Capos: You see them used everywhere but why? Every one seems to have one for their guitar. What do they do and why are they used? So here it is, the capo and everything you wanted to know about this curious device.

What Does A Capo Do Technically?

The bridge on a guitar is just that. It bridges the playable part of the guitar to the point where the strings are secured below the soundhole, at the bottom or fat end of the guitar.

At the top end you have another bridge to where the strings are secured by the machine heads. This is known as the nut, but it is a bridge in technical terms. I am not going to say that the strings above the nut can not be played – a quick listen to Short Tales Of The Black Forest from the album One Friday Night In San Francisco featuring Paco De Lucia, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin will disprove that! If you’re lover of flamenco this is a recommended play. If you’re on Spotify then the album is available to listen to there.

However, for your average person, the effective playable part of a guitar is between the bridge and the nut! Now, imagine you can move the nut anywhere on the neck. Ostensibly, this is what a capo is, a moveable nut. It can only ever shorten the effective string length and raise the key or pitch of the instrument.

It does this by applying pressure to the strings it comes into contact with, like the first finger would in a barre chord. It ensures they lie flat against the fretboard behind the fret so that your strings sound clear when played open.

Capos are available for almost any fretted instrument. Whether you play banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, lute, ukulele or a guitar, a capo works in exactly the same way. This article deals with capo’s for guitars.

A Brief History Of The Capo

The word capo is short for the Italian capodastro and literally means the head of the fretboard. The earliest capos appear to be made around the mid 1700s with the earliest being no more than shaped brass, according to the Music Museum in Stockholm. In the late 1700s the wooden capo became a more familiar sight on flamenco guitars.

In Spain the traditional wooden cejilla or cejuela, is still used today amongst purist flamenco players – along with guitars that use pegs like a violin rather than modern machine heads to tune the strings. The actual translation of cejilla, a feminine noun and the more common name out of the two for a capo in Spain, is just that: a bridge. Today it is also associated with the word nut as that is what a nut is, a type of bridge.

English capos from around a similar period utilised holes drilled through the neck of the instrument to secure it at the back whilst holding down the strings.

Development Of The Capo

Moving on to the 20th century, we saw an explosion in different types of capo. They came in all shapes and sizes, utilising different mechanisms to secure the device and designs to promote faster relocation during live performances. Plastics and rubber gave greater scope to a designer, particularly where the interface with the strings is concerned; neck curvature became less of a problem.

The use of partial capos, multiple capos and multiple string capos has bred an industry of suppliers with a dizzying array of choice.

Johnny Cash used a Hamilton capo and Joni Mitchell a Russell. So, demand was sometimes driven by what other people used.

The First Thing To Check When Buying A Capo

Prices of capos today vary wildly. Most are fit for purpose and won’t break the bank. There are many varieties of capo but the main thing to watch out for is the neck profile of your chosen instrument.

The second thing you will need to do is consider how quickly you can use the device if this is important to your performance.

Flat Profile Capos

• You’ll almost certainly want one of these for a classical style guitar fretboard. Completely flat and wider than normal acoustic or electric guitar necks.
• Slide guitar players generally used an under the string capo variant that lifts rather than lowers the strings.

Curved Profile Capos

• Most electric and acoustic guitars made today feature a slight curve to the profile of the neck.

Generally slimmer or not as wide, you’ll need a capo with a curved profile to deal with this.

Partial Capos

Partials come in a variety of profiles and widths and are generally heard in folk and country styles although not strictly limited to these genres.

They have an advantage over alternate tunings because they involve no instrument retuning during a live performance. These devices select only certain strings. The Kyser 6 string quick change capo allows for a drop D style of tuning. (TIP: You can also a use a full capo in the drop D capo position on the second fret depending on the capo design or if you use a Shubb cut the tail end off the rubber so it just covers the 1-5 strings.)

So, you have a capo? What are the uses for such a device?

Uses For Capos.

There are really only two uses for a capo:

• To add a certain colour, mood or contrast. It can also be described as adding a sense of other worldliness or creating a certain ambience. It does this by altering the tuning of your instrument selectively.
• To instantly transpose the key without having to change how it is played if necessary.

Advantages Of The Capo For The Singer Performer.

Let’s imagine you know to play a song in the key of G but really your voice, or your singers voice, is straining because the key is too low. A capo is the answer!

You find that A is the right key for the vocals. How? You’ve played the A chord and started to sing and decided that the A note feels right and suits your vocal range better. If your first chord is A rather than G then you can either transpose the song or use a capo.

• Throw a capo on before the second fret and play it in G – you’re good to go. No having to learn any new chords.

Where the capo isn’t applied to provide a quick solution is when it is used to add mood and colour. You could say it is applied with a bit more thought or care.

Adding Mood & Colour Utilising A Capo

If you also play as part of a duo then some very interesting note and chord combinations produce a very pleasing and rich harmonious tone. Using voices as the analogy works well here: think choir or two voices here rather than solo vocalist or two vocalists singing exactly the same thing. Jim Croce was an artist who used this technique to excellent effect to balance the sound of the guitars and create an individual and easily recognisable sound.

One guitar might play the song in C whist the second guitar plays in the key of G but with a capo at the fifth fret. Two guitars playing the same chords at the same time can become monotonous and at best sound like a chorus effect if used all the time. You’re in the realms of production or expression here.

This method isn’t just limited to live performances. As a solo artist in the studio you will have two takes, one using a capo, and then you have two completely different but harmonious guitar parts.

