Capo's - What are your preferences, views and opinions.

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Cougar
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Capo's - What are your preferences, views and opinions.

Postby Cougar » Fri Oct 29, 2010 5:44 pm

I have browsed over the topics on this sub-forum and have not seen a discussion on capo's. If I have overlooked it then I offer my apologies.

I have to admit I have not done a great deal of research on capo's, however I am the proud owner of a G7TH Performance Capo. It is small, ergonomically well designed, has a quick release lever and does not pull the strings out of tune. I prefer this type over the other spring loaded designs I have used and consider this to be the best capo I have owned.

What are your preferences, views and opinions on capo's ?
Adrian

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Postby GORDON » Fri Oct 29, 2010 9:40 pm

Hi Adrian.

Yep, the G 7th is the business. I also use a Kaiser and a Shubb in the partial capo variety.

Best.

G.

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Postby AndrewD » Fri Nov 19, 2010 9:22 pm

I have used a variety of capos over the years. I started off with the "usual suspects" of plastic bars with elastic and eventually moved onto the Kaiser. I did find they all pulled the strings slightly out of tune (some more than others). Then at New Galloway I saw Gordon with the G7th and that was it. I got one and have not used anything else since. It is so easy to use and a light touch so that it doesn't upset the tunings.

I find Gordon's partial capo a fascinating concept as well, and if it weren't for capos then getting just the right sound for a song might not be easy or even possible.

Some folk say that they are just a cheat but I firmly believe they have their place in guitar music. If they make life easier then why not?

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Postby GORDON » Sat Nov 20, 2010 11:43 am

Hi Andrew.

You and I know that using a capo is NOT a cheat when used in a CREATIVE way.Bert Jansch has used one throughout his entire career. My use of the capo for Heartsong made all the difference to the overall feel and vibe of the piece when I placed it at the second fret bringing it up to the key of A in open G tuning.

The partial capo can help to create pieces that would not be possible in an open tuning. I have composed (in my opinion ) some of my best work using this wonderful device...Em's Tune...Shining Morn....By Angle Tarn...There are many more planned....

Be Well Sir.

G.

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Postby Trevor Raggatt » Mon Nov 22, 2010 10:28 am

I remember seeing James Taylor playing live at the Barbican. At one point in a song he pointed at the band who did a huge turnaround fill-cum-modulation and launched back into the chorus a couple of semitones up. In the meanwhile, JT slipped his Shubb up two frets and carried on with the same chord shapes.

I thought "Smooth...AND sneaky!" If it's good enough for JT it's good enough for me.

Seriously though, a lot of the time for singers, it's about getting the righ tchord inversions in the right key for the voice and making the song sound right - not cheating at all.

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Postby benwalker » Tue Nov 23, 2010 9:29 am

I caught this capo trick from one of my favourite guitar players, the immensely talented David Rawlings. Blink and you'll miss it around 1:50...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7knB3VtAqY

Trouble is my left hand isn't strong enough to put on a kyser capo with one hand!!

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Postby GORDON » Tue Nov 23, 2010 10:00 pm

I remember seeing my old pal John Martyn singing Seven Black Roses, and he would slide a rather primitive capo way up the neck mid song. It takes a lot of strength to do that I promise you. It just blew me away when I saw him do it, and this was at least 40 years ago!

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Postby Trevor Raggatt » Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:41 pm

Just watch out for a couple of naughty words in the intro if you're watching at work or in front of the little 'uns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c80pa9lCFjQ


Another great loss to the guitar playing fraternity. RIP John.

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Postby AndrewD » Fri Dec 10, 2010 8:17 pm

GORDON wrote:Hi Andrew.

You and I know that using a capo is NOT a cheat when used in a CREATIVE way.Bert Jansch has used one throughout his entire career. My use of the capo for Heartsong made all the difference to the overall feel and vibe of the piece when I placed it at the second fret bringing it up to the key of A in open G tuning.

The partial capo can help to create pieces that would not be possible in an open tuning. I have composed (in my opinion ) some of my best work using this wonderful device...Em's Tune...Shining Morn....By Angle Tarn...There are many more planned....


