I don't understand "why" to use a capo

[RockyRacc00n]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

Never said that I don't want to.
I said I don't understand how or when to use one.

I haven't read through everything, but this almost sounds like you don't understand why/how you transpose something into a different key. Am I reading your question correctly?

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by Goat Whiskey Picks

I'm a capo user and it a valuable tool but here's something I have never understood. Using the key of G for an example (but it applies to all keys), I have a bunch of songs that I can sing very nicely in G and then there's some others that I can't sing at all in G but if I capo up one or two they're back in my comfort zone. You'd think if I can sing some songs I a particular key I should be able to sing anything in that key. Guess that's just another one of those things I gotta accept whether I understand it or not.

I have noticed that too, Mick. I think it has to do with where to song starts in the scale of that key. Not sure that makes any sense but I am like you. Happy to accept without knowing exactly why.

Best,
Jayne

[Goat Mick]

Originally Posted by jaymarsch

I have noticed that too, Mick. I think it has to do with where to song starts in the scale of that key. Not sure that makes any sense but I am like you. Happy to accept without knowing exactly why.



Best,

Jayne

Another great mystery of the universe. LOL. Hope you’re doing well Jayne!

[Mystery123]

I'm not yet into keys but I use capo in songs that have A#, F, D# type of chords.
It's really tough to play those all with barre on the first fret.
I do try barring but it's really sloppy when changing.
Using capo makes it just like open chords.

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by Mystery123

I'm not yet into keys but I use capo in songs that have A#, F, D# type of chords.
It's really tough to play those all with barre on the first fret.
I do try barring but it's really sloppy when changing.
Using capo makes it just like open chords.

I actually can play most in Barr chords but I like the different tone I get using a capo up to the 5th fret from there it gets a little tight and thin,. so moral of the story I use it because I like the tone

[Nymuso]

People use capos for a lot of reasons. all of them valid. However I do recall seeing someone post, on one of these capo threads, something to the effect of use of the capo indicating that the player cannot really play the instrument, that he doesn't know all the chords, or is in some way deficient in knowledge or ability.

Use of a capo does not in and of itself signal a lack of ability, but the paraphrased statement above clearly indicates a lack of knowledge on the part of the person who initially made that statement.

[AndrewG]

Originally Posted by Nymuso

People use capos for a lot of reasons. all of them valid. However I do recall seeing someone post, on one of these capo threads, something to the effect of use of the capo indicating that the player cannot really play the instrument, that he doesn't know all the chords, or is in some way deficient in knowledge or ability.

Use of a capo does not in and of itself signal a lack of ability, but the paraphrased statement above clearly indicates a lack of knowledge on the part of the person who initially made that statement.

Yes; I'm sure we're all familiar with the 'sound' of, say, a first position Gmaj chord, and that 'sound' translates very nicely when capoed into another, vocal range-friendly, key. Yes, it could easily be transposed, but in many cases the sound and, importantly, the feel of the tune would be lost.
Like a plectrum the capo is an eminently usable musical tool, not to be sneered at. The term 'capotasto' was first employed in 1640. The first patent for a capo was granted in 1850 to a James Ashborn.

[eastcoast Chris]

Capo's at there best are a tool rather than a crutch, if you are playing Bluegrass or songs you want an open sound for they are great, dont work well if you are playing rhythm for Texas /western swing /jazz standard's . most horn players I have played with seem to favour Bd Ed & F so lots of closed position's

[marit]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

Oh really?? You should ask Neil.

It seems my question ended up at the end of a page so I'm going to ask the question again...

Any ideas what song Neil is playing here with the capo at the 3rd fret? There's a few songs that he plays that way but he hasn't played any of those at the Earth tour. I thought someone might know :-)

[Scoobtay]

I use capos mostly to assist me with far-reaching hammer-ons/pull offs. This may be a sign of my playing deficiencies, but it’s hard for me to reach from the 2nd fret to the 5th or so for clean sounding hammer ons without a capo. Halfway Home by Tommy E. is a really good example of a highly difficult song to play without a capo, and a slightly-easier, but still nearly impossible song to play with one. HA

[Mystery123]

Originally Posted by marit

It seems my question ended up at the end of a page so I'm going to ask the question again...

Any ideas what song Neil is playing here with the capo at the 3rd fret? There's a few songs that he plays that way but he hasn't played any of those at the Earth tour. I thought someone might know :-)

My best guess:
Song: Captain Kennedy
Album: Hawks and Doves (1980)
Capo on 3rd fret.
---
Dm
Dm C Dm
I am a young mariner headed to war
F Dm
I'm thinkin' 'bout my family and what it was for
...

[Todd Tipton]

Disclaimer: while I skimmed many of the posts, I didn't read everything. I saw many good replies and different reasons for the use of a capo.

A very significant reason I use a capo sometimes is to match the music I am playing with the instrument. Sometimes I play music that is thin textured and very delicate. The guitar seems to be a large and boomy instrument leaving the music sounding very empty and thin. Often, a capo at even just the first fret can really bring the music to life. I now have a more delicate instrument that compliments that delicate music. Those thin textures no longer sound empty.

