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Post subject: HERE IS A STUPID QUESTION
Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:29 pm
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They say that the only dumb question is the one not asked, so here is my dumb question.
How does a capo work and what do they do. I am pretty new to the acoustic guitar thing and I would like to know who, what, when, where and why people use them. :oops: :shock:

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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:13 am
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Someone'll probably give you a more technical answer but it basically changes the pitch of the tune you are playing. Say you're playing a tune and the singer can't quite cope with it; say he / she can't get low enough. Fit a capo and hey presto the song is played just that little bit higher. Basically lets you play open chords in a higher pitch without resorting to barre chords all the way up the neck.

If you want to try one, Dunlop make a pretty sturdy "trigger" style capo which doesn't cost too much. Although there seem to be different capos for acoustic and electric, I use my Dunlop capo on both with no probs.

Cheers.

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Post subject: Re: HERE IS A STUPID QUESTION
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:10 am
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STRATUSA wrote:
They say that the only dumb question is the one not asked, so here is my dumb question.
How does a capo work and what do they do. I am pretty new to the acoustic guitar thing and I would like to know who, what, when, where and why people use them. :oops: :shock:

S , bro , great question ! i've seen guitar players use capos on electric guitars too.

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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 5:21 am
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Capos are used by flamenco players all the time... most frequently to increase the tension on the strings, though of course it's also used to change key for work with a singer. That's because there are a lot of flamenco licks that utilise open strings combined with stopped notes higher up the fretboard, and you can't just play a whole bunch of barre chords that can be shifted up or down the neck.

It works very simply, by clamping down on the strings just like your index finger would if you laid a barre across all six strings. Effectively you're shifting the position of the nut higher. If you had a capo at the third fret, for example, you could be playing all your usual open E, A and D chords and runs with ringing open strings, but you'd sound like you were playing G, C and F instead. Very useful when you're playing with a singer who has a comfort zone they like to stay in.

I've played flamenco for quite a few years now, and capos always puzzled me in the beginning as they're often employed just for the hell of it (or so it appears). Flamenco guitarists have to be able to cut through some pretty overpowering stamping, clapping and singing, so they'll do whatever they can to increase their attack... even if it means playing on strings so tight you feel like your nails are being ripped out... then you wake up in a strange field the next morning and know it must have been a good night. Heh.


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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 6:53 am
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Above descriptions are pretty good, but it is not just flamenco music that uses them.
A lot of folk songs make use of them, as do other genres at times.

A capo and a finger slide have always been in my bag, though I've rarely used either :)

The all knowing wikipedia has a pretty good description
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capo

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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:28 am
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Jimmy Vaughan uses one alot.


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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:48 am
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Don't like using a capo myself, but sometimes it is necessary. I struggled to get a smooth execution of a lick on a Mark Knopfler song, Way Ay Man, from a recent album, untill I saw him play it and realised he was capo'd at the fifth fret. It instantly became simple.

In the '70s Pete Townshend used to have big numbers painted on his guitars - number 1 in this pic. It used to be said that the numeral refered to which fret was capo'd on that guitar so's his tech was sure to pass him the right one on a dark stage. However, he was often to be seen playing without a capo on the indicated fret, so I don't know if the theory holds up.
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For certain the belief that the numbers had to do with which order he smashed the guitars in is a myth, however...!

Cheers - C


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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:41 pm
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Ceri wrote:
... In the '70s Pete Townshend used to have big numbers painted on his guitars - number 1 in this pic. It used to be said that the numeral refered to which fret was capo'd on that guitar so's his tech was sure to pass him the right one on a dark stage ...

With all due respect, I think that is only half right ... mainly the part about being handed the right guitar. I don't think there is any capo part to the numbering. As I know it (and maybe I am wrong...), the numbering was only for Townshend's main Les Pauls. So when he would talk about doing something to one of them, the guitar tech knew exactly which one.

Great pic, and sorry if I am thread stealing... :D

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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:19 pm
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Some people consider using a capo as "cheating". A season or 2 back I was watching Nashville Star and Jewel was getting on some guys case - telling him to learn to play his guitar and get rid of the capo. Funny thing is that later that same night I saw her on late night TV promoting her new album and guess what - she had a capo on her Tele.


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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:34 pm
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heh... to Jewel I say: "Look Vicente Amigo in the eye and tell him he's 'cheating'"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCM_bbxUaDQ


...the visual side is a bit wishy-washy for the first 30 seconds, but after that you can marvel at some first-fret capo action for 8 of the best minutes you've spent recently. Go on, check it out. You'll be glad you did.


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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:40 am
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01GT eibach wrote:
Ceri wrote:
... In the '70s Pete Townshend used to have big numbers painted on his guitars - number 1 in this pic. It used to be said that the numeral refered to which fret was capo'd on that guitar so's his tech was sure to pass him the right one on a dark stage ...

With all due respect, I think that is only half right ... mainly the part about being handed the right guitar. I don't think there is any capo part to the numbering. As I know it (and maybe I am wrong...), the numbering was only for Townshend's main Les Pauls. So when he would talk about doing something to one of them, the guitar tech knew exactly which one.

Great pic, and sorry if I am thread stealing... :D


It's a confused issue, to be sure. In that picture (from the movie) I believe he's playing Baba O'Riley and as far as I recall he does indeed use a capo on the first fret on that number - on guitar number one, as we see there. And I've also seen him in another piece of film playing number five with a capo on the fifth fret.

On the other hand, he's also to be found in photos playing both those LPs and others without capos.

I'm guessing in reality it seemed like an idea one day to paint numbers on the guitars, either for the capo reason or something else entirely. And then the reason got left behind but the numbers left on.

Whatever: I had the honor of seeing Townshend play that number one LP (without capo) from about four feet away on one of its very last outings, late 1979. From the back of it, that guitar was ready to retire!

Cheers - C


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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 8:22 am
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That's a good question, and something you SHOULD ask. But, I've never agreed with ...

"They say that the only dumb question is the one not asked, so here is my dumb question. "

A lot of people ask very stupid questions and don't think before they ask. Or ask the same thing over and over and over again, because - you know - they're stupid and don't remember.

Yours was a good question though.


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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 8:24 am
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So there's no stupid question, just stupid people?


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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 8:30 am
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atolleter wrote:
So there's no stupid question, just stupid people?


Quite possibly!


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Post subject: Capo Use
Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 9:36 am
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Besides changing keys and allowing the use of open chords and open strings at higher frets -- not cheating in my opinion -- capos can also be effectively used when playing two guitars together. For example, if one guitar player is playing G, C, and D without a capo, the second guitar player can stick a capo on the fifth fret and play D, G, and A open chords. I played in an acoustic duo doing rock songs for a long time and we used this trick all the time. Basically you get two guitars that are playing different parts in the same key; it's a nice and simple way to avoid mirroring each other and add a little bit of variety.


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