by Jeremiah Smith

Created on: October 15, 2008

Web sites that facilitate the sharing of tablature (tabs) and lyrics should not be penalized. Music is one of the few things in life capable of bringing together people who would normally have no connection. This being the case, tab sites allow guitar players and music fans to come together and share their passion.

At this point, I should admit that I have a biased perspective, as I am a guitar player myself and have visited tab sharing web sites in the past. In some instances, it was to see if someone else was able to uncover the chords to a song I was unable to; other times, it was to just find one specific part in a song I couldn't quite get. In all cases, I have no doubt what I was doing was anything but criminal.

First of all, for some of the more popular songs, there are enough different versions of the songs that they can be counted by the dozen. This means everyone who submitted their version of the song believed it to be correct. Clearly this can not be the case, as I don't believe a guitar player exists who can play twelve different versions of a song at once.

All of those people who post their tablature on the web site also give ample credit to songwriters and musicians. In most cases, they are devoted, teetering on the brink of obsessive, fans who are paying tribute to their favorite bands in their own way. Do you really think every KISS cover band across the country (world?) learned all those songs by buying a book filled with tabs?

For guitar players, there is a rite of passage that requires learning certain songs, mostly by classic rock bands. As with all new skills, there is a learning curve to guitar playing, Before songs can be learned by ear, they must be learned in tabs. These web sites provide the information experienced players are passing on to new ones.

Finally, what is more fun than learning to play a new song by your favorite band? If you don't have the time, or ability, to decipher the notes on your own, these web sites are able to help. If you are able to get the song figured out, tab sites provide a forum to share your discoveries with other musicians.

In essence, web sites providing tabs and lyrics at no cost are only giving their version of what is actually being played/sung on any particular song. They never claim credit for lyrics or music and are helping to foster a community of sharing among music enthusiasts.

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