What do you find most helpful when learning a new song online?

[BenTunessence]

Tabs (like ultimate-guitar), tabs with playback (like songsterr), chords with lyrics, jam tracks, video instruction, or anything else?

[1001gear]

Stuff I wanna hear mostly. Any 'learning' considerations would be

[jeremy_green]

My ears, a slow downer app like "transcribe" and my CD collection. I don't find any of the online resources more helpful than that all things considered. This is an auditory art form. The development of ones ears is paramount.

[BydoEmpire]

Time to practice it, and focus enough to use the time well.

For any "exercise" type lessons (not learning songs), like some on Youtube or those in magazines, the key is not "can you play the stuff in the lesson."  They key is - can you apply what it's trying to teach you in other musical situations?  For instance, several years ago there was a lesson in GP about wide intervals, and it had a little sample piece that I worked on, and after a little while I could play it.  That was neat, but it was even better when I was writing a tune later that year and looking for just the right part to complement the main rhythm guitar, and it hit me - use these wide intervals and accent the chords with them.  It worked out great.  For many, many years I only did half of these lessons: I learned what was written, and moved on.  It was never really internalized, and while I could play the sample pieces (sometimes sloppily), I never really got what it was trying to teach me, at least, not to the extent I could apply it to my own playing.  And if that's the case, what was the point?  Taking that second step is a big one, imho, and much more time consuming than just learning a few bars of an exercise.