tab websites

liquidsmoke · December 11, 2011, 02:06:39 AM

What the fuck? If you don't know the whole song why bother putting tab on a site for just part of a song? The easy shit is not what I need help with. Also, what does guitar tab have to do with phone ring tones? Garbage.

Or perhaps there is one no nonsense guitar tab website that is actually worth visiting?

I suck, that's why I need tab for *some* songs. Nobody released a book for Blue Cheer or Big Brother and the Holding Company or Candlemass.

Andrew Blakk · December 11, 2011, 03:46:21 AM

http://www.songsterr.com

Not all the tabs are great but still a quite usable page.

And yes thay have some Candlemass as well!

Lumpy · December 11, 2011, 10:49:34 AM

Some of those tabs are written by guys who aren't better players than you are, bored teenagers etc. Gotta keep that in mind.

Best no-nonsense way to get tab is buy a book (and you can always buy used). Tab kinda sucks, anyway. Get software like "Amazing Slowdowner" (PC only) or one of those CD 'guitar trainers' from Tascam with slow-down ability. Goal should be to train yourself to be able to hear the changes. Unless you're a super beginner, or it's some incredibly complicated shit. You should be able to hear how a Blue Cheer song goes.

1. Figure out what they tune to... aka lowest open string
2. Get in tune with them.
3. Profittsss

Lumpy · December 11, 2011, 11:11:47 AM

Also, sometimes you gotta listen to something a million times, to get it That's part of the "fun" $:-\$

liquidsmoke · December 11, 2011, 12:27:24 PM

Quote from: Andrew Blakk on December 11, 2011, 03:46:21 AM
http://www.songsterr.com

Not all the tabs are great but still a quite usable page.

And yes thay have some Candlemass as well!

Cool, thanks!

liquidsmoke · December 11, 2011, 12:39:50 PM

Quote from: Lumpy on December 11, 2011, 10:49:34 AM
Some of those tabs are written by guys who aren't better players than you are, bored teenagers etc. Gotta keep that in mind.

Yup. And I wish they wouldn't bother.

Quote from: Lumpy on December 11, 2011, 10:49:34 AM
Best no-nonsense way to get tab is buy a book (and you can always buy used). Tab kinda sucks, anyway. Get software like "Amazing Slowdowner" (PC only) or one of those CD 'guitar trainers' from Tascam with slow-down ability. Goal should be to train yourself to be able to hear the changes. Unless you're a super beginner, or it's some incredibly complicated shit. You should be able to hear how a Blue Cheer song goes.

1. Figure out what they tune to... aka lowest open string
2. Get in tune with them.
3. Profittsss

I have a couple of tab books but like I was saying, for less popular bands you are usually up shit creek. I will look into a slowdowner program or device. I've thought about that before, now is probably time to pull the trigger.

Regarding say, a Blue Cheer song, I want to know *exactly* what is going on, not just approximetly what he played. Metal is often easy aside from the solos because it's mainly power chords but the '60/70s guitar players often were into folk and other music before playing rock so they sometimes made things a lot more complicated and tricky.

eyeprod · December 11, 2011, 01:10:22 PM

those tab sites generally suck, but you can find some stuff that's right.

BrianDamage · December 11, 2011, 01:16:35 PM

I tend to just use tab sites to make it easier on myself to get what a band tunes to. Figure the rest out by ear. But hell, sometimes those dumb dicks get the tuning wrong as well.

jibberish · December 11, 2011, 01:36:52 PM

dont forget about powertab. there is a little like midi player that follows the notes. you can loop it.

if you pay money you can slow it down.

i google the songs to get all the tabs. also, as mentioned, some tabs are flat out wrong, but still it makes you focus harder on what's right.

a recording of the song split into loops like with audacity is still the killer way to take apart a song.
i mentioned this technique in that "i need to learn a song" thread. make the loops as small as you need to figure out a section of the song.

Corey Y · December 11, 2011, 02:07:12 PM

Pretty much every tab I've ever looked up was wrong. I would look something up out of curiosity, tried it out and it was obviously waaay not correct, listened to the song for a minute and figured it out by ear. Once I wrote a corrected tab/song structure and updated the wrong one, since it was a wiki style system, for Prayer To God by Shellac. The guy who posted the original incorrect one was the site mod and he deleted mine and restored the old one. Since then I don't even bother with tabs, I just go straight to just learning it by ear.

