Playing and Singing After 20 Year Hiatus - Extreme Capo Help

[michaelm101]

Originally Posted by L20A

Treat yourself to a new guitar. You can get nice guitars for less than $300.00. Try silk and steel strings to get more of a nylon guitar feel
This will give you more of the sound that you are looking for. It will still sound good capped up. Yamaha makes a few nice guitars that you may like.

I have many guitars, and am always seeking a reason to acquire more!!! Unfortunately, my wife thinks I'm a hoarder...

I'm not understanding how a new guitar, irrespective of string selection, can assist in resolving this issue..

[AndrewG]

Here's a useful transposition and capo placement chart:

http://www.don-guitar.com/transpose.html

[DownUpDave]

You should change the key to one you can sing in, I do it all the time. Guitar Tabs is a great app with a gazillion songs. It has a transposing feature that allows you to quickly change the key up or down to suite your voice. At the age of 62 anything above D is getting to be a stretch for me. Good luck, sing a lot and your voice and range will improve

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by DownUpDave

You should change the key to one you can sing in, I do it all the time. Guitar Tabs is a great app with a gazillion songs. It has a transposing feature that allows you to quickly change the key up or down to suite your voice. At the age of 62 anything above D is getting to be a stretch for me. Good luck, sing a lot and your voice and range will improve

When I'm working out a new arrangement of a song I often just do it acapella, changing the pitch until I find it easy to sing. I then pick up an instrument and jot down the key that matches my vocal range.

[musicman1951]

Absolutely want to transpose to a more comfortable range (and still a playable key).

There are guitar tab programs that allow you to raise or lower the pitch before downloading. If you read music it's not that demanding a skill when writing new chords.

Let me know if you need more information.

[dwasifar]

I will admit I came to this thread to find out what an extreme capo was.

Transpose, transpose, transpose. Eventually you'll be able to do it in your head, on the fly.

Also, there's no law that says you can't change the melody if there's an occasional extreme high or low note that vexes you.

[HAPPYDAN]

Originally Posted by dwasifar

Also, there's no law that says you can't change the melody if there's an occasional extreme high or low note that vexes you.

Precisely what I was trying to say - we "Oldsters" may remember the Johnny Cash Show. He was probably the "master" of singing others songs to his "personal" arrangement. Did anyone complain? Nope.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by michaelm101

Is there any way to resolve my dilemma?

You need to transpose the songs so you're using different chord shapes.
For example, if the chords to a song are C F and G, the same song can be played using A D and E.

[Earthworm]

I learned how to transpose when I was in sixth grade (thanks to a wise guitar teacher). I certainly can't do it on the fly, but I can plan the song and execute fairly quickly.

There are some songs that don't quite sound right to me transposed and using different chord shapes. Therefore, I tune down to D for about one third of my set. Ideally, I like having two guitars with one setup exclusively for whole step down tuning. Carrying two guitars to shows can be a pain so I often bring one guitar and play the first part of my set in standard, then tune to some open tunings like D and G, before finally arriving at whole step down. My Boss tuner is my friend.

If I setup one guitar to accomplish all of the above, I'll use medium strings to compensate for the lack of tension and "wonky" sound the lower tuning can sometimes produce.

[Doug MacPherson]

Age 66 - my voice has dropped over the decades. I'll find the right key for a song and sometimes go up to Capo 2 and no higher or I'll change keys. In another couple years I'll get down to Johnny Cash bass no doubt. Ha.

[Mandobart]

If you have difficulty transposing, look up Nashville Numbering system. Once you understand that 85% of the songs you want to play use the I, ii, II, IV, V, vi or VII chords in a key, and you learn what chords those are in the most commonly used keys (A, C, D, E, F and G) you can play ANY song in first position or capo 2. "Music theory" mainly boils down to just simply counting (intervals and beats).

You can do it on the fly. When you speak or read do you have to stop and first carefully select and arrange letters and words? No, because you understand the language. When you understand the language of intervals you can do the same with music.

[michaelm101]

Originally Posted by tippy5

• 
  
• Enroll in weekly one on one singing lessons (30 minutes is fine).
  
• Try to increase your exercising. If you have a desolate area somewhere bike ride, hike, walk uphill and sing a song during your deep breathing. In a few weeks you will have benefitted enough to try harder note songs.

I applaud your music in the presence of the infirmed. Music healing - heart / body - connections.

Thx. I took opera vocal lessons for 5 years (1995-2000)and played competitive tennis 5 days a week before a life altering car accident in 2016. I am back on the court and try to cycle 100 miles per week...

[L20A]

Originally Posted by michaelm101

I have many guitars, and am always seeking a reason to acquire more!!! Unfortunately, my wife thinks I'm a hoarder...

I'm not understanding how a new guitar, irrespective of string selection, can assist in resolving this issue..

You stated that your nylon string guitar doesn't sound good when capoed higher up the neck.
My suggestion is to try a steel string guitar to see if that helps.
I have 3 different steel string guitars that are in different tunings.
One is standard E to E.
One is tuned D to D
One is tuned B to B [it's a baritone]
With these different tunings and when needed the addition of a capo, I can play in any key that I need to for vocal support.

It is also a lot of fun having these different choices.

Do I need all of them?
No. I could make due with just one but I don't need to.

[michaelm101]

Originally Posted by L20A

You stated that your nylon string guitar doesn't sound good when capoed higher up the neck.
My suggestion is to try a steel string guitar to see if that helps.
I have 3 different steel string guitars that are in different tunings.
One is standard E to E.
One is tuned D to D
One is tuned B to B [it's a baritone]
With these different tunings and when needed the addition of a capo, I can play in any key that I need to for vocal support.

It is also a lot of fun having these different choices.

Do I need all of them?
No. I could make due with just one but I don't need to.

Thx. The guitar I plan to use for live performing is a Cordoba GK Studio Negra. The tone is nice capo'd at the 5th, but the bass notes aren't as full sounding, hence ukelel-ish. I have a cedar top nylon that's better up there, but it has no electronics-so I'm currently seeking a similar guitar with Fishman Blend electronics.

Steel strings currently hurt my fingers because I no longer have the callused fingertips I once had...