By Ed Mitchell December,
2006
Every
guitarist should own a Planet Waves capo. And that
most definitely means you. No exceptions! Just
consider what a capo can do for you as a guitarist.
This deceptively simple tool is a fantastic resource
on many different levels. For instance, the capo is
the songwriter’s best friend, invigorating even the
most familiar (in other words, tired) chord
sequences progressions. For some aural evidence,
take a look at The Beatle’s back catalogue and
you’ll find dozens of examples where the band used a
capo to add an element of freshness to their guitar
arrangements. Just try playing George Harrison’s
Here Comes The Sun (from The Beatle’s Abbey Road) on
your guitar without a capo. It simply doesn’t sound
as good! George added a capo at the seventh fret,
his guitar sparkled beautifully, and he was inspired
to record a timeless classic. That’s the beauty of
the capo. Many other bands have used the same
‘trick.’ Planet Waves endorsees Shadows Fall,
Alkaline Trio and Crosby Stills and Nash have all
used a capo to add something special to their
recordings. You see, a capo can transform the
timbre, also known as the ‘voice’ of the guitar,
adding a real sizzle to upper register chords; it
even pushes a standard six-string guitar into
mandolin territory when a capo is placed on the
upper reaches of the fingerboard. In that respect, a
capo is almost like an effects unit– a means to
alter the voice of the instrument - in order to
unlock new ideas and spark inspiration. The
difference is, unlike an effects pedal, a capo
doesn’t require batteries or cables to work its
magic.
What is a
capo?
In
the simplest terms a capo is a moveable top nut. It
takes the place of your index finger: that’s the
finger you usually employ to lay across all six
strings when you play bare chords. If you’re playing
a song in standard tuning on your guitar but find
that it’s too high (or too low) for you, or your
vocalist, to sing along then you have two options.
You could transpose the chords into another key – A
instead of G for example. That’ll work, but it’ll
take a while. It’s much quicker to use a capo. A
capo allows you to alter the pitch key of the guitar
whilst continuing to play open chord shapes. For
instance, place the capo at the second fret of the
guitar and that open G chord you were just playing
is now an A. The capo has moved the guitar’s tuning
up a whole step. Clever, huh?
Choosing the right
capo for you.
Because a great capo can last you a lifetime,
purchase the best capo you can afford. Although it’s
tempting to buy some bargain basement model, you
need a capo that is well-made and easy-to-use. It
also has to stay in place on your guitar’s neck.
There are Planet Waves capos available for every
style of guitar. If you play an electric, acoustic
or 12-string acoustic guitar, then you need to check
out Planet Waves’ Ratchet Capo or the beautifully
engineered NS Capo. These capos will cater to the
curved radius of your guitar’s fingerboard. If you
play a nylon-strung classical guitar, then the NS
Classical Capo is the model for you. Your guitar has
a flat, wide fingerboard, and the NS Classical Capo
is the perfect match.
Using the capo.
Correct placement of your capo is essential. There’s
no point just whacking it onto your guitar’s neck
and hoping for the best. Getting the precise
position will ensure tone quality, without annoying
buzzing or rattling, and tuning stability. The capo
should sit close to the fret (see photo one) not
between frets (as shown in photo two). It’s also
very important that you have some control over the
amount of pressure that the capo exerts on the
strings. Too little pressure and the strings will
cause buzz and the strings lose their tone. Too much
pressure is just as annoying – the strings will go
out of tune.
It’s precisely for these reasons that Planet Waves and designer Ned
Steinberger developed the ‘smooth, tactile dial’ on
the NS series capos to allow the player to alter the
tension that the capo applies to the strings. The
clever one-hand operation NS capos are also
lightweight and gig tough, thanks to their aluminium
construction. That’s great because the best type of
capo is one that becomes such an integral part of
your playing experience that you almost forget that
it’s there.
Capo boot camp!
There’s nothing quite as chilling to a guitarist as staring out
over a sea of faces at a show as you’re fumbling
with your capo. An audience doesn’t understand what
you’re doing… all they know is that the
entertainment has stopped and they’re growing
restless. So, the goal here is to be ‘gig ready.’
You should practice fitting your capo to your guitar
as quickly and calmly as possible. Time yourself –
you’ll be amazed just how much faster you’ll get
with a bit of solid practice. Of course, it helps if
your capo is well designed. The quickest draw in
capo-land is Planet Waves’ revolutionary Ratchet
Capo. You literally ‘squeeze’ this capo into
position on the fingerboard. It only takes a second
to complete the operation, and the Ratchet Capo
stays put until you press the quick release lever to
remove the capo or move it to another position on
the guitar.
Summing up…
It’s time to add a Planet Waves capo to your arsenal
of guitar gadgets. Although the capo has been around
for many years, this amazing tool is still very
important to creative musicians and Planet Waves
capos are designed to meet the demands of modern
guitarists. Yes, a capo is a practical way to alter
the pitch of your guitar, but it’s equally important
as a source of inspiration to legends like George
Harrison, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, Johnny Marr of
The Smiths and the millions of guitarists that
already use Planet Waves capos. So, what are you
waiting for, huh?
Article provided by
Planet Waves, maker of high quality instrument
cables and accessories.
Visit them at
www.planetwaves.com.
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