countryman - Posted - 06/06/2009:  15:28:24

I'm trying to learn songs but most are played with guitar. like Billy Currington's People are Crazy. They chords I found is a standard guitar capo 5. What is that on the banjo and will my chord shapes change? Maybe if somebody has something to help learn to use capos that would help too.

banjomikey - Posted - 06/06/2009:  15:31:57

if the chord shapes are as if they were playing in G, then just capo your banjo at 5 and play out of your normal g tuning positons.

Mike

You can pick your nose and you can pick your banjo, but you can''t roll banjos into little balls and flick em.

Rick McKeon - Posted - 06/09/2009:  07:03:28

If you recognize the chords and want to know what chords they sound like Capo 5, just remember that any two consecutive notes are a whole step (2 frets) apart except for B to C and E to F. They are a half step (1 fret) apart.

This may seem a little cumbersome, but just count them up to get to the chord name. For example, if the guitar player is making an open C chord and the capo is at the 5th fret ask yourself "If I move a C up 5 frets what do I get?" C to D = 2 frets, D to E = 2 frets, E to F = 1 fret. Therefore that C shape at the 5th fret is going to sound like an F.

Of course you don't have to do this all the time. There are charts and transposing wheels which have it already worked out.

Rick

steve davis - Posted - 06/09/2009:  07:31:27

The common ground on banjo/guitar chords happens on the 2 3 and 4 strings since they are
tuned the same on both instruments...B G and D respectively.
I often stay oriented on the guitar by thinking in these partial chords and filling in the bass.

Pool

minstrelmike - Posted - 06/09/2009:  08:24:44

If the guitar capos 5, then you either capo 5 and play the same chords or you transpose and use uncapoed chords.
(The full third option is to capo elsewhere and use a 3rd set of chords but it all works the same).

You have to memorize the chromatic scale in order to use capos effectively, understand scales, and use chord shapes to play in particular keys. It is however, one of the _only_ theory things that must be memorized.

I know of several ways to explain capo use. The simplest, if you know your chords up the neck, is to put on the capo and then make a D chord (use the 4234 frets in relation to the capo). Now look at the fingerboard and imagine it without the capo and imagine what chord you are actually holding. For example, if you capoed the 5th fret and formed a D chord
(4234 plus 5 = 9789) and then looked at it without a capo, you'd know it was the G. Therefore capo 5 moves a D to a G (and everything else moves accordingly).

Mike Moxcey Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
http://moxcey.net/mike/minstrel/index.html

Chumley - Posted - 06/09/2009:  20:43:49

Mike,
You really know your stuff

depoyd - Posted - 06/10/2009:  06:22:47

Here is a link you might find useful - there is a handy capo conversion chart, Chord chart for common bluegrass keys, a circle of 5ths chart, some note, scale, chord info hope you find it useful - feedback greatly appreciated - don

http://www.meandmartha.com/html/online SlowJam Book w-songs.doc

I pick therefore I grin :-)