Can someone explain how the new Guitar Capo feature is supposed to work?
I set the key to E
I entered an E chord in the first bar
Select Guitar Capo to fret 1
The chord displayed changed to Eb
But it still plays as E
What? Seems like an anti-capo!
here is how I wish it worked...
I enter my chords in key of C because I'm most familiar with those chord forms
I set Guitar Capo feature to 4th fret
BIAB continues to show me chords in the key of C
but it plays in the key of E
that way I can edit my song in the chord forms I am using rather than the real chords. currently I just transpose up and down to accomplish the same thing.
Oh, and also, I would want this to be per song rather than a program setting.
Look closely at what it says:
1. Visual Transpose button now has settings for Guitar Capo. For example, if you set Guitar Capo to +2, then if you enter a D chord, it will play as an E chord, but display as a D chord. (same with entering notes on notation)
So first set capo. Then enter chords. I think this is working as stated.
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Look closely at what it says:
1. Visual Transpose button now has settings for Guitar Capo. For example, if you set Guitar Capo to +2, then if you enter a D chord, it will play as an E chord, but display as a D chord. (same with entering notes on notation)
So first set capo. Then enter chords. I think this is working as stated.
doesn't make sense to me. "first set capo" won't work because I have more than one song I open in BIAB and because the setting is global rather than song-specific when I open another song it will now use the previous song's capo setting. argh!
and what if you're not sure where you want the capo? each time you change the capo the chords displayed are changing.
maybe there is something I am missing...
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...and what if you're not sure where you want the capo? each time you change the capo the chords displayed are changing.
Good points indeed as the fundemental application of a capo is that the "chords" do not change as you change the key.
Hit the Wishlist, send email to Peter or development, bear in mind that what we have now is a first step.
As with the many other features, likely will be some changes made, give or take what things development finds out are implementable in the present version, just as we see all the time with the Updates. This is not a promise, just me thinking about the situation.
And it is great to see something happening along these lines.
I don't think its over and done quite just yet...
--Mac
I am of the opinion that this Capo Feature setting should also have been made song specific.
In bluegrass songs written in the key of 'A', guitar and banjo are normally capo’ed so as to play in 'G' while fiddle and mandolin play in the actual written key of 'A'.
Take the song Salt Creek for example: Common bluegrass song played in 'A'. Guitar and Banjo normally capo 2 to play in 'G' whereas Fiddle and Mandolin play in native 'A' key.
When we utilize the option, it works great. However, if I load my next song, say Foggy Mountain Breakdown, it will sound as if I kept the capo on the instrument. FMB is played in the key of 'G' so banjo and guitar players take the capo off. In BIAB, I have to go in and change the option each time I go from an 'A' song to a 'G' song or from a 'D' song to a 'G' song. If we had the ability to save the capo setting specific to each song, we would not have to change this time and time again.
Many times in my practice sessions, I will play 20-30 songs, many of them traditionally played in keys other than "G" so I am constantly, no pun intended, fiddling with this new option.
Just my observation but this additional step could have been eliminated with a song specific setting in addition to a global option.
Correct me if I am missing something on how to use this new setting.
Can one save the capo setting with the song? I don’t know and I’m not at my music computer to check it out. If so wouldn’t this solve the problem? That is set capo, input chords, save song and then when you reload the song the capo is already on the right fret.
If the capo position can not be saved with the song that would make a good suggestion for the wish list.
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Can one save the capo setting with the song? I don’t know and I’m not at my music computer to check it out. If so wouldn’t this solve the problem? That is set capo, input chords, save song and then when you reload the song the capo is already on the right fret.
Problem as I see it is that we guitarists like to change the capo. As this is currently functioning you can not change the capo once the song is set. Which means the key is set. The ultimate objective of the capo is to vary the key but permit playing the same chord shapes. Right?
OK, I have been working with it and have achieved a moderate amount of success. Here is the point not taken into consideration. Generally we use capos with open chord forms played in first position. We don't need to, but that is kinda instilled in many guitaritst.
