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#1
11-28-2019, 01:03 AM
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How do I know which key I'm in when capoed?
I'm learning a song right now that's originally in C#m, and to better fit my voice, I play it with the capo at the first fret and with the Am shape as the root chord of the song.
Here is my -- probably ignorant -- question: how do I know what key I'm playing in? Am I playing in A#m or Bbm?
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"I've always thought of bluegrass players as the Marines of the music world" – (A rock guitar guy I once jammed with) Martin America 1 Martin 000-15sm Recording King Dirty 30s RPS-9 TS Taylor GS Mini Baton Rouge 12-string guitar Martin L1XR Little Martin 1933 Epiphone Olympic 1971 square neck Dobro 
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#2
11-28-2019, 04:43 AM
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#3
11-28-2019, 05:27 AM
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A# and Bb are two names that share the same note. They are called 'enharmonic'. Different names that sound the same. The big difference comes when using music notation. The key of Bb uses two flats. Easy to write and read. The key of A# uses, would you believe it? 10 sharps. Everything is sharp, that gives seven sharps, but also C, F and G are double sharps and that makes up the ten. If you think this sounds complicated you are right. It would be a nightmare to notate and to read. This is why it would usually be called Bb rather than A#.
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#4
11-28-2019, 07:30 AM
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Until I got it firmly embedded in my brain, I carried a list of the 12 notes making an octave, so I could figure out what key the guitar is playing...A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#....keeping in mind that A# is Bb etc. Then if I am playing a G shape with capo on third fret, I count...the first fret would be G#, the second fret is A, and the third fret is A# ( also called Bb)...so with capo on 3, the guitar using a G shape is in A#(Bb). Hope this is clear.
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Angie
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#5
11-28-2019, 10:37 AM
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I think of it two different ways. The first is as Zeeway stated above. The other is I look at the bass note of the root chord. It's generally playing the root (unless you're playing an inversion). For instance, if I'm playing using G as the root, and I capo up 3, the root not of my G chord is now playing a Bb note, so I'd be playing in the key of Bb. If I am playing in E but I capo up to 3, the bass note of my E chord is now playing a G note, so I'd be in the key of G. This works on the 5th string root chords as well (such as C and A). If you're playing in C but capo up 2 the root of your C chord woud be a D note, so you'd be playing in the key of D.
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#6
11-28-2019, 11:01 AM
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Your in Dm as per your description. Root chord Dm of course. For a Am shape that would have to be via a fifth fret barre.
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Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
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#7
11-28-2019, 11:50 AM
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As Stanron explained ... Bbm
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#8
11-28-2019, 01:25 PM
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Yes, that. Thank you all! You answered my question of what the key I'm playing would actually be named. I understand one could call it EITHER A#m OR Bbm, but it's much more practical to call it the latter. I just wrote out each scale for A#maj, A#m, Bb Maj and Bbm, and boy, did it become obvious. [emoji16]
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__________________
"I've always thought of bluegrass players as the Marines of the music world" – (A rock guitar guy I once jammed with) Martin America 1 Martin 000-15sm Recording King Dirty 30s RPS-9 TS Taylor GS Mini Baton Rouge 12-string guitar Martin L1XR Little Martin 1933 Epiphone Olympic 1971 square neck Dobro
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