Question about the way some tabs are written

[blackshift]

As I've come across some of these tabs on the net, one thing I have noticed a lot is that a lot of these people tend to transcribe things closer to the middle of the fretboard instead of all the way down.
You know, there are many 5s, 6s, and 7s instead of 0s, 1s, and 2s. I personally prefer the latter.

But is there any reason for this?
Is there something I'm not seeing?

[stflbn]

Just because someone plastered a tab on the internet does not mean that this person necessarily knew what they were doing.

The same person could theoretically post a do-it-yourself for brain surgery.

[WhiteKnuckles]

...and on the other hand it may be that the passage is more comfortable to play up the neck, or perhaps it's easier to transition to the next passage.

Regardless, it's the notes that matter so play where you're comfortable playing it.

[bassic.science]

Don't go to tab sites. Seriously. I used to browse olga and tabcrawler, but just about everything I saw was incorrect, some of it was even in the wrong key. Seems like the people most eager to transcribe songs were the newest musicians.

I completely stopped visiting those sites after I saw a "tab" for the Sinister Minister that consisted of the opening slap line (yes, just the single notes, not even the octave slap part that follows) and then an author's note "Then it goes into some crazy stuff that I can't even begin to follow."

[JimmyM]

that's exactly why i hate tabs. give me the sheet music and i'll figure out where to put my hands on my own.

[rmkesler]

Could be to avoid open strings. One of the first pieces of advise I ever received was to try to play everything in a closed position.

[Minotauros]

If you think internet bass tabs are horrendous, you should see tabs and chord sheets for guitar. Oy veh! There's more to muck up there.

I've been crowing, harping, chirping, about my bass line for My Sweet Lord in the key that I believe the studio recording was done in. At least when I play it on guitar along with the recording they are in tune. I found only one decent chord sheet, and even then I had to work out the bass line from the chords.

Face it friends, there's just precious little out there on the internet unless you download published sheet music, and even then it could be in a key different from the studio recording.

[gaffster787]

some tabs are really good, usually the more difficult or involved the bass line, the better the tabs are, because only a good player will take it on. if multiple versions are available you can sorta grasp the aggregate and end up with a nice shortcut to learning. some youtube "how too play x" vids can be helpfull as well. In the end it's my ear and my mp3 bass trainer that leads me to the correct line.