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Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia
what's the point of a capo in solo g...
hey guys.. what's the point of the capo in solo guitar? i know the use when accompanying singers.. but when accompanying dancers or solo pieces.. why use a capo? the sound would still be the same.. like the same intervals between the notes etc.. it's still using the same shapes (for the chord family).. so why do pple use capo when playing solo or accompanying dancers?
RE: what's the point of a capo in so... (in reply to HolyEvil)
This is something that has been discussed, I have made searches for this myself to see if people play without a capo at times.
Playing without a capo is a good idea for keeping the left hand strong, but many falsetas are so demanding that they are simply not written to be played without a capo either because the reach is demanding, or else the speed or what have you.
Also, the shorter string makes for more tension and a more percussive sound which is naturally more flamenco. Finally, since many recordings of various palos are done with a capo at whatever fret, it just sounds more flamenco when let's say a solea is played very high up on the frets. No capo works well for certain palos that have a deep sound like Rondeña or Tarantas.
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"I'm just a poor crazy man in love with his art." Santos Hernandez
Posts: 1607
Joined: Dec. 24 2007
From: Siegburg, Alemania
RE: what's the point of a capo in so... (in reply to HolyEvil)
It is my impression, that it also has something to do with guitar construction, i. e. the resonance (eigenfrequency) of the materials used and of the instrument as a whole; making for a "better" sound with capo at 2nd or 3rd fret.
Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia
RE: what's the point of a capo in so... (in reply to VietFlamenco)
quote:
ORIGINAL: VietFlamenco The capo can also make those long stretching chords a bit easier.
this is actually bad for our technique don't your think? and percussiveness dun mean it's always better.. in solo guitar.. i think the tone of the guitar is more important.. in playing for dancers then i would agree with percusiveness issue..
Posts: 1812
Joined: Nov. 8 2010
From: London (living in the Bay Area)
RE: what's the point of a capo in so... (in reply to Harry)
quote:
it just sounds more flamenco
This seems to be the consensus: I notice both Paco Peña and Paco de Lucía play with a capo on 1, for instance,which a novice wouldn’t imagine makes much difference.
But Mario Escudero disagreed strongly — at least by the time I knew him, which was the early 80s. When people said "it just sounds more flamenco", he would retort indignantly "Who say? Who say?"
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