But if you allow alternate chord shapes and non-open chords than this does indeed work as it claims. Actually, it has been insightful. My song in C needes to go down to Bb. Normally to maintain the exact open chord shapes these means Capo 10 - not always the best (and a problem since BIAB changes the chords and it should not). With capo 10 it swiches to a D shape which means I am playing back in C. No good.
But if you experiment with capo 1 and allow the chords to change (permitting non open chords) well that does it. All in all a little tricky but interesting.
Capos, like any alternate tuning, can really mess with you mind.
And that chantge in chords for Capo 10 is just not right.
Keep in mind that you can have "negative" capo setting. These are listed as "tune down" of the guitar. So if you set a tune down of 1, that is equivalent to having a negative capo setting. In that situation, you type in an E chord, it displays as an E chord, but will play as an Eb.
Between positive and negative capo settings, that should take care of most any capo type issue. As noted, the settings aren't saved as a per song basis. That's a good idea for future versions, but for now, if you have different capo settings for each song, you'd need to manually set them each time you load the song. It's quite fast to set it, since it is accessed by the transpose button, and then off a menu.
Got ya, I have not given up as like I said capos and alternate tuning can mess with me. So let me keep at it a bit more here.
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And that change in chords for Capo 10 is just not right.
Nevermind, in my advanture I had transcribed to Bb without changing chords which remained in C first postion. Therefore, capo 10 would result in a change in chord shape to D in first postion. Yiieps... 
The fully CAGED guitarist soon realizes that the open D chord shape is, in reality, a truncated version of the open C shape. If one were to extend the open D to a Barre chord, that should become clear.
For example, if you were to place the Capo on the 2nd fret and then play the open C shape, it would sound as a D Major. Note the fretting of the top three strings is identical at that point, it is just that the Capo now takes the place of the 2nd fret fingers.
--Mac
still makes no sense to me! maybe if the documentation explained how to use the capo feature that would help or perhaps someone here can explain it to me. but I feel it would still be counter intuitive because guitarists already know how a capo works!
1) I pick up my guitar and play a C shape and I hear a C chord
2) I place a capo at the 4th fret and play a C shape and I hear an E chord
1) in BIAB I enter a C and I hear a C chord (so far so good!)
2) in BIAB I place a capo at 4th fret but now the chord displayed changes to Ab and I still hear a C chord...WTH?
I don't get this at all! I would prefer it not change the displayed chord at all and instead change the sound like capos work on a guitar. But even if that is not possible why does it display an Ab and not an E when I start with a C and then capo to 4th fret like it would on a guitar?
But maybe it's just me! Admittedly I am no music expert.
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still makes no sense to me! maybe if the documentation explained how to use the capo feature that would help or perhaps someone here can explain it to me. but I feel it would still be counter intuitive because guitarists already know how a capo works!
1) I pick up my guitar and play a C shape and I hear a C chord
2) I place a capo at the 4th fret and play a C shape and I hear an E chord
1) in BIAB I enter a C and I hear a C chord (so far so good!)
2) in BIAB I place a capo at 4th fret but now the chord displayed changes to Ab and I still hear a C chord...WTH?
I don't get this at all! I would prefer it not change the displayed chord at all and instead change the sound like capos work on a guitar. But even if that is not possible why does it display an Ab and not an E when I start with a C and then capo to 4th fret like it would on a guitar?
But maybe it's just me! Admittedly I am no music expert.
the problem solved by this feature is that guitarists using a capo have a hard time following the chord sheet, because the chords on it are different than the capo chords being played. When I see a C chord on the chord sheet, my hands automatically go to that position.
