Original or Not?

I reckon there should be different websites to cater for the different levels of tab accuracy:

http://www.analtabs.com - the place for those people who like to post tabs which are 15 pages long and include every single note in three different notations, plus extra instructions like "at this point Clapton turns his guitar 8.31 degrees left and coughs at 26dB"

http://www.retardtabs.com - the place for people who attempt to post the above song as a three-chord song, and in doing so, manage to get one of the chords wrong

http://www.teenpunktabs.com - the place for tabs which are 3 pages of relentlessly tabbed-out power chords, with no lyrics included, for a song which could just as easily be represented as "A5 D5 E5, repeat until end."

Personally I like my tabs to fit on one page, include all the lyrics and chords, chord notations if they are non-standard, and 15-25% of the blank space taken up by tabbed solos, riffs or fills.

Ok, here is my take on this topic. I really do like what noteboat had to say. Makes you think about learning something right. Personally I would like the TAB as close to the original as possiable. If the peice I am trying to learn has a cord I cannot make, then I will have to learn this cord and placement. You know the brain tells the finger left, but the muscle says ouch no right that hurts :P . Guess I will just have to pratice harder & longer on this progression. Doing that now with 2 songs I cannot get my hand to make smoothly, but I am getting better as I can make the cord.
I am like maxrumble and I am new to playing and I normally play by myself. I do take some liberties on a couple of songs where I have moved the note from 1/8 to 1/4 note letting it ring a bit longer sounds better to me and I like to add this interpatation in once and a while. JMO

I say learn it the right way first, and then make it your own.

And you're right, there is a lot of crap tabs out there that is flat out wrong or simply incomplete... but what do you want for free on the internet?

I typically use the best tab that I can find only as a starting point, to help speed the process. Then I get the WAV file on my computer and listen to the song through my Transkriber software, section by section at whatever speed I want, in the same key.

While that is up and running I also have Microsoft Word open with the tab that I found on the internet pasted to a Word document... and I start editing. I aslo spend a lot of time for accuracy and make sure it's thorough and complete. I've bought digital sheet music through Music Notes that wasn't correct or complete. But transcribing tab yourself will improve your ear, as well as you music theory knowledge and of course, your playing.

There's a decent tab site out there....

http://www.guitarnotes.com

Not much good for lessons or anything else, and some of the tabs are way out.....but they're usually a good starting point.....

If I'm posting a tab on the Easy Song Database, I'll try and get it as close to the original as I can....the main reason being, most of my practise time is spent playing (Rhythm!!!) along with the radio or a CD......

I like David's lessons, they're well thought out and well written...the only quibble I have, at the end of the day it's D.Hodge's version of someone else's song......so yeah, I'd always go with the original version, as a few people have said, you can always put your own twist on it.....
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Vic

That is not a criticism by the way David....but if I want to learn a song, I want to learn the original version so's I can play along with it on the radio or stereo....

In my case, I'll think aaaaaaaaargh!!!!.....he's changed the chords...and then I'll have to try and work the original chords out....so in a way, he's doing me a favour, making me think for myself.....

And of course they're always bloody good versions!!!!!!

:D :D :D

(Peace, David!!!)

jonnyt, thanks for the info on transkriber. I have been looking for some s/w that I can slow down songs while I pratice them to learn the riff' and rhythm better

Vic, souds like you and I play the same way, along with the music :). I do like playing rhythm though.

Great software and very inexpensive. The best investment I've made. Available through Reed Kotler.

Thanks, going to order this next payday. Just made my house payment and car payments so I am bit short on $$ right now