It never ceases to amaze me how a piece can feel so totally different when pitched even only a couple of semitones higher, as you do with Heartsong. It makes the piece more bright and somehow lighter. The partial capo opens up opportunities for tunings and associated chordal harmonies that, as you say, cannot be achieved using conventional open tunings, even if octave strings are used. Of course the half inch number 6 round head screw in the neck (a la Appalachian Dreaming) is a form of partial capo, albeit fixed!

Ben - as for David Rawlings that was so slick and just a pleasure to watch.

I favour the G7th capo as it doesn't bend the strings out of tune like a stronger sprung capo like the Kaiser. No more retuning after you put it on...

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Postby Jon G » Sun Dec 19, 2010 2:27 pm

GORDON wrote:You and I know that using a capo is NOT a cheat when used in a CREATIVE way.


I used Jim Dunlops for decades until a singer-songwriter friend said I was hopelessly old-fashioned and gave me a sHubb for Christmas.

I now play a lot of sax, and was conversing with an old pro a week or two ago, who was talking about lesser guitarists using capos. I guess he was thinking of jazz guitarists, so had some justification.

Another guy who plays both said he often wished the sax had washers you could add to change key. I remembered I'd actually been recording using an electronic wind instrument (EWI) and had used the "transpose" button to make the key easier. That was just creative cheating!
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Postby GORDON » Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:27 pm

I guess Paco De Lucia must be a lesser guitarist... :D

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Postby Jon G » Mon Dec 20, 2010 11:50 am

GORDON wrote:I guess Paco De Lucia must be a lesser guitarist... :D


Ah - he's cheating by playing jazz when he ought to be playing flamenco.

Mind you, my "old pro" cheated the same by sessioning on Pink Floyd and Genesis records when he should have been playing jazz. Actually he was just wrong...
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Postby GORDON » Mon Dec 20, 2010 4:59 pm

Hi Jon.

I'm sure you and I can't be doing with this snob capo nonsense, the whole this is just so ridiculous and has b---er all to do with creativity in any way shape or form.

It matters not how a good tune is created as long as it's created. I can name more GREAT musicians who use a capo than this bloke has probably had hot dinners. Bert Jansch. Davy Graham. John Renbourn. John Martyn. John James. Martin Carthy. Martin Simpson.Pete Townsend. Paul Simon, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc.

I think the point has been made.

I wish you and the family a wonderful Christmas and it is SO good to see that old twin neck of mine in that pic.. :D

G.

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Postby Trevor Raggatt » Mon Dec 20, 2010 5:23 pm

Ooooooh, I dreeeeam of one day being as "lesser" a guitarist as all those despicable capo cheaters you mention in your post, Gordon. :wink: I guess it's a rare case of where less really is more (ouch, what a terrible joke, but I couldn't resist it).

You're quite right, what counts is making great music no matter what tools, tricks and techniques are used along the way.

Wishing you, Hillary and all here a happy, healthy and music filled Christmas - now where's that copy of "A Midnight Clear"!!

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SMALL MINDED PEOPLE

Postby GORDON » Mon Dec 20, 2010 6:19 pm

Hi Trev.

Did you detect a note of anger in my response...grin.. :D

I just can't be doing with small minded people who lay down the rules about what is worthy and what isn't. The same argument has been on the go for years about open tunings etc. So much sublime music for guitar would not have been written without someone having the imagination and vision to experiment with open tunings. Two wonderful pieces for example from the genius of Bert Jansch....Black Waterside in drop D tuning and The First Time Ever I saw your Face in DADGAD from Bert's seminal album Jack Orion, sheer beauty and emotion.Pierre Bensusan is a prime example of a great musician creating great music with just that one tuning!

People who lay down these rules about not stepping outside the rule book and experimenting with what tools may be at hand lack any imagination whatsoever and destroy what creativity is all about.IF IT SOUNDS RIGHT,IT IS RIGHT in my book, and no matter what path we take to get there doesn't matter a jot.

If my dear friend the great Raymond Burley stuck to tradition, he and I would never have got together to create what we have today. If someone had said to him, you can't work with Giltrap because A,,,he doesn't read music and B he plays the guitar incorrectly, where would all that potential have gone. Thank God that Ray had the vision and courage to do what his heart told him and not followed that straight jacketted way of thinking which is so much a part of the classical world!

Ray even went that extra mile to record an entire album of my compositions, many written in open tuning. He just took these tunes and made them work for the classical guitar!

Have a great Christmas both.

G.


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