willowhead wrote:i could never relate to the use of a capo.......either a singer aint got no range.......or a player caint play in all the keys.....pretty much the same deal, and could be the same person. i guess there's nothin' wrong with cheatin' if you got no choice on the spur............but that kinna lack of homework will catch up to you sooner or later.........
but hey, long as you havin' fun.....what the heck.....if you tryin' to make a livin'.....now that's a whole other ball game.
As a mandolin player, I agree with you about the use of capos -- I can certainly play in all 12 major keys without one. As a dobro player, however (which is what I used to get paid for), I can tell you that you can't do hammer on's and pull offs except on open strings. A banjo player has that inconvenient drone string to worry about. There is such a thing as melodic banjo (played up the neck) but it usually lacks something in a bluegrass setting; Scruggs style is pretty dependent on having open strings. Mandolin players do make fun of banjo players for using a capo (and for any other reason we can think of), but in their defense, it's a stylistic thing, not a lack of ability.
Q: How long does it take to tune a banjo?
A: Nobody knows, it's never been done.
