[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

…I have been playing 4+ years and just don't get this part at all…
…So enlighten me you guitar music wizards.

Hi Rw

Capos are not a one-trick-pony. They serve several functions.

Shifting voicings to change the flavor of the song…
They allow you to play in a different apparent key than the actual key which shifts the voicings of the chords. For instance if you tune to Dropped D, capo at the second fret, and play in key of D relative to the capo you are playing in E major.

Or you could stay in standard tuning, capo at the 4th fret and play in key of C relative to the capo. You'd still be playing in key of E, and the voicing of the chords and connecting runs will be different than E played in open position or in D capoed at the second fret.

The chords of the capoed versions will be voiced differently than if you played in standard tuning with no capo. They will have a very different 'flavor'. When you shift the apparent key, you change hammer-ons and pull-offs significantly, as well as the connecting runs between chords.

If a song is in the key of A, and you capo at the 2nd fret and play in G relative to the capo, the voicing of the chords will shift the root note both to the bottom string and top strings when you play the root chord. And chords played in the key of G sound different than they do in key of A.

Expanding voicings…
I often see duos where both players are playing the identical chords with the same strumming patterns at the same time…boring.

My gigging partner and I often capo one guitar and play that guitar in a different apparent key from the one without then capo so we're not playing identical chords, and patterns. This makes the sound more interesting…and often more full.

It changes the flavor of songs when you shift the apparent key.

Matching a guitar to the range of a singer…
When there is the song someone wants you to accompany, and you show up for the gig and discover it's too low for their range, you capo up till it fits their range. Or if it's too high for their voice, and you may need to both capo and change the apparent key you are playing in to lower the range.

What is range…?
It is the accompanist's job to showcase the singer's voice. They are the focus, not the guitar…and we are expected to make it easy for them.

Range involves knowing the top and bottom notes in the melody of a song. Many songs often have a 14 note range, but some have a 16 note (or even 18 note) range. A singer has to be able to sing the lowest with good power, and highest note easily enough to not sound strangulated or strained. On songs with a wider-than-normal range, it often takes creative capo work and re-arranging to accompany them.

Ranges don't automatically fit into keys of C, A, G, E or D.