Tips On Using A Capo

think of a capo as a movable nut....if you're in standard EADGBE tuning and put a capo on at the 2nd fret, you'll now be in F#BEAC#F# tuning....strum a D chord shape, what you'll actually hear is an E chord....

A capo will come in handy for a chord progression like B/Abm/E/Gb7....stick a capo on the fourth fret and play G/Em/C/D7...

basically, it allows you to play the same chord shapes in different keys...

:D :D :D

Vic

It can also be handy when you have several guitars going and you want to change the pitch of one or two.
But Vic's reason is the most common.

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks guys!

I look forward to playing around with it.

Jason

Remember to place the capo as close to the actual fret as possible to avoid fret buzz, but I'm shure you've already thought of that.

Remember to place the capo as close to the actual fret as possible to avoid fret buzz, but I'm shure you've already thought of that.
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with that. If you don't get fret-buzz with your finger in the middle of the frets, a capo won't cause it either. The capo is no different to a finger, in a barre chord - it doesn't need to be right up to the fret. In fact, if you have medium/jumbo frets, putting the capo too close to the fret will probably cause the strings to go slightly sharp. You'll also need more pressure to keep the capo down, the closer you get to the fret.

Not only can you use familiar chord fingerings using a Capo, but you can use open tunings to really good effect and have open strings in any key.

Example - open D - DADF#AD -> Capo on 2 gives Open E, on 5 gives open G.

Best,

A :-)

A capo will give you a brighter tone also, almost like playing a different guitar :D

I know these are "old" columns, but you might find them of help.

This one's called The Underappreciated Art of Using A Capo:

https://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=2

And this one's about transposing, which can involve the use of capos:

https://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=53

Peace

Thanks, I was looking for something like that. I had been working on the song"John Barley Corn" so those "old" columns came in handy---the dog

Thanks, I was looking for something like that. I had been working on the song"John Barley Corn" so those "old" columns came in handy---the dog

You're quite welcome. Sometimes I forget there's a lot more to this site than the forum! :wink:

Peace

Do you use a capo on classical guitar alan ?

Do you use a capo on classical guitar alan ?

Pieces written specifically for the classical guitar rarely (I can't say "never" because I will probably find out I'm wrong! :wink: ) use capos.

But that doesn't mean you can't use a capo on a classical guitar. I play a lot of songs of all styles on the classical guitar and, generally speaking, if I'd use the capo when playing the song on another guitar, I'll use a capo on the classical.

Of course, you want to use a capo designed for a classical guitar, meaning one that will comfortably and effectively fit over the wider fingerboard.

Peace

A capo will give you a brighter tone also, almost like playing a different guitar :D
I've noticed that. Why does it happen? Increased string tension?

I was trying out Hodge's Fields of Gold lesson over the weekend, with the capo on the 7th fret. My guitar had a very chimey, bright, bell-like tone that sounded great. Maybe I need to transpose everything I play ... :lol:

Thanks for the links David.

Stupid question, but based on that first link, capo at 7th fret turns a C into a G so I'd form the C just under the capo like I would for an open C from the nut? So the second string first fret would now be second string 8th fret correct?

I think this is slowly sinking into my apparently dense skull. :)

Thanks again everyone for the info. Excellent as always!

Jason