Simple Capo question

Freebase Dali · 10-10-2010, 09:49 PM

Drop C is Drop D tuned a full step down, so you can switch between those tunings simply by being in drop C natural and capoing at the second fret for Drop D.

D#/Eb is standard tuned a half step down, so you can tune to D# natural and capo at the first fret for standard.

Drop D is standard with ONLY the low string dropped a full step down to D. (You can see why this is a problem...)

The missing link here is moving up from Drop D/C to D# or standard, since the low string needs to come up a half step or a whole step respectively, independent of the rest of the strings. This is an easy solution, but it can't be done with a standard capo. You WILL have to manually tune the low string between drop C/D and Standard/D#. But you can make it easy on yourself by capoing 5 strings for Standard and D# and manually changing the low string.

This is probably confusing you more, but you need to understand that drop D changes one string from standard (and drop C is a whole step transposition down from that), and D# is simply a transposition from Standard. It's why you have to manually tune the low string between drop D/C tunings and D#/Standard tunings. Capos will make this a lot easier on you if you simply tune to the lowest tuning (Drop C) and full capo between that and drop D... and when you're ready to switch to E# and Standard, you capo on 5 higher strings the respective number of frets and manually tune the low string. It's really the simplest way, unless you know of a single-string capo to use with the other one.

10-10-2010, 09:49 PM	#11 (permalink)
Freebase Dali Partying on the inside Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 5,584	Drop C is Drop D tuned a full step down, so you can switch between those tunings simply by being in drop C natural and capoing at the second fret for Drop D. D#/Eb is standard tuned a half step down, so you can tune to D# natural and capo at the first fret for standard. Drop D is standard with ONLY the low string dropped a full step down to D. (You can see why this is a problem...) The missing link here is moving up from Drop D/C to D# or standard, since the low string needs to come up a half step or a whole step respectively, independent of the rest of the strings. This is an easy solution, but it can't be done with a standard capo. You WILL have to manually tune the low string between drop C/D and Standard/D#. But you can make it easy on yourself by capoing 5 strings for Standard and D# and manually changing the low string. This is probably confusing you more, but you need to understand that drop D changes one string from standard (and drop C is a whole step transposition down from that), and D# is simply a transposition from Standard. It's why you have to manually tune the low string between drop D/C tunings and D#/Standard tunings. Capos will make this a lot easier on you if you simply tune to the lowest tuning (Drop C) and full capo between that and drop D... and when you're ready to switch to E# and Standard, you capo on 5 higher strings the respective number of frets and manually tune the low string. It's really the simplest way, unless you know of a single-string capo to use with the other one.