Make your own capo

kiduke310

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if you're like me and bought a guitar capo that looks like this

CapoC1.jpg


or are just very low on money, here is something i figured out today by looking at youtube (the answer to almost all of my problems)

first you need a fairly short shoelace (can be cut shorter later) a pencil (or pen, but the wood probably is a bit easier on the strings) and a ukulele or guitar.

Photo74.jpg


then what you want to do is tie a solid knot near one end of the pencil/pen

Photo77.jpg


after that, line it up on whatever fret you are supposed to capo

Photo78.jpg
 
from there, have one string go over the pencil, and the other go under, and wrap it around the neck of the uke/guitar like so

Photo79.jpg


then tie the two strings together as you would a shoelace

Photo80.jpg


continue to tie the shoelace to get the very manly bow of practicality.

Photo81.jpg


you can cut the string to make the bow not as big, or just push it out of the way.

i realize this is a bit inconvenient as the pencil sometimes gets in the way, as well as the string, but its free basically if you have these things laying around, which i'd think most people do.

hope this helps some of you UU users.

:D
 
would it move up or down the neck as easy as a purchased capo?
 
would it move up or down the neck as easy as a purchased capo?

Probably not, but the point is that it's cheap, convenient, and accessible. On that note, I've used a guitar capo without much of a problem, aside from it being big and looking silly.
 
Probably not, but the point is that it's cheap, convenient, and accessible. On that note, I've used a guitar capo without much of a problem, aside from it being big and looking silly.
imho... cheap and accessible, yes. convenient, not really.
big and looking silly - could it be a "wrong" capo purchased.
this would look ok and they are inexpensive.
http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?page=products/pip&id=81&pmh=products/capos

anyway,
somehow i think you missed my point. perhaps using rubber
band instead of shoe lace, the diy capo might move up or
down the neck with ease.
 
LOL but the shoestring pencil capo is so much cooler!

you're from KL?! all my uncles and aunties lives in klang.
 
a well tied ribbon on colorful shoe lace would be neat... lol.

klang, the bak-kut-teh town... what about you? migrated?
 
lol, I feel like such a nerd, but I've totally done similar(couldn't find my capo). I actually took an old dead bic pen, took of the point and ink, cut the back end so it was just a teensy bit wider than my fretboard, laced the shoelace through the former pen and tied it around bag.

Yeah, I know it's sad I put WAY too much thought into that
 
a well tied ribbon on colorful shoe lace would be neat... lol.

klang, the bak-kut-teh town... what about you? migrated?

my parents left way back, and i've lived in california all my life. i go back every two years or so though. i miss the food /:
 
lol, I feel like such a nerd, but I've totally done similar(couldn't find my capo). I actually took an old dead bic pen, took of the point and ink, cut the back end so it was just a teensy bit wider than my fretboard, laced the shoelace through the former pen and tied it around bag.

Yeah, I know it's sad I put WAY too much thought into that

also a brilliant idea. that would probably be easier than this actually.
 
imho... cheap and accessible, yes. convenient, not really.
big and looking silly - could it be a "wrong" capo purchased.
this would look ok and they are inexpensive.
http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?page=products/pip&id=81&pmh=products/capos

anyway,
somehow i think you missed my point. perhaps using rubber
band instead of shoe lace, the diy capo might move up or
down the neck with ease.

Those are actually cool looking, I saw one earlier today for four dollars, but I left it because so far I haven't had any use or need for a capo on my ukulele.
 
daniel szetho,
i feel you and other american in this forum are lucky. unlike here
in malaysia, ukes sold in music shops (that is if they do sell ukes)
are often limited to mahalo (only one model) or samick (also one
model).

uke choices are plentiful and they so much cheaper in the USA.
 
Those are actually cool looking, I saw one earlier today for four dollars, but I left it because so far I haven't had any use or need for a capo on my ukulele.
one does not need a capo if one...
1. only do finger picking
2. have a wide vocal range.
3. knowledge in transpose chords

either one or all, i am very happy for you.
 
daniel szetho,
i feel you and other american in this forum are lucky. unlike here
in malaysia, ukes sold in music shops (that is if they do sell ukes)
are often limited to mahalo (only one model) or samick (also one
model).

uke choices are plentiful and they so much cheaper in the USA.

LOL yeahh i guess we do take that for granted. i thought the selection in my store was limited, but you only have like two choices. that stinks. you could always order online, but thats super expensive as well. or maybe you'll get lucky and get deached or somethin LOL. i'm just super surprised someone's playin uke all the way in malaysia.
 
one does not need a capo if one...
1. only do finger picking
2. have a wide vocal range.
3. knowledge in transpose chords

either one or all, i am very happy for you.

Well I do a lot of fingerpicking. Aside from that, I sing terribly and have almost no knowledge in music theory. 1/3 isn't too bad right? But I do use my capo a lot on my guitar. Go figure.
 
alec,
i am bad with stuff like "go figure"...
do you have any videos on your guitar playing on youtube?
 
Home-made inventions for the win... :)

Down here wrapping up a music degree, it's sort of a status symbol among guitarists to not ever need a capo, and when I picked up the uke, I started learning the whole fretboard from the beginning...either because I'm that much of a theory geek or I wanted to look cool around the classical guitarists. What would be really helpful is a little button you could press that would make the "E" chord...prolly help a lot of us out.:p
 
alec,
i am bad with stuff like "go figure"...
do you have any videos on your guitar playing on youtube?


I don't, but I could probably make one soon enough....I'll do what's probably one of my favorite songs, Blackbird. Should I do a guitar or a ukulele?
 
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