kelly, I use Songsterr.com, both the website and the phone app. (I do not subscribe to the full membership on the website) No, not every tab is perfect but some are better than anything else you'll find on the web, plus the player helps a lot. Here is the thing, a lot of people rag on tabs, sure there are some wrong tabs out there but there are also correct tabs. In the age of multi-tracking it is tough to get some songs right just by ear, I mean ZZ Top tracks like 4 guitars is some studio recordings, we all know there is only one guitar player. Also, some folks that do not use tabs get songs wrong, I know a guy that is very anti-tablature and one day I showed him a video lesson by Kirk Hammett on how to play Master of Puppets, I did that because he does not play the song like Kirk does, sure you can substitute notes but it is not *the* correct way to play it. He was not happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Jazz Solo Transcriptions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 I have looked at different websites for tabs and really do not know which one is better..also where can one find a legend or key to tab symbols. ULTIMATE GUITAR by far is the widest and best ... they even have a popular hits book in Chapters! I have to dig sometimes a bit harder to find more accurate tabs though. There is a UG page explaining the method of tab that they use (see link): My link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanH Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Google! I put the artist, name of the song and the word "tab" in the search box. The one that comes out at the top has the most hits and is, more often than not, very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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