Using these 3 power tools in the PRACTICE song view, you can learn how to play any solo by ear with Capo.
Markers: Divide and Conquer
By breaking them into smaller pieces, you can learn any solo that might seem impossible at first. The key is to tackle these smaller, more manageable parts in separate sessions. Place markers at the beginning of key points in the solo, and they’ll be saved in the Project for next time.
For example, if you’re working on a blues solo with a distinct call and response structure, you might want to place one marker before each of the call and response pairs. Or, if you feel it needs to be broken down further, put one down before the call, and one before the response.
Of course, some solos might not need to be split up at all. Or, maybe you just want a marker to remind you about a phrase that needs more work during your next session. There’s no right or wrong answer here, so do what works best for you.
The Transcription Playhead: Repeat it 'til you’ve got it
Learning a solo looks a lot like this: you listen to a bit of it, stop, try to find the notes you just heard on your instrument, listen again, and repeat until you can play it yourself. This cycle is handled for you by the Transcription Playhead—it starts from the same spot every time you hit play. Once you get the notes under your fingers, you can move the playhead forward to set a new starting point.
Do you control Capo using keyboard or MIDI commands on the Mac? If so, stop playback just before the next set of notes you want to learn, and hit the command to set the transcription playhead to the current frame.
The Speed Slider: Zoom in on what you hear
When you encounter a set of notes that go by too quickly, or you aren’t quite sure if you’re hearing a hammer-on or two separately-picked notes, that’s when it’s time to turn to the Speed slider for a helping hand. Don’t be afraid to take it all the way down to 25%—Capo keeps notes sounding clear so you can hear all the details.
Watch it all in action
I filmed this video to show you all these tools working together, so you can see (and hear) how useful they are for learning fast-playing notes at a comfortable pace.
With practice, and patience, you can learn to play anything you want using Capo’s powerful collection of tools.