Bill

I use the transpose to get me to the easiest way for me to play - comfortable chords.   Then after I get it down sometimes I'll go back to the original chords.

As far as getting it in a range for my voice ----- Lmao -  It really doesn't matter cause I can't sing for a hoot anyways. I'm sure it's important for real musicians however.
I use the capo a bit when I'm trying to get a certain sound - for instance when I play Galway Girl By Steve Earle I move it to 5th fret to get a  Mandolin/Uke sound.

Congrats on getting settled in your new digs.  Always a pleasure to hear from you and Dondra.

Best wishes to you both.

Jim

Thanks for the song suggestion! had never heard that but it has that D he likes so much in copperhead road ,  now a new one to learn. the 12 makes a nice mandolin sound capoed on 3 or 5.

Most stuff by America usually capo on 1,  Landslide by Fleetwood Mac (originally in Eb I think) capo on 3, and I've found that most tunes originally scored for Keyboard sounds better capo'd on 2 and played as scored for piano (at least sounds best with accompaniment on the "ivorys").  Kris Kristofferson stuff usually goes down better (for me) with the capo on 1 as well for some reason...

Most folks I think use it to adjust to their singing range, mine hovered somewhere around Bb for a long time, but as we got older it kinda wandered all over the place.... most days it's "hit or miss", with more of the latter.    If in doubt start low and go up one at a time until you find what's comfy, if that don't work, transpose and start over, if that don't work take it out of the "set".    Or find someone who CAN sing....

I transpose to find a key that does not include B chords. Or, if I have to use key of E for example, then I always play B7 or Bm.

I use the transpose to get me to the easiest way for me to play - comfortable chords.   Then after I get it down sometimes I'll go back to the original chords.

As far as getting it in a range for my voice ----- Lmao -  It really doesn't matter cause I can't sing for a hoot anyways. I'm sure it's important for real musicians however.
I use the capo a bit when I'm trying to get a certain sound - for instance when I play Galway Girl By Steve Earle I move it to 5th fret to get a  Mandolin/Uke sound.

Congrats on getting settled in your new digs.  Always a pleasure to hear from you and Dondra.

Best wishes to you both.

Jim

My main reason for transposing is to accommodate my bass voice, so I'll bring it down a couple of semi-tones so I don't sound like a squawking goose. In particular, David Gilmour's and Paul Simon's voices are higher than mine, so I have to move their songs down a bit. Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) and Leonard Cohen are right in my range, so anything of theirs I play sounds better.

As already suggested, it sometimes an advantage to change the original key to accommodate a capo. Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) write / plays a lot of his music in E or F, but he'll capo at the 2nd or 3rd fret so he can use the D-shape for some of his signature "twiddly bits". Mark Knopfler does the same to work with his vocal register.

Dondra and I are both looking forward to unpacking and the music fits too

Question: How does one know when to use a capo? Is it guesswork, try and fail kinda stuff.

"She Who Must Be Obeyed" sends hugs to you and  Janet and ALL of you!

Bill

I'll try to send you some background music to listen to while un-packing.

1. The + semitones

2. The - semitones

3. About even for both

4. I don't transpose

Thanks, and Pete, I know I still owe you a listen over on the Cloud and I'll get there, okay? Meanwhile Dondra and I are still "blown away", with the song you sang for the both of us.

Y'all behave till I get back. We're about to move into a smaller apartment, so the two of us will be busy beginning later today.

Thanks

Bill and Dondra Craig