Bruce using a capo

[Stuart]

Does anyone know why Bruce used a capo on The Final reunion tour with Cliff.Notably on "Sea Cruise" which is in B flat.I don't think there was any finger picking work on that number and he is a very competent rhythm player.Any Ideas?

[Iain Purdon]

I don’t know why but, if he used the capo on the first fret so he could play it in “A”, why not! He uses the capo on the third fret for 36-34-36 to great effect. It means the second chord in the rhythm solo can be “open string” which is a lot easier than a barre all the way across. One other thought, with arthritis I’m finding chord shapes harder to maintain. I’m not suggesting that’s Bruce’s reason but it would certainly help.

[Stuart]

Yes Iain,you are right, he did exactly that, playing the A , D and E shape chords as you would at the nut end of the neck but it seemed surprising to see from someone of Bruce's standard.Possibly there was an injury or medical problem at the time??

[artyman]

My colleague and I use Capo's on occasions to utilise different chord shapes and a mix of sounds. I seem to recall seeing Hank use one as well

[Stuart]

Using a capo to allow fingerstyle picking of any or all strings in different keys is what it was designed for .But seeing it used for straight forward strumming of chords seems to point to a special reason.Playing B flat, E flat and F at the bottom of the neck using bar or barre chords sounds just the same with your finger doing the job of the capo.Its no big deal really, it just intrigued my curiosity!

[Jay Bass]

Its also sometimes good to use a capo to obtain a better tone
open string chords to tend to ring and sustain a bit more than bar chords. also the bass side would sound cleaner
so maybe it was just a sound preference.

[RayL]

I agree with Jay. The way that open strings ring out when using a capo is somehow greater than when a forefinger is trying to hold down six strings.

In addition, Bruce would have been learning his chords in the mid-1950s. The available books, like 500 Chord Shapes For The Guitar by Keith Papworth (B.Feldman & Co Ltd, 3/-) show you the shapes, but not how to achieve them. No mention of the barré technique. It just looks as if you use the ends of your fingers. If you watch Bruce's left hand, he very rarely uses barré - its just the way he learnt to play.

[Moderne]

There seems to be an implication that using a capo when strumming chords indicates a lack of ability or degree of laziness. They are used so that the best-sounding chords can be played most easily - why make things difficult for yourself if you don't have to? The Shadows have used capos since the 60s - one can clearly be seen on the 5th fret of a Gibson acoustic on the cover of Brian's Change of Direction LP, a still from their Split '67 Song Contest performance, and Marvin, Welch, Farrar used capos on songs such as Lady of the Morning (2nd fret...so that the Key of D chords could be played although the song is in E, from memory!) Bruce's (or Hanks's) earliest use of a capo would be a more interesting discussion topic.

[bazmusicman]

I agree with Jay. The way that open strings ring out when using a capo is somehow greater than when a forefinger is trying to hold down six strings.

In addition, Bruce would have been learning his chords in the mid-1950s. The available books, like 500 Chord Shapes For The Guitar by Keith Papworth (B.Feldman & Co Ltd, 3/-) show you the shapes, but not how to achieve them. No mention of the barré technique. It just looks as if you use the ends of your fingers. If you watch Bruce's left hand, he very rarely uses barré - its just the way he learnt to play.

I still have that chord book, '500 Chord Shapes For The Guitar' by Keith Papworth I bought in about 1960! Also 'Play in a Day' by Bert Weedon which I bought in about 1958/9.
I did have the pleasure of meeting Bert and his wife in about 1977, a really lovely bloke.
Regards,
BAZ.

[artyman]

I still have my 500 chord shapes as well, though the Bert Weedon tome has long since disappeared, an original is probably a collectors item now!