In this week’s episode, Paul dives into a common question from students: “Where can I find decent, authentic tabs to learn songs?”
Building on last week’s three-step song-learning system (practice, playthrough, perform), Paul takes a deep look at both free and paid online resources for guitar tabs, discusses their pros and cons, and gives expert advice on what to trust when searching for accurate music.
Key Topics Covered
🎸 Beginner Guitar Academy News
- Reminder for BGA members: the live Q&A session is scheduled for Sunday, 31st August, at 9pm GMT. Members can join the Zoom meeting to ask Paul questions or submit questions in advance by email if they are unable to attend live. Recordings and audio will be available afterwards via the Academy platform.
🖥️ Top Online Resources for Guitar Tabs
1. Ultimate Guitar (ultimate-guitar.com)
- Largest online tab database.
- Mostly user-submitted tabs; quality varies.
- Ratings help determine accuracy.
- Paid version (Pro/Ultimate) includes playback, looping, and may have more professionally transcribed tabs.
- App available for mobile practice.
2. Songsterr (songsterr.com)
- Interactive tabs with playback, loop, and speed control (more features with Plus subscription).
- Transcriptions often superior since they include rhythm information.
- App available.
3. GuitarProTabs.org
- Download Guitar Pro files (.gp3, .gp4) for use with Guitar Pro software (which Paul highly recommends for creating, playing back, and slowing down tabs).
- Great for multi-guitar songs.
- BGA members get a Guitar Pro discount.
4. “Classic” Sites
- GuitarTabs.cc, 911Tabs.com, Guitar E-Tab: Longstanding online databases with extensive archives. Mostly user-submitted—so always double-check for accuracy.
💰 Paid & Official Sheet Music
1. MusicNotes.com
- Professionally published, highly accurate digital sheet music, often by Hal Leonard and Cherry Lane.
- Preview first page for free; pay (approx. €4/song) for full versions.
- Monthly pro membership brings discounts.
2. SheetMusicDirect.com
- UK-based; offers a subscription “Pass” with access to a vast catalogue (print/download options require a higher plan or extra charge).
- Student discounts available.
3. GuitarInstructor.com (Paul’s Top Pick)
- Official Hal Leonard website; highly accurate, downloadable PDF tabs.
- Video lessons from pro instructors included.
- Annual subscription available; best value for teachers and students wanting authentic, printable tabs.
📚 Old-School Physical Books
- Remember the value of physical songbooks available from Amazon, MusicRoom (UK), and SheetMusicPlus (US). Sometimes importing is less expensive!
Paul’s Recommendations & Pro Tips
- For beginners: Use Ultimate Guitar or Songsterr for exploring a wide variety of songs, but always verify accuracy.
- For teachers or those seeking authenticity: GuitarInstructor.com offers the best official tabs with PDF downloads, and lessons bundled in.
- For multi-guitar/tabbed arrangements: Invest in Guitar Pro software; BGA members can get a significant discount.
- Physical copies: Books are still a great, reliable option and sometimes offer the most precise transcriptions.
Listener Q&A
- Thanks to Mark Old for inspiring this episode’s topic with his question about finding authentic tabs.
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