Dave and Capos

[TheLoveGangster]

Doesn't anyone think that Dave could do well to use a capo every now and then. I mean look at him playing In My Life at the John Lennon Tribute. He plays it in A, but without the capo its all weird. Of course, he's startin to mess with the tunings (Busted Stuff, YNK, Stay or Leave), maybe he'll do that too. I geuss I'm not saying that he needs to change anything, but I think he might be just kinda atubborn against using one or something.

[PilotC150]

I think maybe he likes having full use of the neck, and with a capo you lose some frets. We all know he has large hands, so maybe he can't cram his fingers into the higher frets like some of us. So since he'll just change tunings, he still gets the whole next to work with.

[TheLoveGangster]

well i geuss thats true, andfwith the things like YNK and SOL, i can see not wanting to lose the neck area, but how bout in my life? haha i just don understand why he does it that way, basically he has to bar at the 2nd fret the whole song.

[tripin_billie]

cause capos are for pussys with small fingers who don't know different voicings for chords, so they play only open position chords with a capo. Well, I guess I don't like them cause I feel that they are a cop out, and hell, why would I want to limit the possibilties by cutting off half of the frets? Why doesn't dave like em, I don't know, maybe he had a good guitar teacher at one point who taught him basic chord structure.

[Rob]

Originally posted by tripin_billie
cause capos are for pussys with small fingers who don't know different voicings for chords, so they play only open position chords with a capo. Well, I guess I don't like them cause I feel that they are a cop out, and hell, why would I want to limit the possibilties by cutting off half of the frets? Why doesn't dave like em, I don't know, maybe he had a good guitar teacher at one point who taught him basic chord structure.

Wow, that's ignorant. Capos are great to change the key of a song into something your voice fits better, or to give you fresh ideas at songwriting... Just because Dave chose not to use them doesn't make them a copout.

[tripin_billie]

no, I don't feel that way about capos cause dave doesn't use them, I just feel that it really is a limiting idea. Think about it, if a piono player wants to change a key, he just uses musical knowledge to know which notes are now needed. Well, guitar is even easier, but why use a capo, find some different voiceings, which are usefull to have anyways, and don't "chop" your guitar in pieces.

[Rob]

We'd better tell guitarists such as Eric Clapton they've been doing it wrong all these years...

What if somebody wanted to play Satellite in another key? Does it make more sense to transpose the entire song, perhaps making the fingerings ludicrous, or to throw a capo on and go with the flow?

The fact is, it's no big deal either way. Busting on people for using a capo is as lame as getting on their case for the choice of whether or not to use a pick. There are some things you can do with a capo you simply can't do with different chord voicings in standard tuning. That's not open to debate- it's fact. Choose any capoed song and you'll see it- anything using an open note hammer, for instance, such as Howie Day's "Brace Yourself," would be impossible.

I hate it when people jump on this board and think they're better than others for a personal choice they've made in their style, especially when attacking others for their choice. Saying somebody's a pussy for using a capo, or having small fingers? Give me a break. I don't care how good you are or think you are, that's just an ignorant, childish statement, and one that takes any weight your argument might have and throws it out the window.

[tripin_billie]

and your arragance as to how pointless using a capo on a transposed satellite would be, honestly, I agree that some finger picked style songs are easier, or "only" possible with a capo, But most of the time, I find that the capo is highly over used. Sorry, I didn't mean a personal attack, but I find using a capo on songsthat clearly don't need one to be changed into another key pointless, a better example for your argument would be something like wayg, gig, or even ants, but satellite, honestly, there is not an open string played in the song, why waste time and frets with a capo.

sorry, don't mean to knock anyones style, I just find that 95% of the time, I'm fine without one.

[Rob]

Good god, I used Satellite because of the nightmare of transposition. Want one with an open string? How about Stone?

Just because you're fine without a capo 95% of the time doesn't mean they're useless. I hate it when people come around here and think their style, method, technique, or theory is the only way to go.

[winglet82]

I think another misconception is that capos are used only to change the key of a song. If you have more than one guitar playing, sometimes it adds a little to use a high capo voicing (although I admit that this is highly overused). Another way I have used it is if I'm doing something in the key of E for example. Since every guitar player and their mom has played something in E and left the high E and B strings open, I don't want to have that overdone sound. So I capo the second fret and play it like that. It just breaks up the monotony of playing in the same key sometimes.

[David Carlston]

I dont use a capo because I happen to like open voicings a lot more. they tend to get a fuller sound, and if that means i need to stretch now a(†6gain for certain odd chords, thats fine with me.

[winglet82]

Just a thought. The C# major scale doesn't contain any of the 6 open notes on the guitar (E, B, G, D, A, or E). So tell me what's the advantage to NOT capoing for a song in that key?