What is your capo for?

i use a capo if i want a higher pitched sonority for a song. this occurs to me every 6 months or so... i just use my index finger 99% of the time.

Hey Notes, no offense taken or intended on the capo issue.

I've used Shubb capos for 30-plus years, and I forget sometimes that there are other kinds out there. The Shubb can be adjusted with extreme precision -- to exert less pressure than my index finger, anywhere on the neck -- just enough pressure so that the strings aren't bent out of shape. It's a well-made tool. But there are too many variables at play to make intonation an exact science, and anyway we're stuck with this "equal temperment" concept, so we're all out of tune no matter what we do....

The capo for me is most valuable when working with acoustic musicians who are marginally trained (to put it politely), and that is something I do a lot (the past 22 years with the same singer/guitarist). If she brings in a song on CD/MP3 that she wants to sing and strum, we listen to the recording together and then put it away for an hour or two. When we return to the tune later, her ear & memory are no longer tuned to the record, and I can say, "Sing the song in a key that works for you." From that I can determine her optimal key and quickly sort out capo positions for her or for myself. Nobody wants to play acoustic guitar in F minor, but with the capo at the third fret we're suddenly in D minor, as far as she is concerned, and as long as I can transpose the chords accurately for her and adapt my own playing to the new key, we're in business. We can get work done that way. At its best, it's not a bad act.

I like this way of working. Blame it on the First Wave of American punk, when the DIY thing was raging -- that was my scene -- or the traditions of folk music, where it seems nobody really knows WTF they're doing in theoretical terms -- that was her scene. I know what I'm doing in theoretical terms, and using that knowledge to help others express their musical urges, quickly and cleanly, with comfortable chords in comfortable keys, is immensely satisfying. And it's something I couldn't do without capos.

The low strings worse than the high ones (that I didn't expect and wonder why)
they're thicker, so the top edge of the string is going to be bent more drastically as it passes over the fret, and they're also going to hold more tension from the capo. a lot of the capo material near the high e string is going to be on the fretboard, but on the low e, it's all sitting on the string.

I haven't been called "Grease" in long time, Ande.

My bad. :oops: You know- all the time I've been using this board, that's how I've read your username. I see that's an "n," where I always thought it was an "r"...

Thanks for all the capo info, everybody. I've had one for years, never used it a lot. Mostly, I use it because an original artist did, so the sheet music says to.

I've been playing with something that's starting to resemble a band recently, though, and am seeing that it's a really easy way to make minor changes in the necessary vocal range...

Will be playing with partial capo-ing this week.

Best,
Ande

The low strings worse than the high ones (that I didn't expect and wonder why)
they're thicker, so the top edge of the string is going to be bent more drastically as it passes over the fret, and they're also going to hold more tension from the capo. a lot of the capo material near the high e string is going to be on the fretboard, but on the low e, it's all sitting on the string.

the thicker string's larger bend or radius over the fret means that string contacts the fret crown more toward the headstock. so the distance between capoed fret (new "nut") and the next (new 1st) is longer than it should be. if you tune using open (capoed) strings then fret the first, the note will be sharp.

The low strings worse than the high ones (that I didn't expect and wonder why)
they're thicker, so the top edge of the string is going to be bent more drastically as it passes over the fret, and they're also going to hold more tension from the capo. a lot of the capo material near the high e string is going to be on the fretboard, but on the low e, it's all sitting on the string.

the thicker string's larger bend or radius over the fret means that string contacts the fret crown more toward the headstock. so the distance between capoed fret (new "nut") and the next (new 1st) is longer than it should be. if you tune using open (capoed) strings then fret the first, the note will be sharp.
Thanks Jason and gnease, that makes sense.

Notes

I use a capo pretty often.I only use them on my acoustics,never on my electrics.I tune all my acoustics down a 1/2 step down.If I play with other players,I'll capo it on the first fret.All the other times I use it to sing with or if the song I know requires one.Phil Keaggy uses two of them on one song and has several special made ones that allow only certain strings to be capoed.

I have three of them. One on each amp. My favorite band uses a lot of Open G tunings with the use of a capo to help with voicings and probably some laziness. Regardless, the voicing does sound different to me if I use a capo or if I just do simple barre chords instead. I'm not sure how odd or not odd that is. :?:

I think getting capos to match the fretboard curvature must be part of my problem(s) using capos.

The one I use in the office near my computer is an adjustable screw type. The other two are really hard squeezing and sends my pitch to the ceiling. This one, a Planet Waves Adjustable, has a fine line between not enough to "fret" the string and too much pressure to send it sharp. And by sharp, I mean a tick or two. Say 1/10th of a whole step. My other capos send it even sharper. I'm sure these $15 capos are not top quality. But, I think $15 for a capo should give you proper performance.

I wonder if a different intonation or tuning strategy might be in order. I've actually been wondering that for a few weeks. Someone here recenty brought up a point to pluck the string as if you were playing when you were doing your tuning, so that the guitar sounds it tune when you're playing your music. Makes sense. Now, if I know my capos, in general, like to go sharp, do I drop the guitar a couple ticks? Do I make my intonation a bit flat.

I have done one song in standard tuning with my adjustable capo on the 7th. I have tuned the guitar to make sure the capoed or fretted notes are proper. Or, an easier way to say it, is that I've tuned this guitar to match my capo. I still get the voicing I want, but I'm not a tick or two out of tune on only some of the strings.

It keeps my heado warm.

Bad Greybeard. That's really bad. :-)

Another thought- unless I'm taking off or putting on the capo in a real hurry, I just check the tuning and adjust back into tune with the bridge screws. (this only works if you have a floyd rose or similarly adjustable bridge.) I realize that this would "stop the show" if a lot of adjustment was required, but I guess I'm lucky. Slapping the capo on usually takes the bottom two strings very slightly sharp- I can tell at a strum where it's out, and adjust it right back in a couple of seconds. Reverse process when removing capo.

BEst,
Ande