Sometimes I want to see if a tab can be played easier. For example, your at the 24th fret playing the low E string note, and it suddenly charts it as an open note on the high e string.

 

Would it be possible to implement a button combination like shift up/shift down to move a note from its current position whatever fret is that note on the strings above or below?

For example: the 2nd string 5th fret, if you push shift up, it changes to an open 1st string note.

 

 

Another interesting feature idea would be something that tries to find the optimum frets for a certain selection of notes, to minimize the number of anchor position shifts.

 

Example: If there's a tab that has a crazy solo sequence that jumps everywhere on a single string, when it can be broken down into multiple strings, with minimal anchor position shifts.

I use guitarpro for this.  I think you could use any of the free tabbing programs like tuxguitar as well.

Transposing to the same note on an adjacent string is something I could probably due without much difficulty, but optimizing the tablature for a guitar arrangement is quite a bit more complex. At the very least it would probably involve some kind of recursive algorithm where every possible voicing for each chord/note is tested. That's probably not something I'd work on right away, since there are more important things I need to finish.

raynbec whats about a fretboard that shows the note positions?

 

It's not the best solution but maybe possible, ok it's not the fastes way to re tab the song but one way.

Something like that is on my to do list, but I haven't done it yet because I imagine it would be a lot of work.

I agree, I've often found myself wishing for a way to test out different fretboard positions -- but i wouldn't want to do that in EOF. I'd rather do it in GuitarPro, since it has a better engine for auditioning the result.

 

I don't think GuitarPro has this either. It has a transpose function, but that doesn't work exactly the same. You can use its chord generator to see the different chord shapes, but that doesn't help much. And GuitarPro doesn't have EOF's infinite undo functionality (which I use quite a lot). So once you've made too many changes, you're stuck with them.

 

So I just do it the old fashioned way, with the guitar in my lap.

How about something dumbed down to more of a "recommended" anchor zone?

 

1) count the number of notes for each pitch a guitar is capable of out of a given selection of notes (not including slides and other guitar techniques)

2) for each anchor zone, figure out what pitches are possible - some sort of hardcoded reference array?

3) recursively loop through 20 anchor zones looking for the fret position with the most number of possible notes. Each anchorzone array adds up whatever variables you stick the count of notes for each pich? Whatever array has the greatest sum wins?

 

Granted its been decades since I've last programmed something, but it seems feasible?

Maybe some day.

So I just tried to transcribe Johnny Cash's Cocaine Blues up the neck a bit, to reduce the stress/strain on my fretting hand while playing bass as an experiment....and because we shouldn't be afraid to try different tunings, or to make things easier (as part of proficiency as musician).  Sometimes we can be a bit locked-in to what we are told is the right way, or what an application tells us we need to do.  Also kinda handy if you're trying to make it easier for someone with smaller hands to play.  If you can make it efficient for you to play, chances are you will be able to focus on reaching the next step on that ladder of muscianship.

 

Cocaine Blues in the psarc file that Sirandok kindly made available is played (on EADG tuning) between the 1st and 4th frets, so on the stretchy side for song that could be played with the fretting hand in a single/static position.  By using a capo on 4th fret before tuning up, Rocksmith will let me play it between 5th (as 1st) & 8th (as 4th) frets.

 

Tuning up with the capo on, is a little bit more involved, as each time you loosen the tuning peg, you need to release the tension held by the capo, but it didn't seem to be a big deal.  (Are there any problems that one should look out for when (false) tuning with a capo on?...it may be better if you can initially tune without the capo to the tone required eg E becomes C, A becomes F..., then add the capo and you should be back to EADG, or close enough so that only very little further tuning is required with the capo on)

 

When playing along, you can keep the capo on if you like as a physical reminder of where the nut should be, or you can remove the capo if you don't need that reminder of the new virtual location of the nut (at 4th fret)...The only real difference is if you are playing a track with an open note.  If the capo has been removed, the open note has to be fretted/fingered instead of the fretting hand doing nothing.

 

Actually this technique seems make a surprising difference to my fretting hand, which is a lot more relaxed on tracks that were stretchy, or needed some lateral movement despite the range of frets being 4 (a handspan).

 

The downsides to this action is that songs were comfortably in the middle on the fretboard, are more compressed, so if you've previously found that things get a bit tight playing around the 15th fret, it's gonna be much worse because you'll need to play those notes around the 20th fret. 

The only problem I can think of is that think strings probably can't tune down very far and remain easy to play.