Join the Blue Treble Clef Campaign!
Since I’ve come online and discovered so much of what is
available on the web, I’ve also found a GREAT site I return to over and over again.
It’s OLGA.
The main part of OLGA is a collection of chord and tablature files for thousands of songs, currently 30,000. OLGA also contains lessons, chord charts and information on building guitars (the 'resources'). The files vary enormously in quality, but almost all of the files give the user at least a start in playing the particular song.
The entire archive is comprised of files that have been sent in by individual users from all over the net that they have worked out themselves, in the case of chord and tab files by listening to the music and picking
out the notes by ear and then thought others might want and appreciate. The archive does not charge any fee, and it is run by volunteers. It is hosted at sites who donate their space and access and is entirely non-financed. OLGA is a prime example of the power of the Internet to bring people together in communities that work efficiently to produce a common good.
The guitar archive is a massive Do-It-Youself project taken on by thousands of individuals, with great success.
Right now, lawyers repesenting sheet music companies are threatening to shut OLGA down. They maintain that when anyone downloads a piece of music from OLGA it takes money out of their pockets. I personally, have printed hundreds of songs from OLGA, and put together my own private songbook. Now, would I have gone out and bought the sheet music if OLGA didn’t exist? NO!...Especially at no less than $4.00/song! Honestly, I’d be more tempted to check out the sheet music in the store, and jot down the chords,
then print up the lyrics from one of the many online lyrics servers, like Lyrics
World and The International Lyrics Server. If I did that, I’d have the EXACT music the professional musician arranged. OLGA contributions consist solely of the listeners rendition of the piece. There are innocent errors and flaws, but no one is making any money by
plagerizing the original piece. The music book I’ve compiled is for my own guitar-playing pleasure. I will never make any money at, only relaxation and the satisfaction from producing beauty with a simple wooden instrument. I am the typical user of OLGA, as well as the typical player that contributes to OLGA.
Now, enough about OLGA. Go check out the site yourself. Read more about the ongoing lawsuit, preview the news reports and articles already out about it, and learn more about the Blue Treble Clef Campaign organized to fight this lawsuit. Of course, you can always go check out some music for yourself too. Most importantly, ENJOY yourself while you broaden your
horizons!
