Capo

  • Thread starter Thread starter spantini
  • Start date Start date
spantini

spantini

COO of me, inc.
I think I used a capo once, some 45 years ago when I had no idea how to use it. IIRC, I just slapped it on my old Ovation to see what would happen, then took it off and forgot about it.

I'm going to try it again, see if it will help me in changing keys without transposing (I like open chords).

Here's the one I've purchased :
Here's some HR.com material : https://homerecording.com/bbs/search/881312/?q=capo&c[title_only]=1&o=date
 
I pretty much use a capo all the time. Mostly second fret. I play in a B major, F# minor, normal chord positions, but the capo on the second fret seems to fit my voice the best. It is either on the second fret or off. I don't wonder off too much, but it is a great way to change keys without learning a bunch of new chords.
 
Yeah, I know what you mean. There've been a couple songs where I started transposing open chords, trying to stay with open, but the fourth chord in the progression demanded either a barred chord or some ungodly open chord fingering and strumming combination.
 
Yea, and I mainly play the acoustic, I find bar chords very difficult with an acoustic. Plus I play with heavy strings as I like the heavy bass strings.
 
Some Capo Fav's from the Beak!

The rolling style works well for my stuff. Slide it up and down the neck. $1o-$2o
Screenshot 2022-11-29 144441.webp

-the strap stlye you can get for a dollar, in store waiting in line, on the impulse buy rack.. (beware the nylon strap stretches over time)-
IT WORKS GREAT till then.
Screenshot 2022-11-29 144013.webp


Spider Capo? Individually Capo each of the strings. $1o-1oo..
Screenshot 2022-11-29 144320.webp

Cradle styles have a nice self centering feature along with clamping adjustability. $2o
Screenshot 2022-11-29 145450.webp
 
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I use a c clamp style and angle it \ like that since I play close to the capo. Main thing is clean open string sound and no buzzzing.
 
It was the elastic strap style I used way back when. It wasn't super easy to install, took a few attempts to catch the loose end, but it slid up and down easily enough. Sometimes it would just pop loose while playing, maybe that's why I never went back to it.

A lot of artists I see using one have them angled like this \ .
 
Yea, if you are playing an F chord, Dm, Am, your hand hits the capo and crowds the hand. I play so sloppy I need all the room I can get :-)=)
 
You picked up the standard, clamp-style capo, which honestly is probably the best if you don't need the fancy spider, cut, or third-hand type functionality.

That said, the primary use of capos is to annoy your bassist and keyboardist by calling out the wrong chords constantly.
"You're capo 3, my dude! Quit calling your Bbs G!"
 
I have one somewhere, which I have no use for.
Chrome plated D shape, with a rotating plastic covered bar, and a felt block to the rear of the neck, plus a lever to slacken.
About as useful as those finger nail extenders.
 
When we were doing covers our band leader would pick a few songs in # keys just to mess with me (bass player). He would decide on a song, learn it, then at practice he would tell us he was adding a new song and start playing. I always played by ear and rarely referred to the original recording. I would always play from memory, having listened to the songs a zillion times on the radio. I relied on muscle memory and was very locked into the fret dots, so playing # messed with my head and I was forced to pay attention every second.
 
I have a Shubb capo, but rarely use it. I probably should, as it would allow me to move songs into keys that might fit my vocal range better. Back in the days of playing in a band, there wasn't even one in my guitar case. Just learn to do those barre chords!
 
When I started learning guitar, I was full of good intentions to learn every chord. I resisted using a capo for a few years until I realised that I wasn't ever going to be a double-jointed octopus any time soon....
Once I used one, I never looked back. Capos and varispeed have been crucial parts of my recording palette for decades now. I even use a capo on the bass guitar, mandolin and banjo ! Sometimes, my hands get too close to it and certain chords are hard to form, but I get there eventually.
I get everywhere, eventually !
 
Playing live, a capo was as important a piece of my artillery as spare strings or an instrument case.
 
grimtraveller said:
Capos and varispeed have been crucial parts of my recording palette for decades now
Click to expand...
There are even songs I've recorded where nothing actually heard on playback was recorded in the key you hear !
 
Ok...this is gonna give you a laugh on me. I've tried using a capo but you know what my real problem was? The dot markers are all off from what I got visually used to for so many years. Believe it or not......it throws me off up and down the neck. I can play most barre chords so no big deal.

Mick
 
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