Playing 2 Guitars But in Different Keys???

[DWKitt]

Please excuse my ignorance in asking this question.

I was watching the following youtube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syCU871iprU of these two young men playing an excellent rendition of Dylan's Knocking on Heaven's Door and noticed they are not in the same key. The one on the 6-string is indeed in the key of G as I play it, but the 12-string player appears to be in Bb. He's capoed on the 3rd fret and playing G-forms. I wasn't aware this was possible. I thought all players had to be in the same key. What am I missing here? Please school me on this.

Could it be that one of them is in an altered tuning? This has to be it, because they both need to be in the same key, right? I'm not getting this at all.

[mr. beaumont]

For this case, the guy on the left must be tuned down, as they're playing the same chord shapes. Not an altered or open tuning, just down and capoed.

I couldn't think of a more boring use of a capo, actually...

Now, if the cat on the right plays G D C/Am

And the guy in the left was standard tuned, but played

D A G (or Em) capoed at the 3rd fret, maybe it'd sound more interesting. As it is, it's two guys playing the same chords in the same key. Zzzzzzzzz.

[DWKitt]

That was my second thought, that the capoed player had to be tuned down.

Thanks.

[Doug Young]

it's not uncommon to tune a 12 string down. The Kottke Taylor, for example, is designed to be tuned down to C#, or 3 frets, exactly like this.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by DWKitt

Please excuse my ignorance in asking this question.

I was watching the following youtube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syCU871iprU of these two young men playing an excellent rendition of Dylan's Knocking on Heaven's Door and noticed they are not in the same key. The one on the 6-string is indeed in the key of G as I play it, but the 12-string player appears to be in Bb. He's capoed on the 3rd fret and playing G-forms. I wasn't aware this was possible. I thought all players had to be in the same key. What am I missing here? Please school me on this.

Could it be that one of them is in an altered tuning? This has to be it, because they both need to be in the same key, right? I'm not getting this at all.

Just listening tells you they are playing the same pitches at the same frets. So you know one guitar is tuned down three half steps (as others have already posted).
The point is with music first trust your ears, then eyes second (or third, or whatever).

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by DWKitt

Please excuse my ignorance in asking this question.

I was watching the following youtube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syCU871iprU of these two young men playing an excellent rendition of Dylan's Knocking on Heaven's Door and noticed they are not in the same key. The one on the 6-string is indeed in the key of G as I play it, but the 12-string player appears to be in Bb. He's capoed on the 3rd fret and playing G-forms. I wasn't aware this was possible. I thought all players had to be in the same key. What am I missing here? Please school me on this.

Could it be that one of them is in an altered tuning? This has to be it, because they both need to be in the same key, right? I'm not getting this at all.

As mentioned, 12-strings are commonly tuned down, to reduce tension and make them more playable.

Jeff is right though, this is a boring and highly unimaginative use of a capo. The 12-string does offer a different sound, of course, but the 6-string player could have put a capo on 5 and played in D, or on 7 and played in C, just for some variety.
If you watch videos of the Eagles playing Hotel California, all guitars are tuned the same, but you'll notice the 12-string has a capo on 7 (playing in Em), the second guitar (acoustic) has a capo on 2 (Am), and the electric has no capo (concert key of Bm). That's intelligent as well as practical for all of them.