So, this feature lets you transpose the CHORD CHART to match the chord positions you are playing (not the key)
Therefore you can see a C in the chord chart and play a C position chord even though the song is not in the key of C
The problem you are having is because you are entering the chords first THEN changing the capo setting. If you set the capo first THEN enter the chords you are playing, it will be right
After playing with it for awhile, this workflow seems to work and make sense to me,
1) make sure BIAB setting is no capo and no tune down
2) transpose song to its actual key (some of my songs are already stored transposed to reflect the chord shapes I am playing with a capo)
3) set capo and BIAB changes the displayed chords while keeping the key the same
If I want to change the capo setting one fret lower and keep the chord shapes,
1) transpose my song down one semitone
2) move capo one fret lower than before and previous chord shapes are displayed with lower key
If I want to change the capo setting one fret higher and keep the chord shapes,
1) transpose my song up one semitone
2) move capo one fret higher than before and previous chord shapes are displayed with higher key
I think I understand this now but until these settings are stored with the songs I'll probably just transpose to get chord sheets. I see this as problematic every time I load a different song to have to remember to remove or add capo and remember the settings for each one.
It might even be better if BIAB did not remember the capo settings at all so every time I start it I'd start from the same standard place rather than starting wherever the last song had its capo set.
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Can one save the capo setting with the song? I don’t know and I’m not at my music computer to check it out. If so wouldn’t this solve the problem? That is set capo, input chords, save song and then when you reload the song the capo is already on the right fret.
Problem as I see it is that we guitarists like to change the capo. As this is currently functioning you can not change the capo once the song is set. Which means the key is set. The ultimate objective of the capo is to vary the key but permit playing the same chord shapes. Right?
You are right but I think you misunderstood my point. I have never seen a guitarist change a capo during a song. My point was that once you use a capo for a song you always put the capo exactly on the same fret when you play that song again. So if you could save the song with the capo in place it would always be there when you played the song again.
For example develop a song in BiaB with the capo on the 3rd fret then save the song. When the song was loaded into BiaB the capo would automatically be on the 3rd fret. If one saved another song with the capo on the 5th fret then reloading that song would have the capo on the 5th fret.
Although I have a capo I rarely use it. For my music I found it best to learn barre chords. In my early years I was in a band with a tenor sax. At the time we were using the first fake book, thus I had to learn to play in the flat keys. That was some of the best learning experiences that I ever had. I think more guitarist should learn to play in the flat keys and with barre chords. Just my thoughts.
I know so don’t flame me that folk songs and some country songs like the open first position fingers so they use a capo.
MarioD , I agree! if this setting is saved with each song I think we are golden!!
You make a good point about learning the chords but sometimes it just sounds nice to use a familiar form raised in pitch. And finally, my last argument in support of capos
is that I sometimes lay down two very similar guitar tracks, each playing the same chords but one playing open while the other plays different shapes capoed. This can really enhance the guitar section.
I'm just glad to see guitarists making good use of the Capo again.
For awhile there, many treated the Capo as some kind of "cheater" and looked at such with disdain.
Perhaps that came from those who may have really used it to take the place of learning and playing more chord forms, but the real truth is that the Capo, when used with taste, can add a distinctive thang to the ensemble or even the lone player.
And, as mentioned above, can yield two guitar tracks that are not fighting for the same sonic space in a recording.
--Mac
Also keep in mind that Guitarists are not the only stringed players who use a capo.
Banjo Players and Dobro Players probably use a capo more then the average guitar player since the Dobro and Banjo are normally tuned to open G tuning and not the standard Spanish tuning of a guitar.
So the problem remains even for those who are well versed on how a capo works and what it is for. We still have to fiddle with BIAB every time we play a song written and played in a traditional key of say A, D or Bb with a G tuned instrument in order to make the on-screen representation show the chord we are actually physically fingering each time we load a new song.
It would have made much more sense to have made the Capo Feature song specific so we as users could save that setting in each individual song we create rather than constantly having to go back and forth.
Peter: Can you work your magic again and make is so?
Seems to me a lot of work for nothing. I use a capo often and as stated, it has it's use. But as far as chord sheets go, why not transpose the song in the key you want to play it and save it and or print it out so the other band members can use it. You can retain the old version. Just save the new transposed version as "Foggy Mountain Breakdown_Key of C.sgu" or something like that.
Already doing that and have been for years but it sure would be nice to have a 'set it and forget it' option.