First rule of capo club is..

[metropolis_4]

Well dagnabbit - you missed the joke.

Haha, no I got the joke! I was trying to reply with another joke

 

[metropolis_4]

By the way, for realz... consider this if you aren't aware:

This is capo'ing with your fret hand, except it's an "active" capo.

(Single string tapping is of course a very similar concept - "moving the nut")

Joe Satriani - Day At The Beach (New Rays From An Ancient Sun):

I remember playing a Satriani song back in the day where you fret B notes on g string 4th fret and e string 7th fret with your right hand and play a cool little groove with hammer ons and pull offs around frets 9-13…

What was that song?

 

[LeftyLoungeLizard]

I remember playing a Satriani song back in the day where you fret B notes on g string 4th fret and e string 7th fret with your right hand and play a cool little groove with hammer ons and pull offs around frets 9-13…

What was that song?

Only songs I know (meaning "heard" and "played" - although it's been a long time) by Satriani where he does this technique are "Day At The Beach", "The Forgotten (Part One)" and "Midnight".

 

[newpedals]

It is nice to learn everyone's perspective.

People may have different opinions, and they are based on their experiences. Nobody is wrong.

I play some songs (covers) using capo because I had used a capo either when I learned it or interpreted the chords to suit my voice using a capo.

I have been effect-shamed by a guitar teacher after a gig ended (at a bar) because I have tried numerous times to incorporate pedals into my rig but have given up. I only have a tuner and 2 overdrive pedals.

He said he could understand the pressure of singing and playing guitar, so I should look for another guitarist who will play effect-laden parts. He had said that I sound bland.

I am aware of my limitations/ skill level. Inspite of being teary eyed, I just nodded when he said that. I know that he meant well, but I am not the superwoman superskilled guitarist he expects me to be. And it's ok.

Let's be like a family on here, and respect everyone's opinions. As I said, No one is wrong. Thank you for being helpful as always :)

 

[HomespunEffects]

… I have been effect-shamed by a guitar teacher after a gig ended (at a bar) because I have tried numerous times to incorporate pedals into my rig but have given up. I only have a tuner and 2 overdrive pedals.

He said he could understand the pressure of singing and playing guitar, so I should look for another guitarist who will play effect-laden parts. He had said that I sound bland. …

I’m sorry that you had to go through that. I admire anyone that goes out there and plays in front of others. That’s strength. If you can do that without effects, even better.

 

[newpedals]

I’m sorry that you had to go through that. I admire anyone that goes out there and plays in front of others. That’s strength. If you can do that without effects, even better.

Thank you. I am clumsy and bad at tap dancing. Also I can't afford a 250$ reverb pedal, even if I like it. (Looking at you RV-200).

If and when I can set some money aside, I wanna buy an inexpensive telecaster for backup.

My friend who is good at setting up her guitars has been helping me for a while. But she only knows basic stuff. We wanna visit a professional and get our guitars set up. Maybe he will let us see it when he does it.

 

[Sascha Franck]

This is capo'ing with your fret hand, except it's an "active" capo.

Where is this capo'ing at all?

 

[Alex Kenivel]

I have been effect-shamed by a guitar teacher after a gig ended

He had said that I sound bland.

... the superwoman superskilled guitarist he expects me to be.

How unsupportive! This is not how a teacher should behave

 

[metropolis_4]

Only songs I know (meaning "heard" and "played" - although it's been a long time) by Satriani where he does this technique are "Day At The Beach", "The Forgotten (Part One)" and "Midnight".

I’m gonna have to record a clip and start a thread, now it’s driving me crazy that I can’t remember the song.

I remember playing Midnight back in the day! That was a fun one. I’d forgotten all about that technique

 

[la szum]

How unsupportive! This is not how a teacher should behave

By unsupportive do you mean a "flaming asshole??"

 

[david57strat]

It is nice to learn everyone's perspective.

People may have different opinions, and they are based on their experiences. Nobody is wrong.

I play some songs (covers) using capo because I had used a capo either when I learned it or interpreted the chords to suit my voice using a capo.

I have been effect-shamed by a guitar teacher after a gig ended (at a bar) because I have tried numerous times to incorporate pedals into my rig but have given up. I only have a tuner and 2 overdrive pedals.

