Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

btw, speaking of concentrating on lyrics...what about if GL started using a teleprompter? would that go against the code of the concert going purist? i'm not sure how common they are

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

There seems to be a misco:headbang:nception among many people that capos are used primarily by people who don't play the guitar well. (barre chords,etc.)
While this may be the case for some people, it should be stressed that
capos are used for a VARIETY of reasons.

Voicing and resonance are primary factors in how some people make use
of capos. If you have two guitars strumming away on first position chords,
the mix can end up being much "muddier" than having one play in the first
position, while the other is played in a higher register. There are also
a lot of riffs that don't transpose particularly well, if a vocalist has to
shift keys to eflat or bflat, for example.

Capos can also be used for alternate tunings. Some are
even manufactured for a "drop D" effect which allows you to
play a drop D style without having to change the tuning of
the high and low e strings.

I've used kyser 12 string and 6 string capos for years, even though
I learned to play barre chords long before I ever bought a capo. Like
most things that relate to playing guitar, the tools are only as good as
the people playing them.............. and there are frequently several
ways to use the tools.............

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

There seems to be a misco:headbang:nception among many people that capos are used primarily by people who don't play the guitar well. (barre chords,etc.)
While this may be the case for some people, it should be stressed that
capos are used for a VARIETY of reasons.

Voicing and resonance are primary factors in how some people make use
of capos. If you have two guitars strumming away on first position chords,
the mix can end up being much "muddier" than having one play in the first
position, while the other is played in a higher register. There are also
a lot of riffs that don't transpose particularly well, if a vocalist has to
shift keys to eflat or bflat, for example.

Capos can also be used for alternate tunings. Some are
even manufactured for a "drop D" effect which allows you to
play a drop D style without having to change the tuning of
the high and low e strings.

I've used kyser 12 string and 6 string capos for years, even though
I learned to play barre chords long before I ever bought a capo. Like
most things that relate to playing guitar, the tools are only as good as
the people playing them.............. and there are frequently several
ways to use the tools.............

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

when this guy puts the capo at or beyond 5th fret it starts sounding like a mandolin to me...i think picking style works ok but strumming just sounds odd...other than fun jams, i think more than one rhythm guitar, regardless of capo positions, sounds muddy and usually drown out vocals...glad this thread pulled you out of lurker mode, amberwaves...i never realized there is a capo variation for every occasion...they must sell one of those capo belts to carry em all (similar to what harmonica players wear?)

YouTube - Guitar Lesson - The REAL Chords To Know 5 - Using a Capo

say, ever watch the Piano Guy? it's also got short cuts to playing pop, rock and a wide variety of cheese...some of the guest i've seen are quite interesting actually...is there a Guitar Guy out there?

YouTube - How to Play "Crazy"

one thing about piano fun, you can just play with a simple, say C chord, for minutes ...different bass

CEG /C (ie. with C bass)
CEG / E (ala Shadows)
CEG / G

or different inversions

CEG (root)
ECG (1st)
GCE (2nd)

in order to highlight the melody (unless accompanying a singer) while you support rhythm with lower chord notes

so, imo, the piano can be an entire self supporting band with bass, rhythm and melody pronounced, it's the motherboard...unless you're merle travis or chet, pretty hard to to on guitar...interesting what guitar players see when they look at the fretboard vs what pianists see when they look down...hats off to harmonica players who visualize all those ins and outs in their head or by instinct...i think gtr and piano are both easy compared to wind instruments where you actually have to work to generate even a single note

...i remember when first going to Massey concerts and hearing the TSO from the upper balcony and thinking 'all that glorious sound'...truly unplugged

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

That would probably bother me but Sinatra was using just such a thing in his last few years.

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

It wouldn't bother me if he had a stand with lyric sheets on it..we all get older and more forgetful..if he wants to get up and perform but needs a little memory booster I know I'll still be there when he starts singing.

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

you always see kindergarten teachers at the front of the stage, wording the lyrics to the kids at Xmas assemblies and such

char, since you're always in the front seats, maybe besides recording setlists, you could take on an expanded role for GL? ;)

i think GL uses some little notes along the floor with his setlists scribbles...i've seen the starting lyric of a few verses for certain tunes in the past...that's totally different than reading a prompter...somehow when you see newfolks reading from a prompter, somehow a bit of the truth and trust is lost...ultimately, i suppose a prompter could have the lyrics, the chords (capo position of course:)), the song intro story, etc....instead of a small teleprompter, they could also project the words on the back wall of Massey... and we could all turn our necks and have a big singalong....not

btw, many keyboard players have an external 'box'...you sift through the menu and it lists all your tunes preprogrammed to what sounds and other effects (perhaps midi settings too) you've designated for each...we used to have to switch a bunch of oscillator knobs on synths between songs, agh...i suppose they could be programmed to switch to the right key if using the tranpose feature also...maybe my inital bad invention list is all backwards and the order needs to be flipped upsidedown:cool:

i suppose the extreme would be to just have GL sit on stage while we play his CD's over the PA...he could just take a Gordish bow after every tune...i'd still pay money for that...not good money, but money

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

WOW VERY neat! :) thanks! I just placed my capo over all but the 6th and never thought of doing these things before :rolleyes:. Thanks for the 'new possibility' to play around with :biggrin:. I also tried the capo just on the lower 4...but so far I just like having the 6th open. So no special capo needed to do this on the Goya...but probably would need a partial capo for the Ibanez (which I won't play any more, I don't like it). But I better stop playing around on this board and my guitar soon and get back to applying for JOBS online.