Lumpy · December 11, 2011, 04:03:58 PM

Quote from: liquidsmoke on December 11, 2011, 12:39:50 PM\
Regarding say, a Blue Cheer song, I want to know *exactly* what is going on, not just approximetly what he played. Metal is often easy aside from the solos because it's mainly power chords but the '60/70s guitar players often were into folk and other music before playing rock so they sometimes made things a lot more complicated and tricky.

Like I said, you have to listen to it, sometimes a million times. How do you think the amateur tab writers are coming up with their versions?

The only other way is to get an 'official' tab book (and I've heard people complain that those can even be wrong, sometimes). It sounds like you aren't convinced you can figure it out by yourself... I'm telling you, you absolutely can. If you have to struggle a little, well that's how you really learn stuff, by beating your head against the wall. You'll learn the bass line, and you'll also improve your listening ability (hugely important), and your ability to understand the relationship between notes (intervals) and what they sound like (hugely important). Those skills are more important than just knowing how to play one particular song.

fallen · December 11, 2011, 05:50:18 PM

Tab can be useful. First step is to find some kind of live footage if possible on YouTube. Get in the right tuning and at least find out the positions. Then I learn it mostly by ear and use tab as a shortcut for any parts I'm having major trouble with.

It can really help sometimes. I was playing the Mr. Crowley melody part as single notes up at the 10th fret before I saw some tab that started it out as a broken Dm open chord.

Same with a lot of Sabbath stuff. I tend to ride E at the 7th fret but a lot of the time he's playing chords up at 12th or above. Seeing a live video makes the parts easy to figure out exactly as on the album.

spookstrickland · December 11, 2011, 09:28:13 PM

I've found if I can't figure it out by ear it's best to buy a good tab book. I have literally read tab's posted on line where the douche said something like "I have not heard this song in years but I think this is pretty much how it goes" fuck that shit either you do a Aplus job or you should not be posting it on the web.

Ranbat · December 11, 2011, 09:32:26 PM

Ultimate Guitar is where I usually go, because there will often be more than one tabbed version of the song. Sometimes I'll buy a book and sometimes I use YouTube. Just type 'how to play (song)' and you just may find it.

liquidsmoke · December 12, 2011, 12:31:06 AM

Quote from: Lumpy on December 11, 2011, 04:03:58 PM
Like I said, you have to listen to it, sometimes a million times. How do you think the amateur tab writers are coming up with their versions?

The only other way is to get an 'official' tab book (and I've heard people complain that those can even be wrong, sometimes). It sounds like you aren't convinced you can figure it out by yourself... I'm telling you, you absolutely can. If you have to struggle a little, well that's how you really learn stuff, by beating your head against the wall. You'll learn the bass line, and you'll also improve your listening ability (hugely important), and your ability to understand the relationship between notes (intervals) and what they sound like (hugely important). Those skills are more important than just knowing how to play one particular song.

I agree but often it's like I just can not find the notes on my guitar. The issue is that I suck and if they are playing a chord and it's not a power chord or simple bar type chord I'm clueless.

I do sometimes sit there listening to a part like 100 times but at full speed I can't always figure it out. One of them riff slower players will help a lot. I hum the notes which helps a great deal too.

I'm 33, it's time to shit or get off the pot. Get off the pot means sell all of my gear. I don't want to do that but I'm not shitting very well.

liquidsmoke · December 12, 2011, 12:56:26 AM

I will also check out Powertab and Ultimate Guitar. I have used live videos on Youtube in the past, it can help a lot I agree.

liquidsmoke · December 13, 2011, 01:32:25 PM

Spent 4 hours last night playing along with CDs in my collection and just ordered a Tascam CD trainer(to slow down parts) which I will be glued to until I don't suck. The next year will be spent mostly in the basement. Buying some thinner strings today so my fingertips don't bleed tonight from bends when I get back to my guitar.

Ranbat · December 13, 2011, 08:31:22 PM

I had an early version of the Guitarport I could slow down and loop wav files with. I shouldn't have gotten rid of it. One of the best tools I ever bought that actually helped me better my playing. I'm sure the TASCAM will do the same thing.

Isabellacat · December 13, 2011, 11:29:51 PM

I remember buying a Nirvana-Bleach tablature book from Sam Goody back in the 90's. Then I thought "What's the point?!"...it had cool pictures in it tho.

Most tabs are very inaccurate. Usually they tell you how to play a song on the wrong part of the fretboard and get the tuning all wrong. Also, whatever happened to just learning how to actually Read music and play by the actual notes??

