durwasa/oto repository overview

⁠Oto (音) - Guitar Tablature Compiler

A source-to-source transformation framework for intelligent lead guitar transposition using MLIR compiler infrastructure.

⁠Overview

Oto addresses the complexity of lead guitar transposition, which unlike chord transposition, requires sophisticated analysis of:

• Non-linear fretboard geometry
• Anatomical constraints on finger positioning
• Drone note resonance requirements
• Position-dependent techniques (hammer-ons, bends, slides)

⁠Features

• Custom DSL with Flex/Bison parser for tablature notation
• MLIR-based transformations for intelligent transposition
• Tensor representation encoding tablature as 6×T tensors (strings × time positions)
• Range analysis with string-hopping algorithm for pentatonic scales
• Standard transposition with intelligent open string repositioning

⁠Quick Start

# Pull the image
docker pull durwasa/oto

# Run with your tablature file
docker run oto ./bin/app ../test/example1.dsl --with-pentatonic

⁠Input Format

tuning: E A D G B E
tabs:
E|---------------|
B|---------------|
G|---------------|
D|-2-7---8---13--|
A|---------------|
E|---------------|

⁠Transformation Passes

• Transpose Pass: Standard transposition with capo placement
• Pentatonic Pass: String-hopping for playable fingering patterns (ε=4 threshold)

⁠Technology Stack

• LLVM 17 / MLIR
• Flex & Bison for parsing
• C++17
• Ubuntu 22.04 base

⁠Project Repository

Full source code and documentation: github.com/durwasa/oto⁠

⁠Citation

If you use Oto in your research, please cite:

Oto: A Source-to-Source Transformation Framework for Guitar Tablature
MLIR-based intelligent lead guitar transposition

Keywords: guitar, tablature, compiler, MLIR, music, transposition, DSL, LLVM