#1
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Changing Keys During Song with Capo?
I'm figuring out a new song that has a key change at the end, and while I've been able to do a change on a few songs in my repertoire, this one has left hand fingering that, as far as I can figure from the two audio versions I've been able to find, can only be done with particular left hand fingering, thus not easily lending itself to key change. I could just forget the modulation but it does add something to the song.
The two versions, one a recording and one a live performance, have a gap of silence just before the change and I was thinking of using a capo and shifting it in that gap. Is this a big no-no? I've seen James Taylor do multiple capo moves on "Your Smiling Face", but has anyone seen other good players do this?
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1967 Aria Classical 1974 Guild D50 2009 Kenny Hill New World Player Classical 2009 Hoffman SJ 2011 Hoffman SJ 12 https://paulashley.weebly.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/PaulAshley https://www.reverbnation.com/paulashley |
#2
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Most good players just figure out how to finger it.
Michael Johnson (RIP) was certainly good enough. Truly a great player with a velvet voice. But if you can do it smoothly, go for it. Tommy Emmanuel does some crowd-pleasing moves with his capo.
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-Gordon 1978 Larrivee L-26 cutaway 1988 Larrivee L-28 cutaway 2006 Larrivee L03-R 2009 Larrivee LV03-R 2016 Irvin SJ cutaway 2020 Irvin SJ cutaway (build thread) K+K, Dazzo, Schatten/ToneDexter Notable Journey website Facebook page Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art. - Leonardo Da Vinci |
#3
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This seems to be played in G# with E and A chord forms with index at the 4th fret, along with an A chord form at the 6th fret.
Then, when the key change is done, everything slides up one fret. So you're playing with the index at the 5th fret with the A chord form at the 7th fret (Emaj) That's how I read that video. J |
#4
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1967 Aria Classical 1974 Guild D50 2009 Kenny Hill New World Player Classical 2009 Hoffman SJ 2011 Hoffman SJ 12 https://paulashley.weebly.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/PaulAshley https://www.reverbnation.com/paulashley |
#5
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There's always the roller capo which is designed to do exactly what you're talking about. I watched Greg Bennett demo it at a NAMM show a whole bunch of years ago. I got one and didn't have the coordination to make it work. LOL.
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#6
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I don't have the time to lissen to everything that's posted here. But when I play songs like me and Bobby Mcgee or Devils right hand where there is a key change. I first find the chords that make it easier for me to play that change.
Then I use the capo to find where I can sing that song the best. |
#7
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HE
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#8
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I bought one of those roller capos, but found it was unreliable. It sometimes rolled the 6th or 1st string right off the edge of the fretboard! It certainly needs very careful manipulation to keep it straight, and IME it might be just as quick/reliable (if there is a small gap in the music) to use a normal capo.
Some normal capos can be slid successfully anyway. John Martyn used to slide a standard (cheap) elastic capo on a deliberately gimmicky tune back in the 60s. Here he is demonstrating it, 10 years after I first saw him do it (timestamp skipping the lengthy spoken intro): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c80pa9lCFjQ&t=75
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#9
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David Wilcox does it on Rusty Old American Dream.
The change happens at about the 1:57 mark.
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Jim 2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi 2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood 2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar 2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce 2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce 1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos. YouTube |
#10
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Yes! The right-handed method! While holding a chord!
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"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen. |
#11
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If you're playing Cowboy chords, changing keys with a capo is a piece of cake. Just slap on the capo, use the same chord shapes, and you're done.
Without a Capo, you need to calculate things out. Let's say you have a song (progression) that goes from Dmaj to Amaj to Gmaj. You want to change keys and go up one full step? Your song (progression) in the new key would be Emaj to Bmaj to Amaj. Move up the key change up a half step? Your song (progression) in the new key would be Fmaj to C to Bb. And so on (hope I got that correct) but hopefully, you get the picture. I guess the caveat is that your changing keys but keeping the same progression. This method won't work if you change keys and have a new set of progressions, but it still might be helpful to figure things out. J |
#12
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Jim 2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi 2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood 2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar 2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce 2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce 1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos. YouTube |
#13
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I have a "Quickdraw" capo that my friend Steafan gave me. I keep it on my octave mandolin and it slides very easily from fret to fret without losing a beat.
Here's Steafan playing with his wife Saskia and using a Quickdraw capo. I'm pretty sure he's in DADGAD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFGlOAO3pVU https://mcneelamusic.com/quick-draw-capo/
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Jim _____________________ -1962 Martin D-21 -1950 Gibson LG1 -1958 Goya M-26 -Various banjos, mandolins, dulcimers, ukuleles, Autoharps, mouth harps. . . Last edited by PHJim; 07-18-2020 at 09:41 AM. |
#14
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Thanks! Sold! (One more type of capo to add to my growing collection...)
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"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen. |
#15
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1967 Aria Classical 1974 Guild D50 2009 Kenny Hill New World Player Classical 2009 Hoffman SJ 2011 Hoffman SJ 12 https://paulashley.weebly.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/PaulAshley https://www.reverbnation.com/paulashley |