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what does a capo actually do????

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 lars
(@lars)
Noble Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 1120
 

Thinking about it - flute and capo is not so different
Pulling the flute - making it longer - and you play in a different key with the same fingering - alright, you can change the tune perhaps from 'almost A' to a 'little more than A' - but strictly speaking the two principles are - well - lets say comparable ;)

Lars

...only thing I know how to do is to keep on keepin' on...

LARS kolberg http://www.facebook.com/sangerersomfolk


   
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(@rich_halford)
Reputable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 225
 

Amira

Apologies if you know all this already or if it appears condecsending...

The thinnest string is the 'e' string, if you play the string open, you get an 'e'.
And if you finger the 'e' string at the first fret you get an 'f', so it goes 'up one'
If you finger it at the second fret it goes up one again, to f#
And if you finger it at the third fret it goes up one again, to G - following so far?

The 'b' string does the same, starting at b, then c, then c# and so on.

So, if you put a capo on the first fret, its like holding the strings down at the first fret, so if you now play them open (leave the capo there, just don't add any more fingers) then you get an F on the 'e' and a C on the 'b' - following so far?

I guess what I am saying is that you are playing the same 'shape' (not adding any fingers to the guitar, so playing them open remembering that the capo is on) that you would have done to get an E and a B, but you are actually now getting an F and a C.

So the same thing applies with chords. If you finger an E chord then you get an E. If you add a capo to the first fret you have caused all the notes to go 'up one', so if you now finger an E chord in the first position you can, you get an F sound (and if you think about it, if you played a full barre F, your pointy finger would be taking the place of the capo).

If you put the capo at the third fret and played an E chord shape you'd now get a G sound.

Does any of that help?


   
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(@rich_halford)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 225
 

Museunfriend posted this in another thread:

Check David's lesson on The Underappreciated Art of Using a Capo. He's included a table in the lesson that might help you understand how a capo lets you transpose a song easily into different keys.

The link is here: https://www.guitarnoise.com/lessons/the-underappreciated-art-of-using-a-capo/

Its a good article and should clear things up. If it doesn't, I wouldn't worry, there will come a time when it will just make sense due to something else falling into place. Try playing some barre chords and thinking about how the shapes move about the fretboard - that might help.


   
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(@tim_madsen)
Prominent Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 724
 

This is because of the genius of the person that came up with standard tuning and the uniqueness of the fret board. Because of these two factors notes fall in patterns on the fret board that allow the properties of the capo to work the way they do. Yeah, standard tuning's unique, just like every other tuning. All alternate tunings work with a capo, in exactly the same way standard tuning works with a capo.

Sorry for my ignorance about alternate tunings, I don't use them and know nothing about them. I apologize to anyone I may have mislead.

Tim Madsen
Nobody cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.

"What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep forever." -Axel Munthe


   
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(@hbriem)
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Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 646
 

playing the flute when i was a little girl was much easier. :wink:

A capo effectively shortens the strings, thus makes them play "higher" notes.

Like sawing off a little bit of your flute, but more reversible.

--
Helgi Briem
hbriem AT gmail DOT com


   
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(@amira)
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Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 78
Topic starter  

Amira

Apologies if you know all this already or if it appears condecsending...

The thinnest string is the 'e' string, if you play the string open, you get an 'e'.
And if you finger the 'e' string at the first fret you get an 'f', so it goes 'up one'
If you finger it at the second fret it goes up one again, to f#
And if you finger it at the third fret it goes up one again, to G - following so far?

yes... i'll carry on and let you know when you loose me... so far so good. :D


   
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(@amira)
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Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 78
Topic starter  

Amira
So, if you put a capo on the first fret, its like holding the strings down at the first fret, so if you now play them open (leave the capo there, just don't add any more fingers) then you get an F on the 'e' and a C on the 'b' - following so far?

yes... just about... i'll read it again and then carry on... it's been a long day. :wink:


   
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(@amira)
Estimable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 78
Topic starter  

I guess what I am saying is that you are playing the same 'shape' (not adding any fingers to the guitar, so playing them open remembering that the capo is on) that you would have done to get an E and a B, but you are actually now getting an F and a C.

So the same thing applies with chords. If you finger an E chord then you get an E. If you add a capo to the first fret you have caused all the notes to go 'up one', so if you now finger an E chord in the first position you can, you get an F sound (and if you think about it, if you played a full barre F, your pointy finger would be taking the place of the capo).

If you put the capo at the third fret and played an E chord shape you'd now get a G sound.

Does any of that help?

yes!!! and you're a genius and i want you to have my babies. :D :D :D


   
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(@corbind)
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Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 1735
 

I remember going to jams and people would put capos on the guitar at different places and it always puzzled me. Later, once I learned barre chords I understood what these people were doing. They used the capo to play normal "open position" chord shapes up the neck. Capos are your friend.

"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."


   
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(@rich_halford)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 225
 

Amira - glad I could help. Actually, glad I could give something back at all as Guitarnoise has been and continues to be so helpful to me.

I am probably only a week or two ahead of you in terms of enlightenment and that might only be on this one topic - I find some things click and others still lose me entirely (Circle of fifths still has me bamboozled but I'll get it one day).

I have sent an idea to 'chordsandscales' and have seen a rough draft of how he has developed the idea and I think its brilliant, so hopefully when he gets back from his honeymoon he'll finish it and post a link. I think that will help with this topic and with barre chords.

I think I'll ask a question in the theory section now - I haven't confused myself yet today!

Rich.


   
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