He said he could understand the pressure of singing and playing guitar, so I should look for another guitarist who will play effect-laden parts. He had said that I sound bland.

I am aware of my limitations/ skill level. Inspite of being teary eyed, I just nodded when he said that. I know that he meant well, but I am not the superwoman superskilled guitarist he expects me to be. And it's ok.

Let's be like a family on here, and respect everyone's opinions. As I said, No one is wrong. Thank you for being helpful as always :)

You made some very valid points. Every player does things differently. The "tried and true" way of doing things for one player isn't necessarily the same for everyone. Everyone learns and develops this craft at their own pace. Getting up and performing in front of strangers can be intimidating. Eventually, you'll be able to still have the jitters, but use that nervous energy in your favor, where you don't feel like it's bogging you down. It's okay to have some stage fright before a performance. Many still do, even after decades of playing in front of people. Nothing wrong with that.

I don't understand how a teacher, who is supposed to be encouraging, can shoot you down so readily. That's uncalled for. Sorry you had to experience that.

You may want to consider a different teacher who will tell you like it is (not constantly tell you you're doing everything perfectly), but will do it kindly and respectfully.

That kind of empathy and diplomacy, towards another person, goes a long way. A teacher is supposed to build up the student, not tear them down.

Skill and fluidity in playing come with time and practice. That usually takes some years. Be patient with yourself. All that will come to you, including getting comfortable with effects changes - whether you're using a single multi-effects processor, or a slew of pedals.

Guitar effects are just another set of basic tools to enhance your playing experience, while also giving you a large pallet of sounds to choose from, that may not be possible without them. Many bands use effects as an integral part of the song , and some songs just wouldn't be possible to re-create faithfully, without them.

There's no shame in that. Anyone that tries to convince you that you shouldn't be using effects is mistaken.

I've done some covers where I was needed for some harmonizing vocals, in live settings. I was okay, but nothing to write home about. I tried this original tune that had my lyrics, but failed miserably. Bailed on that. Lyrics just don't come naturally to me. I'm more of an instrumentalist and always have been.

I am not a singer, by any stretch of the imagination. Singing and playing simultaneously is a gift. Pulling those two off, while also manually engaging the right effects, at the right time, are kind of an art, in itself :-). You'll get there! Don't be discouraged. Believe in yourself and keep on pushing. It's within your reach. I guarantee it!

I'll get off my soapbox, now.

Be encouraged :-). You've got this!

 

[david57strat]

Thank you. I am clumsy and bad at tap dancing. Also I can't afford a 250$ reverb pedal, even if I like it. (Looking at you RV-200).

If and when I can set some money aside, I wanna buy an inexpensive telecaster for backup.

My friend who is good at setting up her guitars has been helping me for a while. But she only knows basic stuff. We wanna visit a professional and get our guitars set up. Maybe he will let us see it when he does it.

A professional set-up can transform an okay-playing instrument into one that you can hardly wait to pick up and play. It's worth the investment. Just be sure to tell the luthier how you intend to play it. What kind of music you play, how you play (picks/no picks, slide, alternate tunings, or whatever, whether you have a light touch or are heavy-handed) and they should be able to set it up to do what you need.

Good luck!

 

[metropolis_4]

We can create chords that are impossible to play on the guitar without a capo, however there is no reason to play those same exact notes in the same exact places when those notes are availble as slightly diffrent voicings of the same chord. Unless you're in a tribute band, guitarists come up with diffrent chord voicings all the time. And in a tribute band the only time to use a capo is if the original recording had a capo. In a tribute band you'd better be able to sing the song in the original key of a recording that's been heard a thousand times. We are not recordings, we're humans playing an instrument. You can get close enough with a diffrent fingering that is close in register to the original.

What song is that chord from? It seems to be more of an exercise in trying to create an impossible chord without a capo than a good musical example. It is a F minor add 9 with the notes F Ab, Ab, F, G, F. The 2 Ab's are the same exact note, and 2nd and 3rd Fs are the same notes, so you only have 4 diffrent pitches F, Ab, F, G. It's not a often used or particularly good sounding chord. It can be played:
3
1
1
3
X
1 (with the thumb)
There is a C added at the 2nd string because it sounds better to my ear that way. However the C can be omitted and it can be played:
3
X
1
3
X
1

The chord is just an Fm9 without a 5th (there’s an Eb in there), but a voicing I particularly enjoy that you can’t play without using a capo. Try playing it arpeggiated fingerstyle.

