Capo question

[Clouds]

Just looking for opinions, if the band is on capo 7 for example and I decide to play lower down the neck let's say no capo or capo 1, will I be too low? I know we'll be in the same key but just wondering what the general rule of thumb is.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Clouds

Just looking for opinions, if the band is on capo 7 for example and I decide to play lower down the neck let's say no capo or capo 1, will I be too low? I know we'll be in the same key but just wondering what the general rule of thumb is.

"Too low" is not an issue, but with the capo in a different position you obviously need different shapes to play in the same key.

So capo position depends on the shapes you want to play; i.e., if you want to avoid barre shapes as much as possible, or want to make use of open strings.

An example that springs to mind is Hotel California, where one guitar has a capo on 7, another has capo on 2, and the other (lead guitar) has no capo.
The key is B minor.
The capo on 2 means playing A minor shapes, and capo on 7 means E minor shapes.
Capo on 7 means no barre chords at all for the whole song.
Capo on 2 requires one barre chord (an "F" shape for the G chord).
Without a capo, several chords would need barres, but it's the lead guitar so he's not playing many chords (and could obviously play them anyway if he had to.)

[egordon99]

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=594022

[egordon99]

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=602274

[egordon99]

Originally Posted by Clouds

Just looking for opinions, if the band is on capo 7 for example and I decide to play lower down the neck let's say no capo or capo 1, will I be too low? I know we'll be in the same key but just wondering what the general rule of thumb is.

The general rule of thumb is if it sounds good, then it’s good.

[egordon99]

A good example is playing The Indigo Girls’ “Galileo” in the key of F. One guitarist plays E shapes with the capo on 1 and the other plays C shapes with the capo on 5.

[Clouds]

On this one song, I was playing capo 0 with C shapes and the other guitarist was playing capo 5 with G shapes. I sounded quite low and kinda got drowned out.

[Clouds]

Originally Posted by egordon99

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=602274

Thanks but this question is more about the sound rather than the theory.

[egordon99]

Originally Posted by Clouds

On this one song, I was playing capo 0 with C shapes and the other guitarist was playing capo 5 with G shapes. I sounded quite low and kinda got drowned out.

Either play louder or ask the other guitarist to play softer.

There is nothing inherently wrong with two guitar parts played like that.

[hubcapsc]

There is nothing inherently wrong with two guitar parts played like that.

If anything, it's probably inherently better when the guitars are doing something
different from each other...

-Mike

[egordon99]

Originally Posted by hubcapsc

There is nothing inherently wrong with two guitar parts played like that.

If anything, it's probably inherently better when the guitars are doing something
different from each other...

-Mike

Absolutely!

If both guitarists are just strumming the same simple pattern (even in different positions) it won’t sound that exciting.

Often the lower position (you without the capo for example) would strum and the higher position (capo on five for example) would do some arpeggios/fancier flat picking.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Clouds

On this one song, I was playing capo 0 with C shapes and the other guitarist was playing capo 5 with G shapes. I sounded quite low and kinda got drowned out.

That's nothing to do with the capo, just him playing too loud or you not loud enough.
Or if you were using mics, then him too close and you too far away, or the mix being unbalanced.

Sometimes higher frequencies can cut through more, which might explain it, at least if it was his higher notes that were coming out more. It's still something that needs to be balanced in other ways, not relevant to the capo.

I.e., you use the capo (or not) for the shapes and tone it gives you, not to be louder or softer. Him using capo on 5 spreads the frequencies more, which is a good thing, making the combined sound more interesting, but those higher ones do need to be balanced dynamically. Your lower notes need to come out equal to his higher ones, while the middle should be roughly the same.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Clouds

Thanks but this question is more about the sound rather than the theory.

Except that the theory informs the sound

Depending on which key you are wanting the song to be in, certain intervals for placing the Capo may be more or less complementary to that key. And or be either smother or perhaps intentionally create tension
For example you might want the capo on the major 3rd or 5 th or maybe the minor 3 rd of the key etc.

I use this chart quite a bit

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Clouds

Just looking for opinions, if the band is on capo 7 for example and I decide to play lower down the neck let's say no capo or capo 1, will I be too low? I know we'll be in the same key but just wondering what the general rule of thumb is.

Hi Clouds

As an acoustic player in bands, I'm always looking for ways to be heard without turning up to the point of being obnoxious.

So I play tasty licks in spaces (often at the end of phrases), up the neck (in a different range than other guitarists), and use capos to stagger my guitar voicings away from the same-exact-fingerings other guitarists are playing.