I've read it's pretty rare to capo a bass to correspond to the rhythm guitar. But here's something I don't quite get. For Night Moves bass line I'm using just root (it's a simple progression, G F C F G). I also found a tab for it, which mine was pretty close to. Neither the other tab nor mine accounted for the capo, but the bass line sounds perfectly fine playing with the recording. It's the same for My Sweet Lord. The bass line (R 3 and a non-chord tone or two) doesn't account for the capo, but it sounds just fine with the recording. What am I missing and not understanding? :?
It is difficult to answer when one does not understand the question.
As long as you're in the right key, everything's fine. The important thing is not which fingering is shown for the capoed guitar but the chord which sounds. If you capoed at the fifth fret and played an E, the sounding chord would be an "A" -- which is the root you'd play on the bass. Hope that made sense but maybe I'm not understanding your question.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
I don't know the song. Perhaps I am wrong because the song is another one.
If you are using something like this you must play each root note a half tone higher on the bass. G will be G#, F will be F# and C will be C# because the tab says "capo I".
I played over this version and G#, F# and C# sound fine. I followed the same rhythm than the strumming.
If you're playing along with the original recording, and if your bass is in standard tuning, it shouldn't sound right. You will (you should) sound a half-step flat if you're playing G, F and C because the original recording is in Ab (or, as Nuno pointed out, G# if you prefer).
Now there are all sorts of reasons why it may sound right, ranging from what equipment you're playing the music on, not to mention how loudly you're playing it, to how hard you're playing the bass (if you're really pulling on the strings you could conceivably be pulling it enough out of tune to be in tune, if that makes sense) but the bottom line is that it shouldn't sound like it is because it isn't.
It may also be that you can't hear that it's not matching. Not everyone has the ears to tell when it comes to low notes, particularly if you're cranking up the volume or been exposed to lots of loud noises anyway. And some develop the ability after working on their ear training.
Whatever the reason, it's worth looking into. Hope this helps.
Peace
As long as you're in the right key, everything's fine. ... If you capoed at the fifth fret and played an E, the sounding chord would be an "A" -- which is the root you'd play on the bass. Hope that made sense but maybe I'm not understanding your question.
Yes, that makes sense because it's like using the capo as your index finger to barre the 5th fret to make Amaj. What's screwing me up is that he's capoing up 1/2 step, according to all the sheets (real sheet music and internet chords) I've seen.
It is difficult to answer when one does not understand the question.
I don't know the song. Perhaps I am wrong because the song is another one.
If you are using something like this you must play each root note a half tone higher on the bass. G will be G#, F will be F# and C will be C# because the tab says "capo I".
I played over this version and G#, F# and C# sound fine. I followed the same rhythm than the strumming.
That's the chord sheet I use. I tidied it up in Word. I use the same rhythm as you. My gut feeling told me the bass has to be 1/2 step higher. I can understand that I goofed, but that there's an internet tab that's wrong... wait, nevermind... :roll: Seriously, I've seen some covers where they don't use a capo, so maybe that explains that.
It is difficult to answer when one does not understand the question.
If you're playing along with the original recording, and if your bass is in standard tuning, it shouldn't sound right. You will (you should) sound a half-step flat if you're playing G, F and C because the original recording is in Ab (or, as Nuno pointed out, G# if you prefer).
Now there are all sorts of reasons why it may sound right, ranging from what equipment you're playing the music on, not to mention how loudly you're playing it, to how hard you're playing the bass (if you're really pulling on the strings you could conceivably be pulling it enough out of tune to be in tune, if that makes sense) but the bottom line is that it shouldn't sound like it is because it isn't.
It may also be that you can't hear that it's not matching. Not everyone has the ears to tell when it comes to low notes, particularly if you're cranking up the volume or been exposed to lots of loud noises anyway. And some develop the ability after working on their ear training.
Whatever the reason, it's worth looking into. Hope this helps.
Peace
Well I'll be hanged, drawn and quartered! I just played it like Nuno did, G# F# C# and it sound a lot better! I guess maybe it was a matter of not hearing a 1/2 step difference. This is all less than 2 months old to me. I can't imagine why I didn't hear it before, but when I switch back and forth now, the 1/2 step down sounds awful. :oops:
Thanks guys. :D
It is difficult to answer when one does not understand the question.
It does take time to adjust to hearing the low stuff sometimes. Everybody's ears are a bit different when it comes to identifying sounds and, kind of like singing voices, some just pick out things better in different ranges.
The most important thing is that you've figured it out and now can work on getting better.
And glad to see that you're still hanging with the bass. It is a lot of fun!
Peace
Yes, it is fun. And I'm finding that one is helping me with the other... I am learning things with guitar I can apply to bass, and things I am learning on bass that makes a light bulb go off for guitar. Triads and scales are becoming somewhat more important on bass. :lol:
It is difficult to answer when one does not understand the question.
It was in one of my collaborations with Dogbite. It was very fun. He was playing slide and when he sent to me an initial recording he told me some of his notes could be wrong (really all his notes were right). I started to work with another version of the same song (it was one of those old song that we used to cover) because it was a new song to me and I got the bass track by ear and I played that version over the Dogbite's recording. Some notes sounded very awful but I thought the wrong tracks were the guitars!
