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"Hey man, can you send me the tabs of this?"


MiltyG565
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Go on any YouTube bass cover of a popular song, scroll down to the comments, and see essentially this comment 100 times. Why? I just don't get it. And here's why i don't get it.

The person in the video probably either worked out the song by ear, or used somebody else's tabs to learn and record the song. I doubt very much that many people write out tabs for songs so they can do a cover of it on YouTube.

Secondly - You have a video right in front of you of the person playing it. That's already increasing your ability to work it out yourself, because you can actually see the notes he/she is playing. I've done this countless times when i couldn't work it out by ear.

Thirdly - The internet has thousands of tabs and tab sites. In my opinion, you aren't making use of the internet and your computer if you are trying to get all your information from YouTube. I certainly wouldn't pay for my internet if i was only going to make use of a few sites.

I just don't understand this at all. If you can't find a place on the internet that has tabs for a particular song (keeping in mind, we are talking about popular songs) and you can't work it out by ear, even with the video and song in front of you showing you how it's played, there probably isn't much hope for you (not literally you. I doubt many people on here write this comment on YouTube.)

I see the comment on nearly every cover video i watch, and i felt the need for a bit of a rant on it. There are tab books, free tabs online, covers, and even people teaching how to play the song in other videos, why feel the need to ask on a cover video?

[/rant]

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[quote name='arthurhenry' timestamp='1363636278' post='2015139']
It seems there are some people who can't even see how it's possible to learn a song without tabs! It's the internet and as such we're exposed to the comments and opinions of all sorts. Most of them won't be playing for long.
[/quote]

Hopefully a few of them have lots of lovely gear that they will get rid of for next to nothing :D

If anyone ever said to me "I couldn't learn a song without tabs" i would probably have to smash the instrument across their head :D The entire genre of rock is based entirely upon musical ignorance, but that's taking it to an entire new level.

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[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1363639971' post='2015207']
Remember the days of MXtabs and the Rush tab project? You could get tabs for bloody everything it seemed. Though it was often just as quick (and more beneficial in the long term) just to work by ear. I haven't looked at tabs in years.
[/quote]

I've stumbled on a lot of the songs i have learned recently.

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[quote name='Jack Cahalane' timestamp='1363641248' post='2015230']
Maybe they can't be arsed working it out by ear? Maybe they just don't have the skill to listen to a song and figure the part out, or the desire/ time to learn how to?
[/quote]

Maybe so, and that's why God invented Ultimate-Guitar.com.

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[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1363641367' post='2015236']


Maybe so, and that's why God invented Ultimate-Guitar.com.
[/quote]

Fair point with the more well known songs, but some bands just aren't on there. There's about five or six Stone Roses bass tabs on the various sites, and some people's tabs aren't available at all like David Bowie.

I wonder why that is? He's pretty popular

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[quote name='Jack Cahalane' timestamp='1363641940' post='2015253']
Fair point with the more well known songs, but some bands just aren't on there. There's about five or six Stone Roses bass tabs on the various sites, and some people's tabs aren't available at all like David Bowie.

I wonder why that is? He's pretty popular
[/quote]

yeah, some artists have their tabs removed, for some reason.

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I get about five requests a day for the TAB for my solo bass version of 'Nothing Else Matters'. I don't mind, except that if they bothered to read the text under the video it says where to go to download the free score!

'tabz plz.' is the usual request, which seems rude. 'Hey, any chance you could share the score?' would be far more polite...!

I delete them all.

Edited by Stuart Clayton
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[quote name='Stuart Clayton' timestamp='1363642356' post='2015272']
I get about five requests a day for the TAB for my solo bass version of 'Nothing Else Matters'. I don't mind, except that if they bothered to read the text under the video it says where to go to download the free score!

'tabz plz.' is the usual request, which seems rude. 'Hey, any chance you could share the score?' would be far more polite...!

I delete them all.
[/quote]

You got a link? this seems interesting :)

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[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1363642600' post='2015279']
What? I was 17 when i started and nobody told me to watch and learn.
[/quote]

I meant like 13.. When I was playing at that age I wouldn't watch and learn, it didn't occur to me, that's all I meant but you may be right.

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[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1363642762' post='2015286']
Why wouldn't you think to learn songs by ear?? Is it not obvious..? :huh: [size=4]I can't do it any other way. :)[/size]
[/quote]

I certainly find if I can work the song out by ear, I feel more confident... I'll often go to a reputable tab site to "check my workings out" or to figure out harder bits that are eluding me, but certainly I favour learning by ear, it also gets you to appreciate the bass in amongst the song as a whole.... Which if you are going to play with a band is invaluable.

I do sometimes when I get REALLY stuck, go to my guru bass teacher for some gentle nudges in the right direction ;)

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In fairness to some (and by some, I mean a select very few), the "tab" sites are quite often guff & often the one guy does a bad transcription & then folk share it on other sites. Some folk can't transcribe by ear. Doesn't necessarily make them a poor bassist though.
Try finding the bass tab for Jamiroquai's Planet Home. I worked it out by ear & thought I'd check it against some "tabs", but there's sod all that's correct!
I think if you really want to know a song, buy the actual transcription from a publisher.

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[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1363643226' post='2015308']
I certainly find if I can work the song out by ear, I feel more confident... I'll often go to a reputable tab site to "check my workings out" or to figure out harder bits that are eluding me, but certainly I favour learning by ear, it also gets you to appreciate the bass in amongst the song as a whole.... Which if you are going to play with a band is invaluable.

I do sometimes when I get REALLY stuck, go to my guru bass teacher for some gentle nudges in the right direction ;)
[/quote]

Of course you do, that's what you pay him for! I just don't see why so many people turn to YouTubers to provide them with tablature.

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