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What's wrong with using a capo Sandy?

Well Ian, the capo alters the length of the fret board between the nut and the bridge. It enables players to take advantage of little knowledge. However, having said that, flamenco guitarists use them a lot, and most of them know lot more than me. I am a guitarist by the way.

Thanks Sandy. I knew you are a guitarist and that you would therefore provide a good answer for non-musicians like me. So, except possibly in the case of flamenco-ists, a capo is a giveaway of a not-entirely-competent guitar player, rather than a means of raising the basic pitch of the instrument as I had supposed.

[As a not entirely competent guitarist I rather like the way a capo lets you get the 'open chord chime' at higher pitches, and cite 'Here Comes the Sun' as justification by itself. But then again, I don't like jazz... (lights blue touch paper and runs away) - Steven]

Re Ian's comment about use of a capo (and with no intention of pre-empting Sandy's reply), in a word - nothing. I've seen Martin Taylor, Tommy Emmanuelle and Eric Clapton to name but a few, play live and all have used the capo at some point in their performances.

I think the type of playing tends to dictate whether a capo can be used. For example, modulation is seldom used in folk music and that plus the fact there was always enough time between songs to re-capo in a different position means it is ideal for that genre. Almost everyone who played folk carried a capo in their guitar case at one time. On the other hand playing guitar in many jazz dance bands would be virtually impossible for a players reliant on the use of a capo. While the keys used would almost invite its use, in many sets there wouldn't be enough time to change capo position because of change of key. Also, band guitarists can often be called upon to play a solo in the middle eight which may use a change of position on the finger board thus making use of a capo totally impractical.

I'm showing my age when I say Bert Weedon et al advocated that not becoming reliant on the use of capo made one a more versatile player. When I learned guitar I followed that advice. I'm certain it was also Weedon who advocated the sweetest tone from a guitar was to be found when playing around the middle of the fingerboard but that's maybe better left for another discussion.

I don't get the significance of your remark about jazz, Steven. Talk of capos doesn't bring jazz guitarists to mind - not to my mind anyway. I'm with you in not liking a lot of what passes for jazz these days. But REAL jazz - where rhythm, melody and artistry combine with that almost indefinable feeling called swing - which penetrates from your ears to your toes leaving out nothing in between . . . Sorry, I'm getting carried away. Didn't mean to react to your touch-paper reference by exploding. And please don't deduce from my words that I must simply love the likes of Stan Kenton's 'Artistry in Rhythm'. I don't. When jazz starts getting pretentious (as distinct from sophisticated) it dies.

Bairns, behave! The point of a capo is that it allows the player to slide up and down keys, using the same, mainly "open string" chords. Fine. But open string chords mean that most of the notes are not "stopped" , that is not controlled. No matter. Every one to his own. Flamenco is another matter. Most guitar players of experience have built in capo. It is called a forefinger in barre mode!

The Free Online Dictionary says 'barre' comes from the vulgar Latin. One of those vulgar Latins who play flamenco guitar, presumably.