Opeth tabs/bootlegs comparison

[Ermz]

Has anyone noticed that most of the Opeth tabs available on the internet actually look/sound nothing like what Opeth do live?

I'm a compulsive watcher of the Opeth bootlegs, I have just about all of them, and just watching Mikael's hands all over the guitar, I can tell he's doing totally different shit to the tabs... not just playing the same notes on a different part, but I mean like totally different things... I dunno, not being good at transcribing music, this really pisses me off, as I know that the tabs are inaccurate as all hell...

 

[Morningrise]

Its just played in a different position on the neck, but still the same notes for the most part.

 

[opethpainter]

yeah, i think mikael likes more to go up & down on the guitar frets, than to hold the position and play the same notes. but when i tab something, i try to reach the most simple position for that riff and so on...

 

[Ermz]

Yeah I know that much, but from some things, for example a riff out of Forest of October, the tabbed version sounds nothing like the one they actually play.

 

[yourdeadgroom]

I've seen so many tabs for various songs (not just Opeth) that are horribly wrong it's just a joke. I trust no tabs on the net. I transcribed the solo at the end of Apostle for someone, they had downloaded it and it had about 5 notes in it (the solo is 30 seconds long too....). I've seen Nirvana songs that are wrong (if you can't transcribe a Nirvana song, you should not be posting your work on the net!!)......

And it's reasonably possible to work out where on the neck someone is playing- the strings each have a different 'sound' to them, which you can often pick up on (not always, depends on the recording, and it's harder with electric guitar than acoustic). I like to try and emulate what the person is actually playing.

 

[Ermz]

Yeah, I agree. My guitar teacher is very good at transcribing, so every few weeks I'll bring in an Opeth song and we'll work on it together.

 

[Ivanohe]

Originally posted by Moonlapse
Yeah I know that much, but from some things, for example a riff out of Forest of October, the tabbed version sounds nothing like the one they actually play.

the feeling that what you read from the Tab don't sound like what they actually play can be caused by the fact that there are 2 (or more) guitars playing diffrents riffs (melodies) at the same time..
So when you play alone you just can play one of the guitars and of course it sound not like the CD...
Maybe you could turn you 'Balance' of your player to the left or right to hear only one guitar...

but that's also true that some tabs are totally wrong !

hope it helps ..

 

[Ermz]

Ivanohe, I know about Orchid and how the guitars are seperated to both channels, and I also know how Opeth like to play different melodies... and believe me, I know what I'm hearing and the guitar part that is tabbed is NOTHING like what either Mikael or Peter are playing.

 

[Nebularus]

So tabs are inaccurate. So what? Any right minded guitar player would know that, but at least it's a start. Tabs should be used as a learning tool and nothing else. It gives people a idea and that's what counts.

 

[Ermz]

Yeah but for people like myself who are relatively new to guitarism (word? lol) it's very annoying being thrown off track by inaccurate tabs.

 

[Ermz]

oh, by the way. I love the Opeth logo man.. good design

 

[Poison Godmachine]

I got the tabs for Advent from a site and thought it sounded kind of right. but then I watched the bootleg video and now I know how to play it the right way