It's so much nicer talking about capos here than at the Cafe. A nice ordinary question like, "What brand of capo do you think works best for mandolin?" is usually answered "Learn your fretboard, loser."
I'm especially sensitive about it because once we hired a professional photographer to shoot about a half-dozen shows to get a nice, deep assorted grab bag of photos and he loved how my capo looked on the mandolin. At the time, even though I only played it on 1 song, he thought it looked so cool that most of the shots of me he submitted had the capo. Posters, our web page, there's Erik's capo. I used to have mandolinists asking me about it all the time. I keep my capo on one of those nifty clip-on trays for your mic stand. I also keep extra pics, strings and an extra beer in the cup holder. Here's a good piece of capo related advice, also related to learning tunes in different keys. The advice is to learn all your barn-burnin' banjo songs (Clinch Mt. Backstep, Sally Goodin', etc) in the key of G, so when you banjoist tears off into one without his capo, you don't sound like a fool when it's time for your break. erik On Nov 18, 9:02 pm, Mike Hedding <[email protected]> wrote: > A couple potentially good ideas there Tater but I think I may save the > accessories for my person as I was recently told by a nice elderly > lady that I looked to skinny to hold a banjo for an entire show. I > think I need all the help I can get. > > There's no easy spot to even keep a capo on a mandolin. They fit so > nicely in one of the holes of the banjo. > > Mike Hedding > > On Nov 18, 2009, at 5:51 PM, mistertaterbug <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > Heddster, > > You might as well get a tone guard shaped like your initials or > > favorite body part, armrest, mute, string grommets and terry cloth > > armband too. I'm just about ready to get myself a brace of some kind > > for my index finger. Maybe popsicle sticks...? > > > Whiner Bug > > > On Nov 18, 8:56 am, Mike Hedding <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Alright at the advice of everyone I am going to just be myself then. > > >> I am keeping my tuner on my headstock and no one is going to stop > >> me! > > >> Mike Hedding > > >> On Nov 18, 2009, at 7:53 AM, mistertaterbug <[email protected]> > >> wrote: > > >>> If anyone cares to, go to "Remember the Cross" and "That Home Above" > >>> by the Monroe/Flatt/Scruggs/Wise/Rainwater band. One is clearly B, > >>> the > >>> other B flat. But, they are both clearly played out of A. There > >>> are a > >>> number of other noteworthy cuts, "The First Whippoorwill" for one, > >>> that are played out of one key but are clearly not pitched in that > >>> key. So, did fucking Bill Monroe (to quote fucking Gaudreau) tune up > >>> or capo up? It's not tape drag. As Terry Bullin once said,"Well, > >>> maybe > >>> he did it in the studio but surely he wouldn't have done it out in > >>> public." It's just silly. If the situation requires a different > >>> voice > >>> and the capo provides it, use it. When did it become against the > >>> rules > >>> to use the tools? > > >>> I started using a capo now and then due to saving time and > >>> aggravation > >>> in the studio. Also, open tunings. I'd really love to use more open > >>> tunings. Listen to the cut on Dr. Ralph's recording of "Lift Him > >>> Up". > >>> That's tuned open, but there were a few songs where we tuned open > >>> only > >>> to have TBone say that he'd like to go up a half step. Now, > >>> retuning 8 > >>> strings on a mandolin every which way and expecting it to settle > >>> down > >>> in a few minutes is just unreasonable. Slapping on a capo is not, > >>> especially when time is money. > > >>> As for working up solos and improvising... > >>> I think that maybe we can go back to "the Father" one more time and > >>> consider this approach. Over the years, if I listen to songs that > >>> Monroe did over a number of decades, such as "Uncle Pen", "On and > >>> On", > >>> "Bluegrass Breakdown", etc, what I hear is a script, a framework > >>> over > >>> which variations are applied. I'm not talking about the construction > >>> of the song so much as I am the construction of his solos in the > >>> song. > >>> It seems that he worked out a solo that served as the basic > >>> pattern to > >>> follow, but changed small aspects of it occasionally as his whim > >>> dictated. But the basic "script" was predominantly the same. This > >>> may > >>> be helpful, maybe not. Just thought I'd throw it out there. > > >>> I had a short conversation with Russ Barenburg the other day and the > >>> subject of improvisation came up. He said that he occasionally has > >>> people ask him about improvising, as do I. It's really an individual > >>> learning experience and there doesn't seem to be any one way to > >>> approach it or teach it. He said that to him it is ridiculous to > >>> assume that it is possible to whip out an improvised solo that > >>> rivals > >>> something that requires one sitting down and working it out and > >>> learning it over the course of say, several months. But that seems > >>> to > >>> be what some people assume they will be able to do with a few > >>> "rules". I think that it is easy to overlook the fact that the > >>> sound > >>> our heros have/had did not just appear overnight but took > >>> sometimes a > >>> lifetime of blood, sweat, and tears to acquire. There is too much > >>> impatience in us all. > > >>> I think that Eric has a valid point, that being each song deserves a > >>> look to see what the best approach is. I agree with Eric too (Who is > >>> this Eric guy? He seems to know a lot of stuff...) regarding using > >>> tunings and capos, if a person wants a specific sound, go where it > >>> is > >>> regardless of how you need to get there. As John Hartford used to > >>> say > >>> (and I know I've quoted him saying this before...), "This is art and > >>> there ain't no damned rules." > > >>> Be bold, be yourself, be honest. The audience can spot a phony from > >>> the back row. > > >>> Puhtater > > >>> On Nov 17, 6:46 pm, [email protected] wrote: > >>>> Ron Spears tells a very good Jimmy Gaudreau capo story. At a gig > >>>> somewhere, Jimmy put a capo on his mandolin and Ron > >>>> gave him the "hairy eyeball" as only Ron can do and Jimmy got right > >>>> in Ron's face and says "I ain't fucking Bill Monroe." > >>>> Might even be true. > > >>>> Clyde Clevenger > >>>> Just My Opinion, But It's Right > >>>> Salem, Oregon > >>>> Old Circle > > >>>> ----- Original Message ----- > >>>> From: "Don Grieser" <[email protected]> > >>>> To: [email protected] > >>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 4:36:23 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada > >>>> Pacific > >>>> Subject: Re: Thinking more outside of a Jam > > >>>> I saw Jimmy Gaudreau use a capo on his mandolin at a bluegrass > >>>> festival. It sounded great. It's a tool. Use it for a certain sound > >>>> or > >>>> effect but not because you're too lazy to learn to play in Bb or B. > >>>> Monroe style players play out of closed positions anyway even when > >>>> they don't have to, right? > > >>> -- > > >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > >>> Groups "Taterbugmando" group. > >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > >>> [email protected] > >>> . > >>> For more options, visit this group athttp://groups.google.com/ > >>> group/taterbugmando?hl= > >>> . > > > -- > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > > Groups "Taterbugmando" group. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > [email protected] > > . > > For more options, visit this group > > athttp://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl= > > .- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Taterbugmando" group. 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