Pundan · December 14, 2011, 12:43:58 AM

I can highly recommend you 911tabs.com, it searches through several tab sites so it's more of a search engine. Though I've found that if one really wants to learn a song it's better to tab it yourself.

liquidsmoke · December 14, 2011, 01:45:33 AM

Quote from: Isabellacat on December 13, 2011, 11:29:51 PM
I remember buying a Nirvana-Bleach tablature book from Sam Goody back in the 90's. Then I thought "What's the point?!"...it had cool pictures in it tho.

Most tabs are very inaccurate. Usually they tell you how to play a song on the wrong part of the fretboard and get the tuning all wrong. Also, whatever happened to just learning how to actually Read music and play by the actual notes??

A lot of tab online is wrong but some of it is correct. Most of the actual books are dead on to my knowledge. Where to play on the fretboard is often more of a personal preference thing.

I could read notes for piano when I was a kid but forgot all of that pretty quickly after the lessons stopped. I don't really care about it now anyway. Tab for guitar and bass is easy and much more rock 'n fuckin' roll, ya know?

liquidsmoke · December 14, 2011, 02:13:34 AM

Quote from: Pundan on December 14, 2011, 12:43:58 AM
I can highly recommend you 911tabs.com, it searches through several tab sites so it's more of a search engine. Though I've found that if one really wants to learn a song it's better to tab it yourself.

Cool thanks! No Big Brother stuff(if anyone wants to tab out every guitar part and riff(both guitars if possible) on paper of the album version of 'Combination Of the Two' and mail it to me I'll order you any CD for $20 or less, hopefully less) but it found tons of Blue Cheer.

Tabbing it yourself is great when you can but when you don't know the chords they are playing or a part is too fast to hear(unless slowed down) or you don't know what neat guitar trick they are using it can be impossible.

I suck but am starting to seriously work much harder to get better. I should have done this 15 years ago but I did not for various reasons.

Here's that song, if anyone wants to do sort of a

7-7-9
7-7-9
5-5-7...

type thing with any of it in this thread please be my guest. I'll probably get the fast lead parts okay with the Tascam when it comes but that won't help at all with the chords.

Pundan · December 14, 2011, 10:33:58 PM

Quote from: liquidsmoke on December 14, 2011, 02:13:34 AM
Quote from: Pundan on December 14, 2011, 12:43:58 AM
I can highly recommend you 911tabs.com, it searches through several tab sites so it's more of a search engine. Though I've found that if one really wants to learn a song it's better to tab it yourself.

Cool thanks! No Big Brother stuff(if anyone wants to tab out every guitar part and riff(both guitars if possible) on paper of the album version of 'Combination Of the Two' and mail it to me I'll order you any CD for $20 or less, hopefully less) but it found tons of Blue Cheer.

Tabbing it yourself is great when you can but when you don't know the chords they are playing or a part is too fast to hear(unless slowed down) or you don't know what neat guitar trick they are using it can be impossible.

I suck but am starting to seriously work much harder to get better. I should have done this 15 years ago but I did not for various reasons.

Here's that song, if anyone wants to do sort of a

7-7-9
7-7-9
5-5-7...

type thing with any of it in this thread please be my guest. I'll probably get the fast lead parts okay with the Tascam when it comes but that won't help at all with the chords.

Yeah, that being said I ain't a wiz-kid either when it comes to tabbing. I've done it for many years though, but it takes me forever to produce a tab. I usually start with finding the correct tuning, I tune my guitar to that so I don't have to transpose everything as I'm trying to learn it. Then it's just a matter of trial and error, I try to find as many tabs available to base my tab of. Usually there's some smaller things that people have either missed or haven't cared about tabbing, I try to find videos (ofcourse the success rate isn't awesome when you're trying to tab sludge or older songs).

Also, Guitar Pro is an awesome tool to use as a Tab editor.

My band is now learning Nature's Predators by Kylesa, and all I have to base the tab of is this video:

giantchris · December 14, 2011, 11:18:15 PM

The best underground metaly type tab site I ever found seems to be down www.doomish.com

otherwise you are mostly stuck by earing everything. Good luck

liquidsmoke · December 18, 2011, 06:47:35 AM

Bought some 8s and got the Tascam, was messing with it tonight for the first time. It can slow CDs down to 50% without changing the pitch which should be slow enough for most of the stuff I want to learn. Songs sound pretty Fear and Loathing weird and digital that slow but you can still hear them okay. I was able to tab out the bluesy psych leads of the first minute of Combination Of the Two without too much difficulty. I'm quite happy about that. I probably could have done it at regular speed if there wasn't so much fuzz on the guitar. Now I just have to work on actually playing the leads at speed with the correct feel and find the chords for the rest of the song. I might try to tab out the other lead parts as well.