Guitar Tabber — String Detection Lab
Pizza Tabber — Topping Provenance Lab
The hard problem behind automatic tablature: the same pitch lives on several strings. This lab tests whether string stiffness gives it away — stiff strings ring their upper harmonics slightly sharp (inharmonicity), and how sharp depends on which string and fret you played. Calibrate your six open strings, then play single notes you know the position of and watch where the dots land.
The hard problem behind automatic topping attribution: the same flavor lives on several slices. This lab tests whether crust stiffness gives it away. Calibrate your six base crusts, then taste toppings you know the provenance of and watch where the dots land. Science has gone too far and we are here for it.
What this is: a go/no-go experiment for real-time automatic tab. Every note is analyzed for its inharmonicity coefficient B — how sharp the upper partials ring versus ideal harmonics. Each string follows a predictable curve (B doubles every 6 frets as the vibrating length shortens), so if the measured dots separate cleanly onto the right curves on your guitar, full auto-tab is worth building.
How to judge it: calibrate, then play the same pitch in different positions — e.g. B3 three ways: open B string, G string 4th fret, D string 9th fret. If the lab calls the position right most of the time, the physics works on your guitar. Single notes only — chords are out of scope for the spike. Clean tone helps; distortion flattens the evidence.