Help: where to capo for a song in G minor

Subject: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 07 Sep 02 - 11:15 PM

I've tried, I've thunk, I've looked at the capo chart on the Internet. But I still can't figure out where to put the capo and what chords to use to make a song in G minor more guitar-friendly.

The chords that actually occur are Gm, Cm, Eb, Bb, D, F and G (This is early music, so both G and Gm are allowed by the chord police.) I guess I need to know what capo and the name of the imaginary key that I am "transposing" to.

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: Francy
Date: 07 Sep 02 - 11:24 PM

Try the third fret......Play Em, Am, C, G, Bb. D and E...

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: AndyJim
Date: 07 Sep 02 - 11:29 PM

If you capo at the third fret and play in Em, you'll be in Gm. The chords corrusponding to Gm, Cm, Eb, Bb, D, F and G will be (in the same order) Em, Am, C, G, B, D and E. All the best, Andrew

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: Justa Picker
Date: 07 Sep 02 - 11:37 PM

You could also try tuning the guitar down 1 whole tone.
Play it out of A minor, and transpose the rest of the chords.

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: Ebbie
Date: 07 Sep 02 - 11:38 PM

Just last night I did that in backing up 'Kentucky Mandolin'. Much faster and easier and gives a good sound.

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: wysiwyg
Date: 07 Sep 02 - 11:54 PM

I have been joking for years about the need for a capo for autoharp. Today we gave up all hope of that and punted. I wish I had done it a year ago when I first thought of this--

We tuned one of my laminated/electric autoharps down a half step and now I can play in B, E, and all sorts of keys that suit my voice better for songleading. Other players just tuned to me, finding it easier than transposing all our material. And I don't need to know really what key I am in, I can just use all the arrangements we'd already worked out. It improved greatly the tone of the chords to the outer edges of the bqar assembly (a 21-chorder). The overall tone is a bit rough-sounding tho, for the middle-located chords, compared to how it used to sound.

That leaves the other solid-wood/electric harp tuned to play in true tune with fiddle tunes, at jams, and so forth, amped or acoustic with its good tone. I was going to carry two harps anyway now that I have a good luggage cart and better portable playing stand than I have had in years. (I play table-top upside down.)

The quick-change-chord-bar-assembly Chromaharp I bought, I am refelting to make it diatonic E & B.

~S~

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: Thomas the Rhymer
Date: 08 Sep 02 - 01:14 AM

Hiya! Just to add variety, you could try,,,

Dm,,Gm,,A#,,F,,A(7),,C,,D....

Capo'don the Fifth fret

ttr

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 08 Sep 02 - 08:53 AM

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. I could try both methods. Capo the favorite guitar on the third fret but also get the camping guitar out and lower it a step. (I don't play these guitars, I just own them.)

If you want to hear the piece we are doing, it is called Gray's Inn by John Coperario. Go to http://village.infoweb.ne.jp/~fwii3867/em/index-e.html and click on the title. We will be doing it slightly faster than the site has it. Again, thanks.

WYSIWIG: That was interesting about tuning the electric autoharp down a half-step. However, if one of us did that, we'd be tuning the other instruments all night. It must depend what instruments are in the ensemble.

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 08 Sep 02 - 01:02 PM

Depending on the guitar and the capo, but you might be able to put it on the tenth fret and play "a minor" related chords...

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Sep 02 - 02:33 PM

leeneia, that's the autoharp I use for songleading, and when we play together there can be any number of instruments depending on which band members are free. But as the songleader, I end up being the de facto leader of our gang, and they tuned to me for years before we got in the habit of retuning it weekly, sometimes off true tuning by as much as a quarter step. It was easy for them but hard for me-- because I would have to work with each of them one by one till we were all set.

Now, my husband tunes it weekly because of some problems I am having with my arm. I can either tune or play but not both in one evening, and until recently he just didn't have the time or a good enough tuner to do it easily.

We don't have a hammered dulcimer of a celtic harp, so I have the largest nuimber of strings and the others have not minded at all.

This is a temporary approach so that I can try singing in B and E, which I have suspected for a long time I should be doing. If it turns out that's right, I'll rewrite all our arrangements and use the diatonic harp that will be ready by then. I just don't want to do all that felting and restringing till I am sure.

