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I know this to be an Italian word that is pronounced “kah po”. Why do guitarists pronounce it “kay po”? Maybe not the most important point of interest but I would like your feedback.
RE: How do you pronounce "capo&... (in reply to timoteo)
quote:
seh-HEE-ya
@danm48 Both pronunciations are acceptable, I think.
OK, I'm editing this just because I went full nerd on this post and I doubt that's what you were looking for. I'll just say that I pronounce it the way I do because that's how I hear it pronounced the most often by people around me. Simple as that (the same I don't bother trying to pronounce Bach the German way, because the people around me don't either). As to why the vowel shifted at some point in history, that would require some historical research (i.e., searching historical records would help you a lot more than asking contemporary guitarists, unless the shift is very recent).
RE: How do you pronounce "capo&... (in reply to danm48)
quote:
ORIGINAL: danm48
I know this to be an Italian word that is pronounced “kah po”. Why do guitarists pronounce it “kay po”?
I never heard it pronounced kay po but i can imagine local dialects or even different groups of musicians pronouncing it differently (like i can totally picture Country and Western players calling it a cow-po).
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RE: How do you pronounce "capo&... (in reply to danm48)
Different meanings or context perhaps ? [ da kˈkaːpo], is a musical term in Italian, ... Da Capo al Fine (D.C. al Fine): repeat from beginning to the end (or up to the word ... Dal Segno · Etc
I know the Capo ( guitar thing ) was first patented by An American but not first used by one ..maybe the clue is in that
A capo, short for capo d'astro, capo tasto or capotasto [kapoˈtasto], Italian for "head of fretboard"; Spanish, capodastro [ka.po'ðas.tɾo]; French, capodastre; German, Kapodaster
I'm sure all will be revealed Maybe the Italian guitarists have a heads up on all this
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From: Iraq, living in Cologne, Germany
RE: How do you pronounce "capo&... (in reply to danm48)
When speaking German I say Kapo, because of the German word Kapodaster (like Alval said). I believe it's pronounced kaypow because that's how Englishmen would pronounce it if it were an English word.
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Joined: May 3 2017
From: Iraq, living in Cologne, Germany
RE: How do you pronounce "capo&... (in reply to mark indigo)
quote:
ORIGINAL: mark indigo
I'm British/English and I pronounce it "Ka-Po" not "Kay-po". That is normal in UK. I think "Kay-po" is American English pronunciation?
Yes I guess kay-pow is rather the american english pronounciation forgive me, I forgot about the British English pronounciation! Do you say Kaah-pou rather than kay-pow? In German we pronounce the letters in a very sterile way, so Ka is really only Ka, and Po is only Po. I love these etymology topics, don't know why but I find it really interesting
RE: How do you pronounce "capo&... (in reply to jalalkun)
quote:
I love these etymology topics,
Damn it, I should've left my original response up. Didn't think anyone would be interested. I discussed how all foreign words are approximated and even the British version of "capo" is an approximation since it doesn't keep the same pronunciation of the occlusive consonants in Italian nor the same duration of the vowels. I even went all the way back to the Great Vowel Shift of the late Middle-Ages. Then I realized how much of a nerd I was being
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From: Iraq, living in Cologne, Germany
RE: How do you pronounce "capo&... (in reply to Piwin)
quote:
I discussed how all foreign words are approximated and even the British version of "capo" is an approximation since it doesn't keep the same pronunciation of the occlusive consonants in Italian nor the same duration of the vowels. I even went all the way back to the Great Vowel Shift of the late Middle-Ages. Then I realized how much of a nerd I was being
This is exactly what I was trying to explain but couldn't! You explained it on-point ! You should've kept your original post, knowledge is enrichment and never bothersome
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From: England, living in Italy
RE: How do you pronounce "capo&... (in reply to Richard Jernigan)
In English, it is said with a very short "a" but only for steel and electrics. For flamenco, it is always cejilla but no idea what it is for classical players, if they even use one?
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RE: How do you pronounce "capo&... (in reply to Escribano)
quote:
quote: What if one of Al Capone's henchmen was standing in front of you, what would you say then?
"February 14th was yesterday!"
You wouldn't by chance be related to "Bugs" Moran, would you? It was meant for him, but he sensed something wrong and didn't show up.
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From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: How do you pronounce "capo&... (in reply to Escribano)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Escribano
In English, it is said with a very short "a" but only for steel and electrics. For flamenco, it is always cejilla but no idea what it is for classical players, if they even use one?
There was a great flap on a classical guitar forum several years back. A famous player recorded a transcription of a Bach piece. The recording sounded in F major. Fingering it in that key would have been impossible. A well known publisher accused the player of speeding up the tape.
The player didn't dignify the accusation with a reply, following the wise policy of most pros by staying off internet forums, however his secretary went on the attack-- but she never explained the higher pitch. The controversy raged for months until someone finally posted that the player was seen performing the piece in concert with a capo on the first fret.
There are a couple of fast 16th century vihuela pieces with some big stretches. I play them with a capo on the second fret--makes them a lot easier, and gives a little more twang. I think others may do it too.
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From: The Netherlands
RE: How do you pronounce "capo&... (in reply to danm48)
As far as I know Capo comes from Capodasro, is italian. Short for capodastro is capo. Pronounciation like "capo di tutti capi" As in the godfather movies.
RE: How do you pronounce "capo&... (in reply to Richard Jernigan)
quote:
How do I say "capo?" It depends..
If I am among American steel stringers, I say kay-po.
If I am among non-Spaniard flamencos, I say kah-po.
If I am among people who speak Spanish, I say cejilla.
If I am among classical players, I don't say it.
i had a trad cejilla on my guitar and someone who had never seen one before (Brit steel string/electric player) asked me what it was. I said "it's a capo" they said "looks more like a "cap-odd""
Printable Version
just Ka-Po 
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