Bass is very fun. It did I understood many concepts that I wasn't able to see on a guitar fretboard. It helps a lot with the chord composition, ear training, and many other things. Recently I got back to guitars but I keep playing bass at least a day per week.
Seger's stuff can be a pain to play along with. I was learning "Main Street" and it is capo'd, but either the guitar was tuned a little flat or the tape was slowed down a tad because it's not quite a half step up. More like 3/8ths of a step up. Luckily, it's a pretty simple bass line. Now that I have a fretless, I can play along w/ the recording :D
Seger's stuff can be a pain to play along with.
Well I'm glad to know that, considering I like Still the Same and plan on finishing it, as well as his other work. I started Still the Same some 20 years ago when I first took lessons. I do not think that one is capoed. I will probably get to his other "greatest hits" like Against the Wind, You'll Accompany Me, etc. Playing rhythm capoed or uncapoed is not a problem, of course. It's only the bass line, as I now know. :roll:
Gordon Lightfoot is another one who is capo-happy. I found a bass tab for Sundown, which surprisingly sounds accurate (but of course, what do I know? :lol: ). He capos @ fret 2 and plays the same progression of E B7 A D (open chord shapes). The only bass tab I could find is this one. The notes sound right, but I haven't played with the recording:
G|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|------------------------2---3---|
A|--------------------------------|--------------------4-----------|
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D|4-----------4-----------2---3---|4-----------4-----------4---2---|
A|----------------4---4-----------|----------------4---4-----------|
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D|4-----------4-----------2---3---|4-----------4---------------2---|
A|----------------4---4-----------|----------------4---4---2-------|
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
I think it does account for the capo. The 4th fret of the A string is C#, and capoed at fret 2 he's actually playing F#, whose triad is F# A C#. Seems he's playing the 5th as his lead in.
OK, now that I completely mucked that up and over-thought it, I'm taking up the recorder. :?
It is difficult to answer when one does not understand the question.
Don't take it up just yet because your reasoning is perfectly correct. The bass tab you posted is definitely in the key of F#, which would be the same as playing E on the guitar with a capo on the second fret.
It's really easy to get overwhelmed and start over-thinking and second guessing all this stuff and the only way through it is practice. Your brain needs the practice just like your fingers do. And your brain is working fine! Keep with it and before you know it (well, hopefully not anytime in the next month or so :wink: ) you'll be doing transposing in your head while playing with other guitarists (some playing with capos and some without) and not having any chord sheets. That's when things can really get weird!
Peace
Don't worry about the capo. You are playing bass now. Use a "virtual capo".
When you read "capo 2" simply move your hand two frets: the song says "E"; the "E" is in the fourth string, open, ie. 0; 0+2=2; play the note in the second fret; you are playing F#.
If you read "C" with "capo 2", what note is it? Where is it?
Third fret, third string is "C". 3+2=5. You can play it in fifth fret, third string. You are playing "D".
You can also think in the opposite way. If you read "C", as "capo 2" means "one tone higher", you can say "C" becomes "D". And D is fifth fret, third string (or open second string or...).
As David said, it is practice, fortunately!
You are working well! :D
Don't take it up just yet because your reasoning is perfectly correct. The bass tab you posted is definitely in the key of F#, which would be the same as playing E on the guitar with a capo on the second fret.
It's really easy to get overwhelmed and start over-thinking and second guessing all this stuff and the only way through it is practice. Your brain needs the practice just like your fingers do. And your brain is working fine! Keep with it and before you know it (well, hopefully not anytime in the next month or so :wink: ) you'll be doing transposing in your head while playing with other guitarists (some playing with capos and some without) and not having any chord sheets. That's when things can really get weird!
Peace
Yay me!!! (well, you guys too :wink: ).
I think I had another breakthrough just to test my logic. I've been reading (bored to pieces at work, but at least I have a job), and what I read hit me hard... you are just moving up by x number of steps. The excerpt is "If we place the capo behind the first fret, all the strings have been raised by a semi-tone. If we play a G chord shape, you are really playing a G#/Ab chord. If we place the capo behind the second fret, all the strings have been raised by a tone. If we play a G chord shape, we are really playing an A chord. If we place the capo behind the third fret, all the strings have been raised by three semi-tones. If we play a G chord shape, we are really playing an A#/Bb chord and so on. Can you spot the pattern? If we place the capo at fret "x", whatever chord we play will be "x" semi-tones higher. This principle also applies in reverse, so that if we place the capo at fret "x", we play a chord "x" semi-tones lower than the one written."
The last sentence is what got the lightbulb to go off. So I took My Sweet Lord, which is capoed @ 2 and plays chord shapes Em A D Bm (to name just a few of many :roll: ). Going down 2 semi-tones and uncapoed we get F#m B E (maybe xx2454?) C#m Those are kind of a bear to play. Mrs. Harrison didn't raise no dummy. My guess is that George wanted the sound he wanted, but didn't want to finger those chords. I have to play my re-written bass line to see how it sounds 2 steps higher from Em A D B.
It is difficult to answer when one does not understand the question.
