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electrikemily
New Member
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Monday Aug 07, 2006 |
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Hey Guys,
Holy cow, I go online today to get a tab for the Steve Miller Band from MXtabs. I am shocked to find out that they are being sued! Sued! For what you ask? Because apparetly, people who tab out guitar songs for others to learn them are somehow infringing on publisher rights. More info here:
http://www.guitarzone.com/musato/
http://www.guitarzone.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=163367
Basically, the tabbers are too good I guess, and tab out songs just as good as the publishers of sheet music. So not only are MX tabs getting sued, but other guitar tab sites from which I get music to learn from! MX tabs has shut down indefinatly, but other sites are fighting this under "fair use".
It's just a bunch of crap I think. I mean if someone xeroxed sheet music and put it up, but this is tab. Tabs are done by people who listen to the music and then put it down in a form we can all understand. Are there a few who copy it right from books and say it's their own? Sure, but that's not most.
Anywho, just wanted to let you guys know. Look around for it online. I joined the site above to help the cause.
Rock on,
Emily
Ps. Oh no! I just tabbed out a song! Shit, now I'm gonna get sued because I have a good ear. Man this is just crazy.
Wonder what enlightenment smells like? Check out my "Funky Fresh" Ganesha Car Air Freshener.
Then & Now: Real Rock!
http://www.thenandnowband.com |
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bassist_25
Senior Member
Joined: 09 Dec 2002
Posts: 6815
Location: Indiana
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| Posted: Friday Sep 01, 2006 |
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Even though it's a month old, I just saw this thread. I think that it's pretty asinine to sue someone over a tab. Honestly, I don't know how you could sue over a tab, because more often times than not, a tab doesn't contain any rhythmic information like standard notation does. Also, it just simply gives fret positions rather than actual note names. A "5" on the E string means something different than a "5" on the E string if it's detuned a whole step. If a tab doesn't indicate an alternate tuning, is it still infringing on a copyright? Technically, it's giving the wrong information?
I see it as a mixed blessing though. It sucks that greedy rich guys are trying to make life suck. It also sucks because tabs can be a good thing. They also can be a bad thing, because they oftentimes impede a beginner's progress. I'd be lying if I said that I never learned a song from a tab, but [self-righteous rant engaged] I played for 5 years before I even looked at one. I knew the difference between a C and an E, and I knew why a mixoloydian scale sounds good over a V7 chord. Many players go straight to tabs and never really understand their instruments. If I walked into a situation, asked for the key of the song, and was told something along the lines of "I don't know man. I play 1, 7, and 9 here," I would write that person off as an ametuer and probably would choose not to play with them. Being a Berkley grad isn't a requirement to being a good musican; understanding basic concepts like what key you're playing in and note names is. You need basic musical communciation skills to play with a variety of people. "1, 7, and 9" doesn't mean shit to a horn player or a keys player. So, a limitation of tabs may force beginners to actually put in some work and understand music a little bit more rather than take the easy way out. I also think that people need to develop their ears more. I'm not against tabs, because I'll often consult them; I just think that they shouldn't be used as a crutch like they often are. [self-righteous rant disengage]
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The Shadow
Gold Member
Joined: 22 Aug 2006
Posts: 463
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| Posted: Tuesday Sep 05, 2006 |
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I could not agree more Bassist 25. I've heard people playing some
horrible shit and when you ask them WTF??!!?? they argue with you
that "its just like the tab!" For all anyone knows that tab could have been transcribed by a third grader as a class project.
(Not to say a third grader cant shred) |
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PanzerFaust
Diamond Member
Joined: 08 Dec 2002
Posts: 1547
Location: Western Front
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| Posted: Tuesday Sep 12, 2006 |
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What day? What book? What's being stirred?
Where the hell am I?
haha....
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tonefight
Diamond Member
Joined: 14 May 2003
Posts: 1409
Location: Ebensburg
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| Posted: Tuesday Sep 12, 2006 |
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I agree tab can be a crutch but there are times when I'm just too lazy to listen to something 30 times to get the notes to a 100mph guitar solo, the internet tabs are usually wrong but they can get you started and save some time, I usually use them as a starting point and then figure out what I actually want to play.
I think they have been battling this out since they started putting them on the internet, I remember OLGA was one of the first and largest sources they had legal issues then another version of OLGA came up and I've heard of other sites being threatened on a regular basis.
Like downloading tunes, they will never be able to control it 100% but some of the larger sites may get shut down from time to time.
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bassist_25
Senior Member
Joined: 09 Dec 2002
Posts: 6815
Location: Indiana
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| Posted: Wednesday Sep 13, 2006 |
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Wasn't there some kind of loophole for the fake book because it only contained a melody but didn't include any harmonic information? I think I remember something like that, though I could be wrong.
| bugglez24 wrote: | But unless the tab is actually transcribed by the musician himself, there are a lot of different ways to play the same thing, at least for bass.
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I always try to play things in the most economic way possible. Less position shifts = faster playing, cleaner technique, and allows you to concentrate more on other things such as singing, sight reading or stage presence (presents if you're no surrender). I've come across some internet tabs and have said, "WTF was this guy thinking when he transcribed this?" A lot of them have insane and unnecessary shifts all over the place. Sometimes, there's a reason for such shifts, but oftentimes unnecessary shifts are a sign of an inexperienced player. Then I sometimes see fingerings that would require excessive amounts of muting just to make sound clean. Yeah, I usually come up with my own fingerings when I see tabs like these. 
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RLeahey14
Gold Member
Joined: 01 Apr 2007
Posts: 190
Location: Lilly, PA
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| Posted: Monday Sep 10, 2007 |
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| i noticed that tabs have been taken down periodically over the past few years, i use guitar pro now because you can actually listen and compare it to the real thing to make sure the tabs are right and you can adjust accordingly, plus you have the option of slowing the song down which comes in handy when trying to learn solos and stuff before a show |
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