You could also change it to something like this if you wanted the 5th in there, but I don’t like this quite as much:

1
13
12
13
11
1

But again, you wouldn’t be able to play that unless you used a capo. Obviously there are many many ways to voice an Fm9 chord and most of them don’t require a capo if you want to choose to limit your options that way. But capos can give you freedom to use more options. Why limit yourself?

If you can’t even acknowledge that there are some things that are physically impossible to play without a capo then I give up, you seem to be almost intentionally missing the point to cling to your ideas.

 

[Sascha Franck]

See my post above about the E sus 4 or E add 4.

First of: This is no Esus4 but an E4 or Eadd4. That's a fundamental difference as both the the major 3rd and the 4th are existing parallely. In addition, they're used for the inner voices next to each other, which is why this is working the way it is at all. None of your suggestions are covering any of that. Add to this that your suggested voicings sound fundamentally different.
And as said before umpteenth times by now: Yes, using a capo *is* pretty much explicitely about getting a certain voicing right. Hence it's not about playing just *any* Eadd4 but a very particular voicing that is working in a very particular way in a very particular context. None of your suggestions are doing that job.
If it was just about finding Eadd4 voicings, I can easily find some. But some particular ones don't work without a capo.

In general, I have no idea why some of you folks seem to be so negative regarding capos. And as said, I've been kinda from the same camp but corrected my approach. Fortunately.

 

[Sascha Franck]

A capo can be useful for solo acoustic guitar or a single acoustic guitar with voice.

A capo can be useful in a lot more situations. Namely in all those situations when you can't play a chord without using a capo.

 

[Red Solo Cup]

FFS

 

[Sascha Franck]

5
5
X
6
7
X or 7 if you choose

As said, that doesn't even remotely sound like the voicing I presented. But you seem to deliberately ignore that there's different voicings and just slap things together in pretty much *any* way. Let alone this particulary voicing features a b9 interval between the top note and some inner voice, which is rarely a decent idea.

Speaking only for myself, I choose to figure out voicings without a capo.

I'm playing without a capo 99.999% of my time. But that is completely irrelevant to this discussion. Which is about some things being impossible to play without using a capo.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Really? Not even remotely? I disagree.

I'll post a sound example tomorrow. They are not remotely comparable in a context.

However we can use this one if you like it better.

Not making much of a difference. In the voicing I used, the root is on top. That's the first fundamental difference. Then there's the b9 or b2 interval including the top note. That's what's usually causing too much dissonance and hence often referred to as "forbidden" (even if there's some exceptions), whereas b2 intervals in the lower or middle voicings often work fine.
As piano voicings, for Cmaj7, B-C-E-G and G-B-C-E are working fine whereas E-G-B-C sounds pretty poor (at least in most context).

I am sincerely not ignoring that your voicings and mine are different.

And yet you claim that your voicings work as well. Which they don't. They certainly represent an Eadd4 chord and might even be useful in some context, but they're not even remotely comparable to the voicing I demonstrated.

I just prefer shapes I can move around in other keys and other places on the fretboard.

Absolutely the same for me (as said, I usually don't use capos) but irrelevant for this discussion. This is about "there's some capo'ed voicings that can't be played without a capo". Which is the undeniable truth. I'm not even saying you couldn't get away without one in most situations. I'm doing so myself, as in trying to play songs usually requiring a capo without using one. And still, that's not part of the discussion.

Well playing with a capo 99% is not that common and I commend you on a original sound and approach.

Pardon? Did you misread what I wrote? I am NOT using a capo 99.999% of the time.
And fwiw, regardless of whether you misread things or not, this comes across somewhat arrogant. You think people using capos often can not be as original as people playing without them? You think Tommy Emmanuel, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor or Damien Rice aren't original?

 

[Sascha Franck]

Why would it be arrogant if I commend someone on originality of sound and an original approach?

Maybe I got that wrong due to me not knowing the phrase "to commend on". My apologies.

 

[newpedals]

"You may want to consider a different teacher who will tell you like it is (not constantly tell you you're doing everything perfectly), but will do it kindly and respectfully."

@david57strat
He was not my teacher. He told me that he has been teaching people to play for three decades.

Thank you for being kind to me on here.