I commonly use a capo at the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd fret in this exact way. I've even used a capo as high as the 5th fret. I almost always use a capo when I am playing renaissance music that was originally written for a lute or vihuela. I also commonly use a capo for lots of Scottish, Irish, or folk tunes that often have a thin texture. I think many of us have had an experience where we have played a nice arrangement of something, but it felt empty. Perhaps we felt that the chords should be fuller and that the texture needed to be thickened. Or perhaps we felt like the music would have been better suited on a smaller and more delicate instrument. Often, the use of a capo suddenly brings the music to life. It stops us from fighting the music and allows us to more easily bring it out.

Right now I am learning a Stanley Yates arrangement of Bach's 3rd cello suite. While there are many arrangements and they are all unique, the Yates arrangement stands out from many of the others with its thinner texture and less busy additions. Often, a first impression may be that the music is too simple. It needs fuller texture. It needs busier bass lines and fuller chords. Rather, the use of a capo takes all of those concerns away and allows the guitar to more fully compliment the music.

[marit]

Originally Posted by Mystery123

My best guess:
Song: Captain Kennedy
Album: Hawks and Doves (1980)
Capo on 3rd fret.
---
Dm
Dm C Dm
I am a young mariner headed to war
F Dm
I'm thinkin' 'bout my family and what it was for
...

Thanks for the suggestion! I think I just found out what it was he played... The picture was taken during the MusiCares 2015 Person Of The Year Gala honoring Bob Dylan and the song he was playing was Blowin' in the Wind!

[Big Band Guitar]

I am not smart or fast enough the use one of those infernal things.

The thought of playing a open cowboy chord anywhere other than first position boggles this old brain. I can not wrap my head around playing a C chord form and not have it be a C.

When I need a E flat minor 6 I play a E flat minor 6. Same goes for a C flat major 7 or any other chord.

My hat is off to those that can keep it all together when using one.

[Dondoh]

My main use of a capo is for inspiration.

I don't perform. I don't play with others. I sit in my room, usually late at night, and play for my own pleasure.

I'm not developing a repertoire. I have no interest in learning songs to mimic the performers who created them. I sit and play whatever enters my head. Sometimes I sing along. Sometimes the words amazingly make sense and the music comes together, those are great nights. But I don't remember the words. Or the melodies in most cases. Most of the time I don't sing, I just like to play.

Sometimes I am goofing around with a set of chords and it suggests a song I've heard. I may learn it or use it for a jumping off point to do something different.

Some nights I play for a few minutes. Some nights I can play for hours and hours because the muse is there.

On the nights where I'm not easily conjuring the muse, I've found a few things that will help.

1) Experiment with a tuning. Detune the guitar until the strings flop but still make notes. One floppy string only? That's OK. There are no rules. Open tune. Drop tune. Move one string's tuning to an unexpected place and see what happens. Usually something does. The new sound and unexpected tones sometimes guide you down new and interesting avenues. Also the different feel of the strings under different tensions can lead to all sorts of new ideas. Not just new things to play, new ways to play. Not just what to play, but how to play.

2) Capo up. Moving the capo up the neck - even just one or two frets - really changes the voice of the guitar. Nut vs zero fret, different tension, etc. But as you capo further up it, the new sounds can truly inspire me in a new direction.

3) Combine both tuning and the capo. Endless new sounds and tactile feelings to experiment with.

4) Change the guitar. I put this last because the change isn't as dramatic to me as tuning and capo, but a new voice in another guitar helps sometimes.

So, for me, a person who plays mostly by relaxing and allowing my mind to make things up (albeit very simple things) capos can get me through a dull evening when the usual flow is not there.

A caveat, I am a terrible player. But I have an audience of one and use the guitar for my own purposes so it doesn't matter. I am happiest when inspiration hits and I am in the moment and bonding with the wood and wire.

I do learn songs occasionally and I do have patterns that I have come up with that recur (I'm reluctant to call them songs as they are ephemeral and never completely fleshed out, notated or even memorized in most cases), sometimes nightly for a while. But free-flowing is where the real joy is for me. And a capo sometimes helps. I try however to use the capo and tunings sparingly because they are so reliably good at provoking creativity that I'd hate to learn them too well and have them lose their novelty...

I also agree with all the other reasons to use them which others have expressed in this thread.

And to the OP and anyone else, never be ashamed of asking a question or exploring areas that you don't understand. All of life's great pleasures lie just beyond our reach. Push yourself further to grasp them and know that even as you achieve a new pleasure, there are more beyond your current grasp. There is no limit to learning and you never know where a question will lead.

And if you don't want to use a capo for any reason, eschew it with pride. For a lot of people limiting options is the key to creativity. Brian Eno often talks about how the surfeit of options can cripple with endless possibility. Limiting is a spur to creativity too. Try to play on only the 1st and 5th string. Who cares! Put a sock under your strings! ENJOY!

If you love working on note for note songs, or period correct baroque music, GREAT! Enjoy using your mind, muscles, wood, wire and plastic in new and different ways.