Is Tablature Dead?

totamed · #1 April 21st, 2007

As I try to expand my abilities and my songbook, I am frustrated to find it harder and harder to add new pieces. More and more Tab sites are offline. Does anyone have any updates on the fight between the sites and the music industry? Is Tab dead? Anyone?

X4StringDrive · #2 April 21st, 2007

Sure seems that way to me.

Chaotic Kittie · #3 April 21st, 2007

Currently Ultimate-Guitar is the only site that really waves the banner of tablature... Apart from that, yes, FREE tablature seems to be dying a death everywhere.

__tsidewinder__ · #4 April 21st, 2007

how silly. Why on earth would anyone want to kill Tab? Without it, I wouldn't have learned half as fast. I wouldn't have bought a tab book, not a chance. I still wouldn't buy a tab book. I would have either learned guitar completely by ear, or not at all.

What is wrong with tabs for popular songs? Honestly? I feel like going on a rant about it.

The music industry is slowly killing itself, in my eyes. I think a musical revolution of some sort must be coming.

Ultimate guitar.com is still up.

what type of music are you trying to learn? I might be able to point out some sites.

totamed · #5 April 21st, 2007

Greed by the music industry seems to be the reason why. I agree with everything you said about learning faster, not buying a book etc. However the fact is; more and more sites are disappearing. There used to be a multitude of sources, now there's only a handful, and finding what I'm looking for (classic rock, old standards and jazz) is harder if not impossible to find. I find it silly also and sad, maddening ( I could go on), but it's a regrettable fact.

Stratrat · #6 April 21st, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by __tsidewinder__

....What is wrong with tabs for popular songs? Honestly?...

In the music industry's eyes, what's wrong is that they're not making enough money off of it. They want maximal profits off of anything music-related. That's why they fought online music sales (i.e. iTunes, Napster, etc.) so hard for so long until they figured out that there was no way to put the genie back in the bottle, so they might as well just reap as much profit as possible from it. Being able to buy single songs online tampers with the industry's formula for albums - one or two hit songs with 10 generic "filler" songs. Now instead of having to pay 16 bucks for an entire album, you can buy the 2 or 3 songs you really wanted for 2 or 3 bucks - not exactly what they had in mind at all!

If they could, the industry fatcats would find a way to assess a fee for you playing a cover song in your own bedroom - whether you learned it from tab or not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by __tsidewinder__

...The music industry is slowly killing itself, in my eyes. I think a musical revolution of some sort must be coming...

Check out what Dick Dale has to say about it - he makes a lot of good points and I hope to see musicians take his advice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AJxc3Lxn4o

doveman · #7 April 21st, 2007

I really miss the GP4/mySongBook site. I was shocked when they stopped allowing access to all those song files. Yep ... miss it a lot.

X4StringDrive · #8 April 21st, 2007

great link Stratrat, real eye opening thoughts...Thanks for that.

X4StringDrive · #9 April 21st, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by doveman

I really miss the GP4/mySongBook site. I was shocked when they stopped allowing access to all those song files. Yep ... miss it a lot.

Me too Doveman, but I'm so naive that I didn't put 2 & 2 together and realize that Gp files were considered copywrited.

doveman · #10 April 21st, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by X4StringDrive

Me too Doveman, but I'm so naive that I didn't put 2 & 2 together and realize that Gp files were considered copywrited.

Yeah ... there were ways to download the whole shooting match at one time. I said I'll just pick 'em off one by one when I need them. I had no idea that midi files would bother someone. It's a great tool. Kinda of a useless piece of software now. I didn't even load GP4 on my new computer this year. Oh well.

X4StringDrive · #11 April 21st, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by doveman

Yeah ... there were ways to download the whole shooting match at one time. I said I'll just pick 'em off one by one when I need them. I had no idea that midi files would bother someone. It's a great tool. Kinda of a useless piece of software now. I didn't even load GP4 on my new computer this year. Oh well.

Go ahead and load it doveman, Kirk has some of "his own" lessons for Gp, Unless thats been stopped also?

Chaotic Kittie · #12 April 21st, 2007

Actually, I really doubt that the real reasons are economic ones. While it may seem like that to us, I really doubt that they're dumb enough to think they can get any more money from tab books than they already do. I guess the real reason is power, they just want to have as much control over the tabs as they can, strengthening the slogan "if you can't pay for it, you can't have it". I doubt that they care if people won't buy them, as long as we can't get it for free.

doveman · #13 April 21st, 2007

I actually think I bought more CDs when I was using GP4 than I do now ... learning the material ... recording the material ... wanted to hear the real thing too. I think they really lost money on me ...

X4StringDrive · #14 April 21st, 2007

"Bingo" Chaotic Kittie

totamed · #15 April 21st, 2007

Thank you all for your thoughts and responses. I guess I was hoping someone had some good news. I'd like to think this might be some, check out this site and see if you see it as I did. If so I hope this is the new wave, see there's money in it this way!

http://www.mxtabs.net/blog/2007/03/2...ing-agreement/