Capos
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The capo (ital. Capotasto , "main fret ", also capo dastro ; short capo ) is a movable device to shorten the swinging length of the strings of a guitar or a related stringed instrument (such as lute , mandolin or banjo ). It is stretched between two frets around the neck of the instrument and presses the strings onto the fingerboard in front of the fret . This transposes the instrument upwards, because the capo shortens its length .
Most western stringed instruments have frets spaced at semitones . When the capo is attached, the pitch of all strings increases by a semitone per fret.
The term 'capotasto' was first used in Giovanni Battista Doni's work Annotazioni sopra il compendio . The first capo was built in the 17th century. It was made from a bent piece of brass.
notation
When using a capo, notes and tablatures are written down as if the capo were the saddle. This means that the notation does not reproduce the sounding pitches, because the instrument used becomes the transposing instrument through the capo . For example, if the capo is in the 5th fret, everything is noted as if the 6th fret were the 1st fret. A D in the 7th fret on the g-string is then noted as an A in the second fret on the g-string. This simplifies legibility and allows the capo to be used flexibly.
application areas
Capos have been used for a long time. They are used, for example, to adapt the instrument to the singing voice . The instrument sounds higher because the strings are shortened: The piece of music does not first have to be transposed into a more suitable target key with a possibly more difficult fingering, but you can keep the familiar fingering. The player sees the fret to which the capo is attached as a new saddle and the fingering moves up the corresponding number of frets on the fingerboard.
A capo also enables the implementation of a piece of music in a technically simpler form without changing the key in which it is played. This aspect is important when playing with other instruments, as the key should not generally be changed here. For example, pieces in E flat major are more difficult to translate on the guitar than pieces in C major ( standard tuning: EAdgh-e 'required). With a capo in the third fret, all strings are tuned three semitones higher. The guitarist can then use the C major guitar fingering to play E flat major and, for example, the E minor fingering to play the G minor chord.
The capo has the reputation of being an aid for guitarists who do not know barre chords . However, “Barré artists” also like to use it (e.g. Keith Richards ). In many cases it is also impossible to transpose a piece into another key true to the original without a capo . This is especially true when a guitar piece contains flageolet tones .
With a capo you can also play a piece of music in the same key, but in a different, higher inversion, giving the guitar a new timbre.
Special designs
There are also capos that only push down certain strings, the so-called “partial capos” and half capos , as well as versions in which you can determine for each individual string whether it should be pushed down, the so-called “third-hand capos”. Another special form is the so-called "Harmonic Capo". It is attached over the 12th fret and touches the strings with small, adjustable rubber wedges. The open strings then sound as a flageolet . Nevertheless, all notes can be played in front of and behind the capo, because the pressed strings vibrate under the capo at their fingered pitch. This makes combinations of normally played notes and harmonics possible, which would not be possible without this aid.
Problems
When purchasing and using a capo, the following points should be observed:
- Note the profile of the fingerboard:
- - Use a straight capo for a straight profile (e.g. classical guitar with plastic strings).
- - Use a curved capo for a curved or arched profile (e.g. western guitar with steel strings).
- The pressure on the strings should be sufficiently high or adjustable to ensure that the strings are securely placed on the fret without "snarling noises" occurring. This is especially true for instruments with a curved fingerboard. It is helpful here if the pressing component is elastic.
- The component pressing on the strings must not damage the strings; the component that is supported on the neck of the instrument must not damage it. This problem often occurs with capos that are equipped with a clamping screw.
- The tuning of the instrument, a possibly insufficient fret purity , the condition of the strings and their different tension caused by their thickness when pressed down can lead to a chord or individual notes not sounding correctly or having a different pitch. It is advisable to retune the instrument or to check individual chords carefully.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dave Brown: A History Of The Guitar Capo. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on October 30, 2015 ; accessed on July 19, 2017 (English).
- ^ Acoustic Guitar Notation Guide. Retrieved March 30, 2020 .
- ↑ Bob Kilgore's Harmonic Capo. Retrieved March 30, 2020 .