Using a partial capo instantly lends a mood to the song, like an alternate tuning, but it can also preserve some normal chord aspects of the playing. More often than not it requires relearning the chord fingering so is outside the scope of this article to go into any detail. In theory it is nothing more than relearning those aspects you need to. You may need to learn little depending on the partial key capo you have used.

Standard full width capos can be used with alternate tunings to raise their key in the same way as a standard tuning. Playing in an open tuning such as open A and needing to play it in B can be achieved easily this way, whilst still preserving the open A chord and fingering:

• Capo at the second fret.

When Things Sound Terribly Wrong When Using A Capo

You wouldn’t think such a small device can reveal a problem, but it can. Sometimes the guitar is thrown wildly out of tune, so here’s what to check for:

• Is the guitar tuned properly before you throw on the capo? Being slightly out of tune is revealed as the capo clamps the strings to the fretboard farther up the fretboard.
• If you have brand new strings just wait for them to bed in. A couple of hours is usually enough to stop slippage. Try again later.
• If you have old worn strings on your guitar, a capo will, nine times out of ten, reveal this. Replace your strings. Try again.
• If everything else is good then maybe your capo is exerting too much pressure and not completely evenly across the fretboard. This causes come strings to be forced out of tune. Try another capo or alter the power setting if there is one.
• Maybe the capo is worn or faulty – try another. Some capos have replaceable parts like the Shubb.

Anything else is generally down to the guitar:

• A bowed neck.
• Frets requiring adjustment.
• Bridge alignment.

In these cases it is best to see a luthier. All students have their instrument checked for these sorts of issues at Teach Guitar Preston. Why? It ensures that the student can be confident with and in their instrument.

Advantages & Disadvantages – Wrapping It Up

A capo is a common tool for guitarists. Here are a list of the advantages and disadvantages of capo’s

Advantages Of The Capo

• Allows the singer songwriter to move between keys easily whilst in the songwriting and creation groove.
• Permits vocalists to try different close keys to the one the song is written in so they can hit their vocal sweet spot.
• Used properly it can introduce subtle harmonies and colours not available to the guitar without a capo.
• Give access to different intervals that play harmonically with the overall tone. These can define an artist by their particular sound.
• Instantly tune your instrument for playing alongside instruments with difficult keys like a saxophone or mouth organ for cross harping.
• Particularly useful when you have a limited chord set and need to play alongside others.
• Allows more song playing options to the chord challenged player. Can be very useful to learners so more song goals can be worked on and objectives realised quicker.
• A partial capo can be a great introduction to achieving the sound of the world of alternate tunings.

Disadvantages Of The Capo

• Overused it can make songs sound stale as the same chords are being played all the time but at different positions on the neck.
• It can give a false sense of confidence and reliance which is realised when there is no access to a capo. A seasoned guitarist wouldn’t care about the song in A played with E fingering with the capo on the fifth fret. They would simply adapt if they had no capo.
• Unless used specifically for the effect, it can start to sound a little strange as the capo gets higher up the neck towards the body. It sounds thinner and loses bottom end.
• They can and do go missing! Just like plectrums! When everyone uses the same capo then putting it down at the studio can be the start of a long adventure! With some capos retailing for £30 plus it can be more than a little irksome to have these go missing – scratch your initials on it if you’re prone to leaving your capo around!

So hopefully that’s answered all the questions you were too afraid to ask about the capo!

If you don’t yet own one of these useful devices I supply trigger capos for £6 to students.

They do the job and I use them extensively.

They are cheap enough to have one for every guitar and a great present for any guitarist! I also teach how to use them in your music, song arrangement and writing endeavours. Every lesson, every course, tailor made to help you reach your musical goals.

Capos: You see them used everywhere but why? Every one seems to have one for their guitar. What do they do and why are they used? So here it is, the capo and everything you wanted to know about this curious device.

However, for your average person, the effective playable part of a guitar is between the bridge and the nut! Now, imagine you can move the nut anywhere on the neck. Ostensibly, this is what a capo is, a moveable nut. It can only ever shorten the effective string length and raise the key or pitch of the instrument.

It does this by applying pressure to the strings it comes into contact with, like the first finger would in a barre chord. It ensures they lie flat against the fretboard behind the fret so that your strings sound clear when played open.

Capos are available for almost any fretted instrument. Whether you play banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, lute, ukulele or a guitar, a capo works in exactly the same way. This article deals with capo’s for guitars.

Advantages & Disadvantages – Wrapping It Up

A capo is a common tool for guitarists. Here are a list of the advantages and disadvantages of capo’s:

Disadvantages Of The Capo

• Overused it can make songs sound stale as the same chords are being played all the time but at different positions on the neck.
• It can give a false sense of confidence and reliance which is realised when there is no access to a capo. A seasoned guitarist wouldn’t care about the song in A played with E fingering with the capo on the fifth fret. They would simply adapt if they had no capo.
• Unless used specifically for the effect, it can start to sound a little strange as the capo gets higher up the neck towards the body. It sounds thinner and loses bottom end.
• They can and do go missing! Just like plectrums! When everyone uses the same capo then putting it down at the studio can be the start of a long adventure! With some capos retailing for £30 plus it can be more than a little irksome to have these go missing – scratch your initials on it if you’re prone to leaving your capo around!

So hopefully that’s answered all the questions you were too afraid to ask about the capo!

If you don’t yet own one of these useful devices I supply trigger capos for £6 to students.

They do the job and I use them extensively.

They are cheap enough to have one for every guitar and a great present for any guitarist! I also teach how to use them in your music, song arrangement and writing endeavours. Every lesson, every course, tailor made to help you reach your musical goals.