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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Chordie's Chat Corner → powertabs
Chordie is a great resource and I feel bad recommending anything else but Powertab is a good thing too - especially if you want to get the feel of a song
the upsides are that the powertab editor plays the music parts (or at least a midi interpretation of it)
the downside is that there are no lyrics displayed with the score
it all free
you can use it write your own tabs or to display tabs written by the Community
to write or play power tabs you will need to download the powertab editor
you can do that at -
the main powertab archive has recently reopened after a long period offline and it has a new name. its now called 'tab library'. its free to register and to download tabs from the site
hopefully they will be accepting new submissions very soon because the library is now a bit out of date but it still a great site for helping people nail those classics
Hi Johncross21,
Thanks for the info. I have Powertab editor, and have used it in the past (although it has been awhile), seems like the other features you mentioned were not available when I installed my version.... so the updated info is welcome.
I'm not that much into Tabs myself preferring standard notation for most everything, but there was a time when I used tab a bit to write my work down so I wouldn't forget what it was I had just done. Come to think of it I wasn't reading notes well then either, and although my sight reading is still not as fast as I'd like, it is nice to have the tempo and other stuff like rests and note duration that you don't get with Tab.
There are lots of Chordians out there that do rely heavily on Tab though, and Powertab was a good application, and best of all the right price!
Thanks again and
Take Care;
Doug
Doug
Thanks for that
(I thought I was talking to myself)
I've also tried TuxGuitar which is another rather good tab editor
http://www.tuxguitar.com.ar/
that allows you to download tab from Guitar pro sites like this one for those who dont want the expense of buying Guitar pro
http://www.gprotab.net/
I can't decide which is better TuxGuitar or Powertab. I have not explored their capabilities in depth. I'm not much of a tabber I use them to get access to libraries of good quality tab to help me learn riffs etc. However TuxGuitar is opensource software. Which means that the Community will probably continue to develop the software.
John
Hello again John,
Thanks as well for these additional links. Rarely are you talking to yourself here on Chordie... it is just that not always do folks feel inclined to respond, bit shy about some things.
The TAB vs. Notation debate can be a hot topic in some circles. But I tend to liken it to this older lady-friend of my aged Mother, who is semi-fluent in something like 9 languages. I asked her once what ever possessed her to learn so many. Her response was
"You learn what you need". There is a certain truth in there somewhere.... I learned Notation because there was a piece of music that I wanted to be able to play, and there was no other written source of reference for it. Learned TAB for the same reason, and Nashville Number System, and I'm sure that if a piece of music interested me from somewhere like the Steppes of Northern Mongolia.... I would make effort to decipher mare's blood etchings on the back of a dried goatskin.
Music knows no boundaries, is criticized by un-learned ears, and is limited only by one's imagination. Any effort to share music in a permanent medium, should be applauded and appreciated. Just my viewpoint.
WE are Always in support of "Open Source" Software around these parts.
Hope you got a chuckle in there somewhere as well.
Take Care;
Doug
Doug
Like you I try a bit of everything - tab, notation and chords
I tend to play for my own pleasure so I like to strum a chord progression - indeed most of my posting are about chord progressions. i did a load of posts on strum patterns a while back. they had to beg me to stop 
and that is indeed is what chordie is best for. if you want the chord progressions then this is the place. lyrics and chords on one page. all neatly transposed. its a great resource. and i like the people here.
however strumming through an entire set list can get boring. the ramones sounds rather like Joni mitchell if you just do up down strums. so i learn the rythym and a couple of fills and the licks. often its just the strum pattern and a minor embelishment. a chord with a pedal note, a bit of damping or a run between chord changes. powertabs is good for that. especially if you want to arrange a piece yourself
in any case we have the MPA doing a bit of book burning. stopping people sharing tabs. I think thats a bad thing. as a community we have to be aware of that.
tab librarys settled with the MPA and is back on line - but i imagine it needs visitors to stay free to all. the adverts pay the MPA. so I expect its a case of use or lose it, folks.
they'll be coming for the goatskins next
as to notation i learnt piano as a child so i can read music but i can't read chord notation. i tried once. i can recognise a c chord !
but not only are chords tough in notation - but if you are going to play rawk or even pop you probably want to know the position. so many songs are played by sliding down and up the fret board using a barre shape (well they are when I play them !)
however I hate not knowing what key I'm playing in. thats a notation thing. tab doesn't give you that. I find knowing the expected chords in a key is the best aid to memorising the progression. if youre in the key of C you are likely to have F and G somewhere. if you don't the songwriters up to something. what is he up to ? is it minor. or has he added a blues chord. those are all aids to memorising the progression.
cheers
john
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Chordie's Chat Corner → powertabs