I can't recall exactly when I 1st started using a capo -but learned about them from a friend, and then she gave me one of her old ones. I can't do bar chords so it's a big help to me :).

I checked out the link to the chart :rolleyes: I am so dense, it looks so foreign to me. It's like trying to learn algebra from a blackboard -I just can't!

On that note...the 'best' way for me to learn anything on guitar is by looking over someone's shoulder while they're playing. And then just picking up whatever I can, wherever I can and I'm learning ALOT in these posts...so thanks everyone :biggrin:. I've checked out lessons online (including youtube) and have a hard time finding behind the shoulder lessons! So if you know of or come across any...please pass a link along to me :).

I can still pick up things by watching opposite, and someone mentioned (jj maybe?) on a recent post, how they've never been able to be close enough at a concert (until GL concerts) to actually see the musicians play. Same for me and although I don't flat pick, I have picked up a few things by watching Terry :).

Gordon -I already travis finger pick like he does (and 3-finger, anchor with the pinkie) but he has large hands and can cover more territory. I don't rely on a long thumbnail as he does. I alternate fingerpicking and strumming with my thumb and, and mostly with putting the nails of my thumb and forefinger together (making an "ok" sign)-something someone showed me years ago.

I don't get the crisp sound as when strumming with a pick, but this is the best way I've found to be able to alternate between strumming and picking (without using a thumbpick...which gets caught in the strings too much). But it looks strange when I do this because my fingers are double-jointed (which is a help, actually).

I've got to get back to paying more attention to technique and reading music for guitar. Going through one of my old piano songbooks the other day, I see that I had written out the names and defs for musical signs and symbols (like for to Coda and Del Segno) and I used to know all that...had taught myself to read music and was in the process of teaching myself how to write it.

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

I have great admiration for the flat-pickers out there. I've tried using one, but would always end up shaking it out of the guitar body. And that's not as easy as it sounds.

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

you need Stick'em (as do the Argos)...either that or try the ribbed ones...we're talking about guitar picks, just to clarify

yes, i've seen lots of drunk folks at campfire sessions holding guitars over their heads (lots of cursing too, i might add) waiting for something to fall back out

pam, daniel smith has some fun stuff..i friend used it to print off some lyrics for a party way back when first online and i found it easy to remember (DanSm) http://www.scenicnewengland.net/guit...tic/index.html

btw, i had an idle guitar that i decided to turn into a high-string for fun....it's often nice to add that shimmer sound to a track....something Bob Doidge does, that's where i first saw it anyhow...the bottom 4 strings are tuned up an octave...just pick up the thinner gauge E A D G ones from a 12 string set and you're all set...of course, leave the high B E as is...i went ontot hat tangent when you said you have an idle Ibanez

anyhow, this could be a never ending thread if all the guitar players (a wide range!) add their 2 cents worth of tips and tricks...btw, ron jones was the first one i saw who used the drone capo positioning...he actually used two...he's one of the many here who don't rely on it as a crutch

you can find great guitar discussions back at the newsgroup archives (wayne francis, derek, matt, val, ed, melissa, cathy, richard harrison, etc, etc) knock yourself out!

btw, i've seen people with small hands tackle the guitar and/or piano in masterful fashion, many of them female, it's humbling...good luck

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

i've just been checking some old lighthead jam audio and video focusing on capo usage...you know i think it sounds pretty rich on the first fret, and true, it does bring those nice 'black key signatures' into play in a user friendly fashion

i could be mistaken but i think cathy plays ribbon of darkness in Ab and it sounds great, vocals as well as guitar...if she moved down a tad to A and played in the capo-less A D E, etc formations then i'm not sure if the voicings would suffer or how much more awkward it would be to walk up or down the A scale

thing is, i like Gb...i guess most would play in D with capo up several notches...i wonder about loosening the strings to achieve that instead...an entire dropped tuning...maybe a more appropriate string gauge is required to do that...seems like there are no limits to guitar with alt tunings and the various capos out there...i've learned much here...it's true, the piano is just plain boring, lol

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

A good capo, like a Shubb, set at the right tension, doesn't hurt the sound of a good guitar at all. I actually prefer the sound of the D15 with a the Shubb anywhere from the 1st to the 6th fret. It doesn't sound choked at all.

Cathy

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

That Shubb is some good capo compared to say the Kyser, which is almost like a vice grip. :eek:

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

I watch good flat pickers often with awe. I never could do it very well.

The 12s have taught me more about strumming though and how to use a pick in ways that were certainly new to me. I use a medium sized pick and stick a small strip of hook ended velcro to each side. That works to keep them away from the sound hole for me.

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

I have a dropped D Kyser. I gave the rest of the Kysers away. I hate them. They stick up too far and get in the way. Come to think of it, I don't ever use the dropped D Kyser. It's much easier just to tune the E string to D.

Cathy

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

Oh, I have no problem with Kysers. They certainly stay put! I did break a spring on one once.

That said I use the Shubb almost all the time.

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

I used the Kyser on a JB Player guitar, before I got the Martin. It actually left dents in the fretboard. So, I got rid of it. Got rid of the guitar, too, come to think of it.

Cathy

Re: capos, transpose buttons and other aids
 

i was looking back at this interesting thread (thanks to all participants!) after coming across that GL quote (see last 30 seconds of video) i was referring to earlier

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqnx8...eature=channel

this thread lead me to start playing with capo and now i can't play without, lol