Capo in the middle of a song for a key change?

[kayey113]

Hey,

I was just wondering if any of you have ever used a capo in the middle of a song to change from an open position to a completely different key... I have this one song that I play that involves a lot of open strings combined with fretting and its absolutely ridiculous to transpose the riff to another key, given that I can't play the open strings anymore. Has anyone else had this problem and has your solution been as unorthodox and awkward as mine?

Thanks!!

[Luff]

Wow, never heard of a capo on a bass. You should look into a pitch shifting pedal. Changing to something that enables you to use open strings shouldn't be more than two steps away, which won't sound that different from your normal tone.

[atheos]

Actually pitch shifter will sound different. In the worst case you'll get lost in the mix. It might work, too. Worth trying if the capo is a physical problem. Ethical problems don't count here.

But the capo is fine as long as you have enough time. Otherwise it may pop off or you're out of tune.

...OR become rich and hire somebody to switch the bass in the middle of the song. Just for the show, you know.

[rhino333]

Interesting concept.

I own a http://www.glidercapo.com/ and it can be rolled up and down the neck.

I'll dig it out and see if it'll work on one of my basses. I doubt if it'd be wide enough for my 5 string.

[David1234]

A stack of hipshot D-tuner keys might help too.

[Chasarms]

I've never attempted to use a capo on a bass, but I have played a lot of rhythm acoustic guitar. My biggest concern would be how a capo often tends to demand a tweak or two in tuning. I would be afraid I would be out of key in the alternate key.

My guess is that with a little wood shedding, you'll get the riffs down in both keys -- at least "good enough." Unless you have a perfectly timed pause for your capo installation, I would think that would be far more obvious than a muffed note here or there.

[Rob22315]

Unless you're doing something radical, changing keys on a bass is usually a matter of sliding up or down the fretboard.

[Atomik Rooster]

Originally Posted by kayey113

Hey,

I was just wondering if any of you have ever used a capo in the middle of a song to change from an open position to a completely different key... I have this one song that I play that involves a lot of open strings combined with fretting and its absolutely ridiculous to transpose the riff to another key, given that I can't play the open strings anymore. Has anyone else had this problem and has your solution been as unorthodox and awkward as mine?

Thanks!!

Not sure what you mean by a completely different key, but if it's a step up or a step down, I'd consider a second bass tuned appropriately. If it's outside that scope, you could still pull it off if one of your open strings is in the right key, might just have to change the octave or something like that.

[FretlessMainly]

My first inclination upon reading this was: Oh man, don't use a capo on a bass! And as both an upright and fretless player, there's kind of a rule to finger a note over playing it open if at all possible.

But, there are times when open notes are necessary; not just convenient, but necessary, and I suspect you've got a line going on with significant leaps that involve open notes that just can't be duplicated up a half-step, whole-step or any other key change.

I'd offer this, and it might not be what you want to hear, but the reasons cited for not using a capo are good ones; mainly - it's nearly impossible to be in tune capoed even if you do have the time to slap it on correctly. The reason for this is that the tension generated by the capo is generally distributed in a way that does not match the tension required to fret each different string. So, some strings are depressed too far (or not enough) against the frets and possibly down to the board, thus making the new "open" sound out of tune.

So maybe try this:

At the key change, come up with a new lick that is of the same rhythm and cadence of the old one, but use different notes. Where you had a fifth or a root, land on a third or seventh, for example. Not only does this solve your problem, it also takes away some of the cliche sound of a key change with the exact same riff in a new key (not like a blues with the same riff over C7 then F7; I'm assuming you have a long section in one key with a repeating lick and then it moves to the new key). No offense meant there; maybe think about this and see what you can come up with?

[walker rosewood]

Morpheus Capo. They also make a drop tuner. I've never tried it so I can't say how well it tracks on bass.

