Guitar Capo Frustration

Less pressure on the capo.

Is the guitar really adjusted for intonation?

What chord is it you want that can't be played open? Most chords are played on the guitar using 3 - 5 notes so it's not necessary to bar the whole 6 strings.

Use a tuner once the capo is on where you want it. If you have checked the obvious (intonation etc.) then you are good to go. When you take the capo off you will have to re-tune again.

Many factors will affect how much the guitar goes out when you place the capo on including action (string height), fret gauge, sring guage etc. and of course the type of capo.

If you are picky then you should probably be aware that theoretically a guitar is never in tune, a good compromise is to use equal temperament tuning. Here's a link to an interesting article on guitar tuning:

http://www.guyguitars.com...g.html#Octave%20method

My favorite method is here:
http://www.glowingtubes.c...temperament_tuning.htm

Good luck and have fun.

Thanks everyone!
 
I didn't get the chance to read these replies until this morning.  Last night, I just toughed it out, playing the part over and over.  Once every few takes, I would play it right with no/minimal buzzing.  I got enough of those good takes that I should be able to cut and paste a good track together.
 
I will try the new capo techniques tonight when I try to double the part on my strat, (much higher action than the guitar I was using last night).
 
Thanks again.

I used to have a tuning issue with capos. 
Now, if I want to use it on the 5th fret, i'll fret a A# bar chord on the 6th to cap the tension and string movement.  (if you can't form the whole chord, at least bar all 6 strings with one finger).  Strum the chord quickly to make sure all 6 strings are in tune, then slap the capo on the 5th.  Strum and use the capo with your right hand.  Only once the capo is on do I release my left hand from the fretboard.
As long as the guitar is intonated properly, i've never had a tuning issue this way.

I don't like a capo. I've never liked a capo. It always feels like it's in the way. I recommend: just keep practicing. Your hand will get strong enough to dispense with a capo entirely, forever.

I just can't see what difference in tuning there is from when we capo with the index finger as when the capo is doing it. It is true, though that the tuning throughout the fretboard is not totally accurate, though. Even the strings, fat-to-thin, do not follow the math theories precisely. I think the guitar is constantly un-tuning with the ambient..It also has to do with the string quality, and to whether they are brand new or have already been on enough to stretch-out.

I'd don't use a capo, although I have one. I like to learn to figure a song and  play it in a suitable key no matter what it'd be.

I've always seen it as that the capo is a substitute for when a song is changed to a another key, rather than to substitute for weak fingers, and the person can't quite play the song in that other key.

My guitar is a flamenco one..The capos used there use a G guitar nylon string as a loopback, and it is twisted with a peg, similar to a guitar peg. They are very minimalistic in design. They are all wood. No metallic parts to minimize sound interference.

Flamenco players usually play only in 3 keys, and much of what they do is accompany singers. So they adjust with the capo to match the voice of the player, and basically that's their use. Their intrincate fast playing does not lend itself to play 'in any key' easily, specially since most of what they do is improvising, to follow a singer or dancer.

I am not a flamenco player, though. I bought it from a flamenco player because I liked its sound when he let me try it.

Here's a picture of a flamenco capo, just for sharing info, in case some are not familiar. They are meant only for nylon strings, though.

I totally disagree with this "get better, never use a capo" idea.

 I too dislike using a capo and made sure to learn all positions and barre chords so as not to use one, but I soon realized that it is still very useful for OPEN strings.

 If you want to play something in a different key using open strings, a capo HAS to be used, and can sound beautiful too. Barre chords just don't ring true enough and also some intricate hammer-ons and pull-offs cannot be achieved in the Barre position.

 

Guitarhacker


I think alot of the tuning issues with a capo comes from the way it is put on..... if it is put on straight down with no other movement backwards or forwards the strings should stay pretty much in tune. However, if the strings are pushed or pulled.... there will be tuning problems....

That's the problem I found with capos.  By barring a chord with my left hand at the fret above where I want the capo, then putting it on carefully with the right, it's more likely to hold the strings in a straight line.
 
As for the "don't use a capo, fret better" suggestions, you can get different chord voicings with a capo.  I agree that learning to hold bar chords is a better technique than using a capo as a crutch, they do have justified uses.

With an adjustable capo, you set it so it barely presses the strings against the fret. For example, Shubb makes a nice one http://www.shubb.com/

 
+1  That's the one I use.

Try one of these performance capos...

http://www.g7th.com/

I would suggest.

Light strings or lowering the action. Make it easy on yourself. When I taught guitar I saw many new students with inexpensive guitars that had very high action and thick strings. Learning chording was like pushing a granite ball up a hill.

This may sound a little strange, but if you're recording I've occasionally recorded chords by playing one or two strings at a time and double/triple tracking.  It's only a 'little' strange because I'm not the first or only person to do that.

Meanwhile, keep practicing and have fun.  I guarantee you that you're already a better guitarist than I am a drummer.