Thanks for all the comments, I have now amended the original caption with the picture!

John

One difference between the function of a 'normal' capo and a 'reverse' capo is- a normal capo merely presses the string down to the fret, so the notes are governed by where your frets are. A reverse capo actually becomes a sort of fret, independent of the real frets. It can be positioned for example in the location of a 1.5 fret and give you that note even if you do not have a 1.5 fret on your instrument. That is an interesting advantage. Another advantage to a reverse capo is that by its very nature it can be positioned under one, two, or all strings- thus being very versatile compared to a 'normal' capo that presses down onto the strings. This is made possible partly because the reverse capo is automatically anchored firmly by the strings that run over it, whereas a normal capo has to have some sort of anchoring clamp that can hold firmly- not easy on an instrument with no neck, as we all know!

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Thanks Robin and John,

That is a helpful distinction so mineshould clearly be described as an 'inbuilt partial capo'!

I now understand that the 'reverse' of a reverse capo applies in the vertical plane i.e. under rather thanabovethe strings as opposed to the horizontal planeofi.e. coming from the reverse side of the dulcimer which was how I originally mistakenly interpreted it. I am very used to partially capoing a guitar but dulcimer capos of any sortare newer to me -I havea dulcimer capo proper as well but have not found that I use it very much.

I see that Peggy Seeger has a picture down the page at http://www.peggyseeger.com/about/whats-new/2007-2008 showing herTerry Hennessy Dulcimer with two capos; one of which, on the drones,("a movable capo the smaller of the two protrusions over the first fret") may besimilar to mine although you can't see the slide. The same picture also shows another sort ofpartial capo on the melody strings ("a latch capo, that stops the string at the first fret until you press it and then hey presto! you've released the string. Perfect for 'modal' tunes") I have never seen one like that either.

Best wishes,

John

Robin Clark said:

Hello John,

I see Robin has just covered most of this, but as I have it written ...

A normal capo usually refers to one that presses down on the string, a reverse capo pushes up on the string. In either case the object is to move the position of the nut.

With a normal capo this is done by pressing down behind one of the frets, in which case that fret becomes the new nut.
With a reverse capo (e.g. a toothpick) this is placed under the string at one of the frets and itself becomes a false nut.

Normal capos extend right across the fretboard and press down on all strings, this is not always what you want, in which case using a reverse capo allows you to create a new nut on just one or two of the strings, rather than all three.
The main difference is that a reverse capo only acts on the drone(s) and allows access to the whole of the melody string, something that you won't get with a normal capo.

So strictly speaking what you have is a normal capo acting on a single string. It doesn't really matter what you call it, it's getting the mechanics behind it that counts.

john

Hi John,

To my mind, the photo is not of a 'reverse capo' or 'false nut' but a 'partial capo'. The capo in the picture works the same as a normal capo - it holds down the strings behind a fret. A false nut/reverse capo is independant of any frets and will work on older dulcimers with no frets under the middle and bass strings.

The most useful positions to capo the dronesis the first fret on the bass string from 1-5-5 tuning to give 5-1-1 tuning. This enables a switch from key of D ionian tunes D-A-A to key of A mixolidian tunes E-A-A - lots of popular Appalachian tunes fall into these two keys/modes when played at sessions. The capo in the photo would facilitate this switch nicely. Also a retuning of the melody string from A to d would give E-A-d using the partial capo - so you would have key of A dorian - another very popular key/mode fo Appalachian tunes. Occasionally I will use a reverse nut at fret 3 from D-d-d tuning to give G-d-d (key of G ionian). I could stay in D-d-d (5-5-5) but lifting the bass to G (1-5-5) gives a very bright sound which suits a lot of the popular key of G Appalachian tunes.

Being able to have the partial capo in the photo work on the bass string at the frist fret and third fret would be an advantage for fast tuning changes at old time sessions. However, it looks like the rail is at a slope in the photo to increase the downforce as the capo arm is slid forward. This may cause a problem if trying to use this design over a span of 3 frets. I'm sure though that you could come up with a design that would work.

Robin

I had started this as personal messages to which John Shaw has helpfully responded, but I thought if I made it a discussion there might be others who are interested or might contribute.

Fitted to a dulcimer I recently bought on ebay, I found what I now know from John is an inbuilt 'reverse capo'- see my picture . I am finding I rather like it - it makes a very quick change from D Ionian to E dorian mode possible without fiddling around to add anything extra. It slides a bit like a banjo 5th string capo except that it is hardly noticeable - it wasn't visible or mentioned on the original ebay picture/description.

The internet references I can find to reverse capos mainly seem to be referring to a 'false nut' type, i.e. something going under the string at the fret lifting the string up (see Robin Clark's reply in an earlier discussion ) although I have also seen olderrefernces to onewith a spring clip which fits into a hole in the fingerboard. However I can't find any description of one like the one on this dulcimer and wonder if it was homemade or was indeed marketed for the purpose. If homemade it is very nicely done.

I may do some experimenting with a longer slide on the side, maybe to include the 3rd fret and/or maybe extending across the middle string too. However, is anyone aware of someone makes them?

John

updated by @john-rawlinson: 06/11/15 07:33:16AM