Capo; re-tune

[Minotauros]

1. If your rhythm guitarist is capoed, would you capo the bass?

2. If your rhythm guitarist is tuned down, would you tune down?

3. I know these are probably stupid questions.

[bryantandrew]

1. I've never encountered a capo suitable for bass before, but it will only end up limiting your bass' range. If they're strumming chords, learn what progression they're using. A guitar player is going to say "G" no matter where they put the capo, so its up to you to know that their "G" is actually I (one), for example, and their "D" is actually V. Once you get those numbers down, along with which chords are major or minor in a scale, you can play in any key.

2. If you're playing harder rock or metal, it's probably going to be easier to tune to Drop D to play certain riffs. As for tunings like Eb or D standard, it really depends on the situation. If you're playing a set with a band that always tunes in Eb standard, it'd probably be a lot easier for you to follow suit. If it's just one or two tunes, you can work it out with what you have in standard, or take advantage of a 5th string if you've got one. Less tuning = less dead air on stage.

3. Naaaw

[Studiodawg]

1) no 2) yes 3) Naaaw

[Minotauros]

OK, thanks guys. I never cared for capos anyway.

[Febs]

1. No
2. No

[Minotauros]

I should have mentioned why I asked.

I wrote a bass line (I'm at this only since Christmas, but at guitar about 2 years) for Night Moves and My Sweet Lord, forgetting that they're capoed @ fret 1 and 2, respectively.

For Night Moves I'm using just R (it's a simple progression, G F C F G). I also found a tab for it, which mine was not too far off from. Neither the other tab nor mine accounted for the capo, but the bass line sounds perfectly fine playing with the recording. It's the same for My Sweet Lord. The bass line doesn't account for the capo, but it sounds just fine with the recording.

Capos just kick my butt, I'm embarassed and ashamed to say.

[bbmagic]

I use a capo for one song, just because it made it easier. I don't prefer it, though.

[Minotauros]

I found out that I do have to go up 1/2 step for Night Moves because it's capoed at the first fret on the rhythm guitar. I thought the bass sounded fine before, but when I play it 1/2 step higher now it sounds a whole lot better. When I switch back to the 1/2 step down and compare it, now that sounds awful. Go figure.

[Chris K]

1. Capos are useful to guitarists who want to play open chords on higher frets - or to guitards who have trouble playing in keys like Bb, Eb etc. For bass players, capos will only limit their options. We are less in need of open strings, compared to guitar guys.

2. As for down tuning, I assume you mean tuning down all the strings (so we're not talking about drop tuning one or more strings). Down tuning will hurt the connection between your inner ear and your instrument, unless you keep your bass tuned down all the time - but what if you play in two different bands? So I wouldn't. Drop tuning is a seperate case. If your band uses drop tuning, it might be better to go along, because in that case you will need the open strings.

3. Write everything you do in a computer music notation program. These programs offer all transposing options you might need.

Generally: no capo, no down tuning. Better to transcribe your music.

[Minotauros]

Originally Posted by Chris K

1. Capos are useful to guitarists who want to play open chords on higher frets - or to guitards who have trouble playing in keys like Bb, Eb etc. For bass players, capos will only limit their options. We are less in need of open strings, compared to guitar guys.

I hate capos, but three of the songs I play (I'm a guitard too ), Sundown, Gordon Lightfoot; My Sweet Lord, George Harrison (of course); Night Moves, Bob Seger; all capo. No idea why. Capos are said to be used for a singer's voice range. Meh.

2. As for down tuning, I assume you mean tuning down all the strings (so we're not talking about drop tuning one or more strings). Down tuning will hurt the connection between your inner ear and your instrument, unless you keep your bass tuned down all the time - but what if you play in two different bands? So I wouldn't. Drop tuning is a seperate case. If your band uses drop tuning, it might be better to go along, because in that case you will need the open strings.

3. Write everything you do in a computer music notation program. These programs offer all transposing options you might need.

Generally: no capo, no down tuning. Better to transcribe your music.

Yes, I meant all the strings down 1/2 or 1 step. So I would not do that. No argument from me! I don't hate re-tuning, but for 1 song I think it's a pain.

Bad Company recorded Bad Company in Ebm. So to play it properly on acoustic guitar (it is really done on piano), you downtune the whole guitar 1/2 step. So for the bass line I would not downtune I would use another voicing of Ebm, higher on the bass fretboard?

Any links to any of the the computer programs you mentioned? Right now when I transpose (and I do some, sometimes just to see how a song sounds in another key) I have my sheet with all the scales and just go one for one, chord for chord.

When I (try to) create a bass line that I can't find or I find one that looks like it sucks, I use Malcolm's "Can't Go Wrong Formula" of R or R 3 or R 3 5 (or b3 for minor chords of course) and combinations there of.

And thank you all very much for the help for a 2 month nooborn bass player.

[Minotauros]

Resurrecting this thread to update. It might give other noobs an idea of what works if I did this right; if I did it wrong, it's an example of what not to do.

Well after these two months later I think I finally think I've nailed down a playable bass line for My Sweet Lord, which for me at this stage really was not easy. It's a beautiful song, but maybe it's because I'm a noob on guitar and bass, it is a tough song. It took this long because of other guitar and bass projects too.

GH capos @ 2nd fret and plays ||: Em A D Bm :|| then ||: A Em :|| which I worked out to be F#m B F Dm. Remembering to go 2 1/2 steps up was a challenge too.

For the capoed Em (F#m) and A (B) measures I can stay on F# in the bass line. That makes the R and 5th. Then I change to the roots of the other chords. Sometimes I use notes that are in common with chords in the progressions.

The challenge was that GH changes chords so fast at some points in the song you have to find something to stay on or else it sounds like you're trying to shred. But I ran through it a few times with the recording and was pretty pleased with how it sounded. Now I need practice to play it smoothly.

[pasta4lnch]

Originally Posted by Studiodawg

1) no 2) yes 3) Naaaw

+1