Here's a solution that's perfect for guitarists who want to be able to quickly change tunings in the middle of a set (or even a song), without having to reach for a capo or swap out guitars. The CAPO pedal from Morpheus changes the game, giving you a painless way to virtually capo your guitar with just the press of a switch. Select from a 3 1/2-step range divided into 1/2-step increments, and electronically capo your guitar while retaining perfect pitch and intonation. The CAPO isn't just some pitch shifting pedal branded as a virtual capo, it uses a proprietary polyphonic algorithm to maintain your guitar's naturally appropriate harmonic overtones. That means no ugly artifacts — just pure capo magic!

[JimmyM]

how the heck are you going to capo a bass in the middle of a song? stop it for 10 seconds? i'll admit it's a creative thought, but the impracticality of it outweighs any benefit. i like fretlessmainly's idea of just rewriting your bass part.

[BryanM]

I actually occasionally use a capo on my fretless just to have fun with harmonics. It's a lot easier than playing a line that has a succession of false harmonics but the false harmonics can be fun to make people go "huh?"

[So Low Bass]

There’s the famous black and white picture of Paul McCartney with a capo on his bass during the Rubber Soul sessions (?) but what did he know!

It’s great that you’re playing and performing with a group of musicians. If you wish to move to the next step, take some serious lessons and learn about your fingerboard. One of its beauties is that once you learn or are taught fundimental fingering patterns, an entire new world opens up to you.

I once saw a fine player, during a solo bass piece, using a clamp style capo on just his E string only for a drone effect... I think on G. During the tune, he ripped of the capo and just let it drop to the floor to get his open E as the drone to go on with the piece. Very interesting.

[So Low Bass]

Bass Player Magazine....Tony Bacon and Sir Paul:

..." Paul says that from Rubber Soul onwards "it could have easily swung either way" between using the Hofner or the Rickenbacker. I show him a picture from the Rubber Soul sessions where he's clearly using a capo on the Rickenbacker bass. "What am I doing there?" he asks. Um, I rather hoped he'd be able to tell me. "Well," be laughs, "the thing with the bass on a lot of this stuff was that I'd try anything once. So I'll try a capo. I often do that when I'm writing a song - stick a capo on just so it's a different instrument than the one I normally play. Everything goes up a little bit and goes more tingly, and you get a song that reflects that. So it may well have been that we'd written a song on guitars: a certain key, so I only knew it in that key. Or maybe it was to get a higher sound. I often used to tune the strings down a tone, too, so the E would become a D. You'd have to be careful how hard you hit them, but it was kind of interesting. I would just mess around with any experimental effects. I'd try anything!"...

[funkyebk]

Good god no. If your line is too hard to play closed you're better off simplifing it... or i dunno spending time in the woodshed

Cheeses kites people... d-tuners, pedals and pitch shifters, or buy another bass? Are we really so music dumb and gear smrt (i am smart i am so smart s-m-r-t, i mean s-m-a-r-t. a la Homer Simpson) that THAT is your advice for this cat?
:hm m:

[JPaulGeddy]

Have the singer come over and fret it, a la Mr. Big (check for 'human capo' on YouTube). Functional *and* showy.

[isthimus]

^ you HAVE to do this!

problem solved as far as im concerned...

[groooooove]

i've played some things with gnarly fingerings, but how bad can it actually be?

try starting with each finger on the first note. one of them is bound to be doable. not comftorble, but doable..

using a capo is way less reasonable than just working out your fingerings. IMO.

[kayey113]

As awkward and weird as it is, I DO have it learned haha. I've never used a capo on my bass so I was wondering what people thought, because to be honest I've never heard anyone talk about it! But thanks guys, I now know to not even bother buying one :P

[kayey113]

Originally Posted by JPaulGeddy

Have the singer come over and fret it, a la Mr. Big (check for 'human capo' on YouTube). Functional *and* showy.

Although I'm pretty damn sure that this is the best idea I've ever ever heard. Too bad my drummer is the singer :P