why the dislike for capos

[DesolationAngel]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

6 pages of responses because of a youtube comment. Yikes!

The thread on Neil Young vs Starbucks is up to 21 pages... but it's no longer about Neil Young or Starbucks...

[peshikthe]

people fail to recognize that pros like clapton and taylor have a full time guitar tech that does all of their alternate tunings and maintain all the guitars they have been sponsered....i play bluegrass and southern gospel and have to do my own maintenance....not complaining but i play bluegrass and alot of the sound is attained from capoing the same as other players and being consistent with other players.......some forms of g arent right for every song and what works for one singer doesnt work for another especially the voicing of the chords.... just my 1 cent....my wife got the other.lol

[GuitarLight]

A capo is an absolute necessity for a singer songwriter...from James Taylor, Eric Clapton, Cat Stevens, and too many more to list, all use a capo as needed. Who ever made that comment on the video you heard must be a piano player not a guitarist!

[J.acoustic]

I think capos are great. However, while they do have their place, sometimes, they shouldn't be used. A primary example of what I think really causes the knee jerk reaction against capos is what I will now term the "cowboy chord curse" since not sure if there is another term for this. Let's say a song is in the key of E. Now, this dictates using bar chords for the B (V chord). There is also a F#m too, also a bar chord. Some people dislike playing these chords and choose instead to just capo the 4th fret and play it with "C" fingering because it's easier for them to play.

What often is the result... everything they play sounds the same because they use the exact same voicing for every chord. The player has avoided learning anything beyond the cowboy chord shapes and has made a song that might have once been interesting due to some unique chord voicings, more mundane.

There is nothing wrong with cowboy chords. They are great. However, when a capo is used to avoid playing anything but... well, that is where I think a capo is a detriment.

However, if they song needs the open chord voicings... yet the singer wants it in a different register. That's a perfect place for a capo. Also, when multiple guitars are playing and want to avoid playing identical voicings, one can use a capo. Ultimately, it is a great tool. It can be overused though.

Just one man's opinion.

The only thing that matters is the sound I produce with the instrument. How I do it is my business.

[blue]

Originally Posted by richard1

Some songs only sound right if you use a capo on them

And those songs were recorded with a capo. So if you want to sound like the recording, you have to use a capo.

You can play any Stones song that Keith played in Open G in Standard tuning. It will sound the same in terms of pitch, but it will never sound and feel the same as the recording. I've tried really hard. And I come up with different things in Open G that would never happen in standard. Is that cheating?

I don't personally think it's necessary to use one when writing my own new song. But if you are going for the same feel as a song you know that doesn't sound right without one? If that sound you can't get without it inspires, or naturally leads you to write differently? How is that shady?

[bluegrasserk]

Wow, I have been playing awhile and never heard anyone have any issue with using a capo. To me it is invaluable to make open string arrangements playable in any key. I will go ahead and say i think having an issue with capo use is idiotic.

[DesolationAngel]

I've been furiously capo-ing since this thread came up, in protest...

[Kupuna50]

I fully agree that using a capo is NOT in any way cheating, nor does it make the player 'lesser'.
In fact, many professional artists, particularly singer/players, use a capo when singing as it allows the player to concentrate on singing and not 'stretching' to make some unusual chords.
My suggestion: Tell the person who disparaged the capo to (in the British parlance) BUGGER OFF!!

[Kettil]

Andy McKee is such a cheater - I never use a capo when I play Rylynn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsD6uEZsIsU

[zhunter]

I'm pretty sure I watched my dad playing when I was a young kid and asked him what that thing was he put on the neck of his guitar. That's a cheater son. Then asking my uncle how a certain part was played and him saying, oh that guy is using a cheater. I'm also pretty sure the first time I bought one, I walked in the store and said I need a cheater and the salesman pulled out a couple for me to try. Now what is a capo?

Get my drift?

hunter

[ukejon]

Originally Posted by Kettil

Andy McKee is such a cheater - I never use a capo when I play Rylynn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsD6uEZsIsU

That is a partial capo....he is only partly cheating.

[motojunky]

I remember my aunt calling it a cheater as opposed to a capo when I was a kid. I don't remember knowing it as anything else until I decided to learn to play guitar less than two years ago.

My sister in law has a guitar playing fiancé. I mentioned my learning and somehow a capo came up in conversation. He said with very clear disgust that he'd either learn to play correctly or not bother trying. I thought that seemed a little bit silly.

I'm to the point now where I can play most of what I've learned "cheating" with a capo without using one. I find in some cases that I prefer the sound with the capo and some without. I let my ear decide and can't say that I have any concern about what others think. I think it's very likely that I'll be a lifelong beginner and the capo is way low on my list of things to worry about.

[murrmac123]

Originally Posted by J.acoustic

Let's say a song is in the key of E. Now, this dictates using bar chords for the B (V chord). There is also a F#m too, also a bar chord. Some people dislike playing these chords and choose instead to just capo the 4th fret and play it with "C" fingering because it's easier for them to play.

Not to nitpick, but in the key of E, the basic chords will be E, A, and B7, all of which can be played using all 6 strings without using barre chords.

[gstar]

I've got nothing against them but they seem to negatively affect the sound of my guitars when I use them. I suspect that I'm using them incorrectly.