Is using a capo cheating?

[Alistair]

Steve Earle does.

Lots of the time, electric guitarists play notes instead of chords and let the volume do the talking so capo isn't so important...

[hariossa]

Vedo che parli bene anche l'italiano, hariossa...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I thought nobody was going to catch that one!!

what a surprise!!

ma l'ho fatto con aiuto, come quando canto

sono un baro

[Alistair]

I thought nobody was going to catch that one!!  

what a surprise!!

ma l'ho fatto con aiuto, come quando canto      

sono un baro    

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sei proprio un baro. Comunque dovrei barrare se io volessi scrivere in spagnolo

[hariossa]

Sei proprio un baro. Comunque dovrei barrare se io volessi scrivere in spagnolo

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

avanti, sai già quello che disse machiavelli...

[Alistair]

No, non lo so...?

[hariossa]

è quello che ha cominciato tutta la nostra chiacchierata in italiano!!!! :

il fine giustifica i mezzi....

[Alistair]

Adesso capisco bene. Ti ringrazio!

[Prometheus]

Very handy gadgets if you want to move a song up a key or two into your singing range without losing the open chord timbre... Cheating? Utter Bollocks!

[Alistair]

I've seen three gigs by acoustic guitarists in the last two weeks. Steve Forbert, used a capo on nearly every song, Kieran Halpin didn't use one at all but changed his tunings frequently, Joan Armatrading, didn't use a capo , just had a load of guitars to choose from for each song.

[john]

Hey

Simple answer - No.

For certain 'purists' who insist on making life difficult for themselves, I'm sure they can justify not using one, but really, then they should ban using a pick, or amplification for that matter.

Cheers

John

[Alistair]

Good idea!

Seriously though, I originally posed this question based on my own limitations transposing to different keys. I never really thought of it as cheating, just wanted to stir up a debate.

Now then, what's the best capo?

I prefer a Shubb...

[john]

Hey

Jim Dunlop. The sprung kind that you squeez like a trigger to open and release to clamp. I've been using it for years with no problems. Shifting the capo position is very quick and easy, with generally no re-tuning required.

Cheers

John

[Rudi]

I dont think its possible to really cheat at music, but I like to think of it that way.

With my new duo venture, I need a capo. My old `bungee' one has unraveled itself with the shame of 20 years of cheating. I bought a wierd new lever type one a few weeks ago. It works but its nasty. I dont like it.

How about pitch changing & transposition on keyboards? Much more cheaty than a capo. Everyone can see a capo!

[Alistair]

Hey

Jim Dunlop. The sprung kind that you squeez like a trigger to open and release to clamp. I've been using it for years with no problems. Shifting the capo position is very quick and easy, with generally no re-tuning required.

Cheers

John

Hmm. I tried one of those but I find it gets in the way

[Nightwolf]

I use the Dunlop model, like it a lot, I use it on acoustic and electric. Right John, real easy to move, doesn't even whack the Floyd Rose floating bridge on my Ibanez S series, which was a concern at first, I do need to try a few times before it sounds right, but all in all I think it works great. Bollocks on the cheating thing, I agree

[Alistair]

Maybe THIS is the thread that wouldn't die!

Well, it has now. I think the motion is defeated.

Using a capo is NOT cheating.

So there.