Ive just bought a capo and im starting to understand some of the theory behind the chords (if you put the capo on the third fret and play a D it automatically becomes a F) Im kind of understanding the rules behind it but heres where i get confused. I got a tabb from the net and it says to play with the capo on the first fret then lists the chords, do i play the chords in there original shapes or do i take the capo into account and ( oh my god im confusing myself even now)
Im sure you understand what i mean.
Can anyone offer any advice?
webelvis
Posts : 428 Join date : 2008-09-07 Age : 31
Subject: Re: Capo help. Fri Oct 24, 2008 5:43 am
If there is written that you should put the Capo on the first fret, I'm quite sure, that the Chords mean just the Shape of the Chord you play. But just try it out, if you have a record of the Song, you'll hear it if your not in the right tune.
Paul
tvthewiredturtle
Posts : 3645 Join date : 2008-04-20 Age : 59 Location : so cal.
Subject: Re: Capo help. Fri Oct 24, 2008 12:32 pm
setzerino wrote:
Ive just bought a capo and im starting to understand some of the theory behind the chords (if you put the capo on the third fret and play a D it automatically becomes a F) Im kind of understanding the rules behind it but heres where i get confused. I got a tabb from the net and it says to play with the capo on the first fret then lists the chords, do i play the chords in there original shapes or do i take the capo into account and ( oh my god im confusing myself even now)
Im sure you understand what i mean.
Can anyone offer any advice?
Usually if the tab is noting the use of a capo in specific, then even though the chords noted are played as such your key has changed and "suppose" to align with the recorded music you are trying to comp.
this usually isnt the case with tab or sheet music. Its usually a quick and stupid transposing with basic chord shapes unlike what the artist was doing. Also some of these transcriptions dont take into account that the guitarist may have been playing a half step down as do many many players.. or that if its a radio hit it was sped up in the recording to make it fit format, this changes the pitch slightly if it was done post pro tools/cubase era. If it was an analog recording then its just not in standard pitch.
in the end... use the capo, play the chords on the tab, learn the tune and you now have that much more fretboard knowledge! you will always have time to figure out how the use of a capo transposes chord shapes (ex. D, E, G, Am, Em) up and down the fretboard. I love to use a capo on acoustic guitar with the key of C (open 1st pos.) at the 5th fret. this is actually the key of F in standard pitch but playing first position F chord just doesnt sound that great nor does it feel good. capo'd at the 5th in open pos. C sound delicious with a bit o delay!
Davy Jones
Posts : 111 Join date : 2008-09-05
Subject: Re: Capo help. Wed Oct 29, 2008 2:46 pm
Tabs from the internet don't always specify (most of the time they specify Capo Chords), but if you were playing off of say sheet music w or w/o TAB, you would have these two markings:
1. Chords Relative to Capo (OR Capo Chords)
2. Concert Chords (OR Sounding Chords)
For an example take the first chord off of Setzer's Every Tear That Falls off of Live Nude Guitars. It's an E major chord (not major 7th just E major). Since there are multiple guitars on the recording to play it for one guitar, I arrange that song with a capo on the 2nd fret. So, I play a D-chord shape, same distance from the capo as if the capo were the open strings, and it "sounds" a whole step higher as an E chord.
1. So the chord relative to the capo is D. 2. and the concert chord is E.
The whole idea of a capo is to transpose open position chord shapes like E, A, D, C, G higher up the neck to enable you to play in diff. keys.
One more thing, if you take that chord transcription of I Won't Stand in Your Way that I posted last week, and put a capo on your guitar (3rd fret) and play the chords I wrote down as Capo Chords, you can play along in key to the Rant & Rave version of the song.
Hope that be of some help to ye.
Capt. Jones
tvthewiredturtle
Posts : 3645 Join date : 2008-04-20 Age : 59 Location : so cal.
Subject: Re: Capo help. Wed Oct 29, 2008 3:25 pm
as cool as capo's can be for open chording... it sounds almost folky for "i wont stand in your way" since the guitar tonic on the album is E flat (detuned a half step). He is quoted"?" as not wanting to perform it live because it was too high and as he got older he couldnt sing it, but then you see him pull it off on the Live in Japan DVD with the advent of the spectrasonic C melody Baritone. Which is letting him perform it one and a half steps lower than he originally recorded it in Eb
btw.. thanks for stepping up with some transcriptions for folks to learn these songs, Nikko decided to let that go as he's too busy playing live music these days.
vic
Posts : 209 Join date : 2008-04-17
Subject: Re: Capo help. Wed Oct 29, 2008 5:53 pm
Personally, I've always disliked capos'. It's the lazy novice guitarists way of changing key IMO. I realize if you're just learning guitar, bar chords are a ways away, but in the long run it's a crutch. Seems to me that every guy I ever saw in church bangin out open chords to Kum-by-ya on an Ovation, also used a capo.
tvthewiredturtle
Posts : 3645 Join date : 2008-04-20 Age : 59 Location : so cal.
Subject: Re: Capo help. Wed Oct 29, 2008 9:08 pm
vic wrote:
Personally, I've always disliked capos'. It's the lazy novice guitarists way of changing key IMO. I realize if you're just learning guitar, bar chords are a ways away, but in the long run it's a crutch. Seems to me that every guy I ever saw in church bangin out open chords to Kum-by-ya on an Ovation, also used a capo.
uh oh.. I think you just made the Iceman ( the original ice man Albert collins) turn over in his grave!
..but I know what you mean, and that image of capo'd ovations unfortunately still seems to pervade the chasms of my mind too. ( i still have my 86' ovation celebrity but now its flat black with a Tiki on it). Capo's have their place but there's no excuse for using a capo that cant be fixed with some serious woodshedding until you can move up and down the fretboard with bar chords and inside chords. 6 frets power chords are a must! ..sorry this went way off tangent from the thread topic
btw... check your mail tomorrow for a bevy of bar chords.
setzerino
Posts : 59 Join date : 2008-10-21
Subject: Re: Capo help. Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:25 am
Im learning barre chord at the moment should i use these instead of a capo? I dont really understand all tha changing key talk but if using barre chords is better in the lon run then i'll stick to them.
tvthewiredturtle
Posts : 3645 Join date : 2008-04-20 Age : 59 Location : so cal.
Subject: Re: Capo help. Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:29 am
setzerino wrote:
Im learning barre chord at the moment should i use these instead of a capo? I dont really understand all tha changing key talk but if using barre chords is better in the lon run then i'll stick to them.
Bar chords will take you far, especially on one guitar! ...it is said beware of the man with one gun! -nuff said.
Davy Jones
Posts : 111 Join date : 2008-09-05
Subject: Re: Capo help. Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:30 pm
tvthewiredturtle wrote:
...it is said beware of the man with one gun!
I think you meant the man with the golden gun, right?
setzerino wrote:
Im learning barre chord at the moment should i use these instead of a capo? I dont really understand all tha changing key talk but if using barre chords is better in the lon run then i'll stick to them.
Sorry if I confused ye with that talk. In the long run, you need to develop your skills with both barre chords and open chords. Unfortunately, yes, some people do abuse capos and use them in all kinds of non-essential musical situations, but there are times when you need them for a specific sound or to play a specific song/chord progression that would be difficult/impossible to fret regularly. Again, use your discretion and judgment when deciding when/if to use them, and realize that this type of judgment only comes from time spent playing and learning the instrument. Good luck to ye.
Capt. Jones
tvthewiredturtle
Posts : 3645 Join date : 2008-04-20 Age : 59 Location : so cal.
Subject: Re: Capo help. Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:47 pm
Yes, I dont always use a capo..but when I do its Dos Equis