Harvey Reid
Capo Voodoo: Solo Guitar
Woodpecker Records
For 30 years, Harvey
Reid has been
releasing albums of
traditional music
he tracks live in
his home studio,
sans overdubs.
Featuring 6- and 12-string acoustic guitar,
resonator slide, mandolin, 6-string banjo,
autoharp, and other stringed instruments,
these collections offer stirring interpretations
of folk ballads, Delta blues, sea shanties,
Celtic tunes, ragtime, bluegrass, and classical
music. Reid is the world’s leading authority
on partial capos, devices that clamp several
strings while leaving others open. His latest
album,
Capo Voodoo: Solo Guitar, offers 18
instrumentals (recorded between 1981 and
2010) featuring partial-capo work, and they
run the gamut from flatpicked fiddle tunes
like “Arkansas Traveler” to Beethoven’s “Für
Elise.” Using partial capos in both standard
and altered tunings, Reid reconfigures the
fretboard to weave open strings into his
passages in magical ways. Reid’s dynamics,
articulation, and exquisite sense of timing
enrich the stark beauty of his performances.
Intrigued by partial capos? Visit Reid’s
partialcapo.com.