Transcribing disagreements with the guitar parts

[wades_keys]

Tabs and published transcriptions are not to be relied on. I've had these disagreements myself with other musicians in the band. I look forward to them. I love it when I'm right, I learn something when I'm wrong. What we do to come to an agreement is play along with the recording and listen to which interpretation sounds the best, and if we still disagree we let another band member make the decision.

+1000 on all counts.

[wades_keys]

Some times he is right - some times I am right. I've gone into music stores and picked up a song book just to look up the section that we might have a disagreement on. That's about the only way I trust knowing if it is correct or not.

 

You'd think - but I own several published transcriptions that are not 100% accurate to the original recording.

[Janx]

You'd think - but I own several published transcriptions that are not 100% accurate to the original recording.

 

 

so wade says I can't trust published transcriptions (I agree, I've found errors myself)

 

and most folks say I can't trust internet tabs

 

and Bluestrat says I can't trust my ears (evidence exists that people make bad ear mistakes).

 

 

I think the core lesson is, no single source can be trusted. You will have to double check your stuff. Ears can be wrong. Tabs are written by someone's ear, which can be wrong. Published transcriptions are unknown in how they are sourced (the band CLAIMS it plays the song a certain way).

 

 

So, I think, instead of bashing internet tab, or insisting on ONLY learning by ear, we should advise folks to double-check their material with a third party, probably another musician.

[Kramerguy]

How about just don't trust tab, because it's done by beginners mostly.

Don't trust the ears of anyone who sucks.

Don't trust publications, they are overpriced anyways..

 

So you can wait until you are 10-12 years in and have a better developed ear.

 

Or you can also try playing along to backing tracks, if you are making mistakes, they will stick out like a sore thumb, especially if you record yourself with the track and listen back to it.

[tubetonez]

There's a lot of fairly accurate tabs that have been done over the years for the various magazines, song books like Hal Leonard etc. I suspect that some of the "Guitar Pro" files were done from these, I've found many that had lead guitar parts spot on with the drums & other intruments sounding like ass.

 

I've found that a lot of "pro" tabs will have the notes & timing fairly accurate, but use fingerings that are impossible to pull of at speed, or just don't sound quite right because the same note on a different string has a different tone.

[cromulent]

Well we compromised and he will play the rhythm parts and I will play the solos, at least until he caves and admits I'm right.

 

It's the goofy John Stamos version they did in the 90's, so I'm gonna just concentrate on doing some killer solos

[BlueStrat]

Well we compromised and he will play the rhythm parts and I will play the solos, at least until he caves and admits I'm right. It's the goofy John Stamos version they did in the 90's, so I'm gonna just concentrate on doing some killer solos

 

Wait---you're arguing over a John Stamos cover tune?

 

 

 

[cromulent]

Wait---you're arguing over a John Stamos cover tune?

silly isn't it? I realize now its less about getting the song right, than about trying to be a control freak, of which I'm partially guilty for as well.

[strathound]

Wait---you're arguing over a John Stamos cover tune?

Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.
Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave!
BlueStrat: People covering John Stamos tunes!!!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

[rhat]

So the band is trying to learn a new song, and me and the other guitar player are having disagreements about a certain chord progression in the bridge. Of course, I think I'm right, and he think he's right, and we're having trouble compromising because we're both probably too stubborn for our own good. How do you go about meeting in the middle? Or should you stand your ground even if it results in a big fight over some stupid song?

 

 

 

 

Do it by ear and listen for chord root notes. Be careful not to be arguing with a bass player who may be walking a bass line..... in that case you both are right. Look at the therory,,, there are just some chords that it cant be. Hash it out by ear. try to get it on the same page

[Lee Flier]

 

silly isn't it? I realize now its less about getting the song right, than about trying to be a control freak, of which I'm partially guilty for as well.

 

 

This is a good realization. It really doesn't matter if you play the song exactly "right" in terms of the original recording. Nobody except maybe another musician is going to give a crap if you play a D instead of a D7 in "Brown Eyed Girl," and I'll bet 90% of musicians wouldn't notice either. If you can play a song to where the signature riffs are all there and the audience can sing along and dance to it, you've done your job. Arguing over stuff like that is just ego getting in the way. Plenty of the bands who originally recorded any given song have made little changes along the way when they play it live, and famous artists who've covered someone else's songs have changed them up a bit - so can you.