Capo question

So if someone is playing say "Knocking on Heavens Door" with a G D Am G D C and I wanted to play along in the same key with a capo on the second fret which chords would I play?

F C Gm F C Bb

Those would be difficult chords to play. Why not put the capo at the 5th fret? Now you would play:

D, A, Em, D, A, G

Much easier forms.

Thanks guys! Mostly I was trying to figure which way the chords need to go relative to the capo. So it's Capo up Chord down? Conversely if I tune my guitar 1 whole step down the chords are A E Bm A E D is that correct?

art&lutherie

If you tune your guitar one whole step lower, then with a capo at the 2nd fret you would play the same exact chords as the other guitarist, G D Am G D C

Every fret on a guitar is 1/2 step, so a whole step is 2 frets.

The capo moves things up. If you place a capo at the 2nd fret (a whole step higher), then you must play chords a whole step lower to play the same chords as another guitarist playing without a capo. If you placed a capo at the 7th fret for example, that is 3 1/2 steps higher, so you must play 3 1/2 steps lower. So take an E chord open. One whole step below E is D, another whole step lower would be C, another whole step lower would be Bb, and a half step below that would be A. So, to play an E chord with a capo at the 7th fret you would have to play an A chord shape with the capo.

Hope that didn't confuse you.

No, that makes sense thanks. Unfortunately I've got to write it down to transpose I can't do it on the fly.

I always found barre chords helpfull for transposing. For example, a G chord can be played barring the third fret and forming an open E chord. If you put a capo on the 2nd fret, then you make a F barre chord to get a G. I don't know if it makes sense that way, it's just that I pretty much only think of the guitar in terms of barre chords, because they were one of the first things I learned on guitar.

Hope it helped,

Paul

Hey, Off He Goes 'scuse me for being dense, but....

What would be the point of playing barre chords with a capo?

I mean, all the capo does is change the open notes.
The fretted notes aren't affected, Right?
And a barre chord is *all* fretted notes, innit?

Seriously, am I missing something? Why bother using a capo if you're playing all barres?

I think he means using the theory of barre chords to work out which open-shaped chords to play. Ie, think of the capo on the 2nd fret as a 2nd fret barre, and you know that the E shape is giving you an F#.

I think he means using the theory of barre chords to work out which open-shaped chords to play. Ie, think of the capo on the 2nd fret as a 2nd fret barre, and you know that the E shape is giving you an F#.

Yeah, that Pretty much what I meant Kent_eh. Probably should have been clearer. But anyway, I use barre chords to figure out which chords I have to play, sometimes, you still get stucking having to barre somewhere though.

Paul

For better understanding of using, significance and importance of a capo, this article is a must read -

Using a Capo

And it seems to be the second article out of his 143, which David wrote for GN. 8)