Capos Love em/Hate em?

[Rockstar216]

I recently bought a capo a couple months ago. Reason being because a lot of the praise and worship songs I play usually call for them and people like to hear that open chord voicing in what ever key the song is in. I honestly kind of despise capos to a degree but understand how useful they can be. If I can play a song without having to resort to using one I will because I like having access to all of my finger board. Maybe if I want to fatten up a rhythm part with some big chords for recording I might strap one on but in a live application ill pass if I can. How do you all feel about em? Do you use em?

 

[blueman335]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

Not a fan. I like having the full neck available. I tend to associate them with folk singers playing open chords.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

I started really using them a few years ago and find them to be great tools.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

As a solo acoustic guy - absolutely essential; Need to get the song into the right key, keep the voicing, make it easy to play, and sing. Using it more and more all the time.

As an electric guy - bah.

 

[Liam1963]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

Use it when doing some Stones covers in open G tuning, yeah, it is a bit lazy, but I'm too use to it now to not use it.....

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

Love 'em. The lazy man's perma-bar in some cases, and a way to change the chord inversions used in other cases.

 

[phil_104]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

Ditto. I just like the way I can add complexity to my chord progressions by keeping it open all down the neck.

 

[FuseG4]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

I also do the occasional capo, mostly in open G for the Keef thing.

I use it in standard tuning for midnight rambler (7th fret) and for paint it black (3rd fret).

I don't use it much outside of those applications but I might play with a capo more after reading this thread.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

Forty years ago I used to get strange attitudes about using a capo on electric guitar, and it seems to still be the same now. Some people seem to think it's a form of cheating or incompetence to use one.

But in reality, it is often the best and only way to be able to perform a tune in a given key. When i see someone use a capo, i always respect the fact that some thought has gone into the process, in the interest of the song rather than the guitarist. So my obnoxious view is that guitarists probably don't like using capos, but musicians will have no problem with it at all, it's just another device to get the right performance in the desired key (often saving a song that might otherwise have been abandoned because of a change of key).

 

[CodeDante]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

I'm not yet a master of many chords, but I love using a capo when I'm trying to create guitar lines and riffs. To me it serves as inspiration.

 

[Rokkbert]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

I love capos, but only on acoustics

 

[Reload in 5]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

I use em.
1. When playing a new song, and it is in a key that doesnt work for the singer / singers i use it to move the key around easily. Try to find an open key and then play the song without it. Sometimes A won't work and Bb is the only key that works for all the singers, and playing it with a capo just sounds better.
Also capo on 4 playing with G chord shapes creates a great sound over a song in B, gives a different sound for the acoustic (it is essential for the sound in "Jesus Paid it All")

-----
Not sent from a PC......or a red delicious.....but from a robot with a human appearance.

 

[Jeff5]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

I once said to a friend that caps are for...well you insert expilicatives..and he almost slapped me. (And rightly so) Kind of got that from my guitar teacher who looked down on them. Now I realize they they are tools like anything else and there is nothing wrong with using them in the right applications.

 

[youngthrasher9]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

I don't like using them unless it an acoustic song.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

I use Shubb capos on my acoustics.

Bill

 

[thespricket]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

what's not to like?

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

I'll eff with em when I record here n there. I neither love nor hate them.

GIMME DAT ROB OPTION BEE

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Capos Love em/Hate em?

Mine pretty much live in the tool drawer for when I'm setting things up.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

With my last band, there was one song I used a capo on. It was in C#. The capo on the 2nd fret made life easy when reaching for that A string b7 over the low F# chord.

 

[butnut]

Re: Capos Love em/Hate em?

Only recently started using 'em...I bought 3 till I found one that didn't muck too much with my tuning. It's a good tool and it helps the song/music sound kool with the open string shapes. I use it on There She Goes (Sixpense) and Special (Garbage)...just lovely!