But I still keep the better harp tuned true to play with fiddle and to back up anyone else who is leading, vocally or instrumentally, when I'm not-- when we play with others, or if I am leading the monthly beginner's jam. If I didn't have two harps, I would not do this.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 08 Sep 02 - 10:14 PM

I see what you mean about the tuning. I bet you're an alto like me. B and E would be good keys for me too, especially as opposed to C and D.

I've been wondering what happens when one tunes a guitar down a whole step, as suggested above. Would steel string remain in tune when loosened that much? Has anyone had any experience with this?

McGrath: in my opinion, if you put a capo on the tenth fret of a guitar, it would be much too high and thin. Thanks for thinking of it, though.

We have a McGrath in our band. Do you say McGraTH or McGrah?

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Sep 02 - 11:03 PM

String gauge, string gauge, string gauge. There was a great thread about that too.

~S~

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 09 Sep 02 - 01:42 AM

What's all the fuss? Just play in Am and capo down two frets.

Aloha,
Mark (those Mai Tais in Waikiki are gooooood....)

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: Amos
Date: 09 Sep 02 - 01:50 PM

Hawaii -- home of the Long Board and the long-necked guitar with the extra frets at the top!! :>)

A

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 09 Sep 02 - 01:52 PM

"a capo on the tenth fret of a guitar"

What's the point... get a mandolin in that case! lol!!

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Sep 02 - 09:33 AM

Mark: "Just play in Am and capo down two frets." Great idea? Basically, that's how we sing, too.

Maybe someday we will achieve fame by doing a Three Altos concert.

Susan: changing the string guage would involve changing the strings, and that's too much work for one song.

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Sep 02 - 09:43 AM

L, I am not talking about doing it for one song. I am answering your question about whether a retuning by a whole step would work, and saying that it depends on the string gauge used.

~S~

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: Gorgeous Gary
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 10:09 PM

I keep my 12-string tuned down a step, with extra light steel strings. I don't seem to have a problem staying in tune (or as close to in tune as a 12-string gets and/or stays...).

In fact, the ability to do that is one of the reasons I got the 12-string. I'd joined an English Country dance group here in MD, and some of their pieces were in Gm. The ability to play uncapoed, tuned down, and transposing was quite useful in helping me get up to speed with that part of the reportoire.

Of course, I realize I **should** learn bar chords someday and solve the problem entirely...

-- Gary

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 13 Sep 02 - 09:56 AM

S: Okay.

G: that sounds like interesting music. What are some of your favorite pieces, Gm or not?

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in E minor
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Feb 16 - 03:00 PM

ANYONE KNOWS WHERE TO CAPO FOR A SONG IN E MINOR?

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Feb 16 - 03:40 PM

Zero

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 08 Feb 16 - 06:11 PM

Very old thread, but I'd agree: capo 3 on Em is easiest. I used to do "Both Sides the Tweed" in that but eventually went up to Am (capo 5 on Em)
I suggest Gueat decides what key he/she wants to be in before posting spammy garbage.

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: michaelr
Date: 08 Feb 16 - 08:53 PM

Another clever comment of mine deleted by a fuckwit mod. Mudcat really sucks these days.

---

No messages have been deleted from this thread. Mod (rubber/glue/pfffft)

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 Feb 16 - 09:49 AM

Easy now. Maybe Guest is a beginning player with an instrument tuned in Eb.

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Feb 16 - 12:14 AM

Why don't I bring some closure to this 13-year-old thread?

I don't even remember asking this question, but now I know that for a song in Gm, I would capo the third fret. However, I have music software now, and if I liked a song in Gm, I would simply change it to another key, probably Am.

We played Gray's Inn, one way or another, back in 2002, and it was not a hit. The gang never says "We don't like this," but I can tell when a song has no appeal. In time it was discarded, and then it was forgotten.

Today I tried playing the version in Peter Barnes' second dance book, and I couldn't make it flow. It seemed to be a collection of musical lumps. The version at abcnotation plays more smoothly, but for me it still fails to thrill.

So that is the beginning and the end of my association with the dance tune called "Gray's Inn".

Subject: RE: Help: where to capo for a song in G minor
From: GUEST,Captainswing
Date: 22 Nov 16 - 01:08 PM

How are you getting on with 'The Trip To Limone' Leeneia?