Never again miss a chance to accompany a singer with your guitar or jam with other musicians just because you don't know the chords to a particular key. Spend $4 or $5 on a capo and put it in your gig bag.Some guitarists scoff at the capo as being for cheaters. Granted, it will let you cheat. But even accomplished guitarists can benefit from a capo. Here are six reasons to have a capo, no matter what your playing level.
Why Aren't You Using a Guitar Capo?
Never again miss a chance to accompany a singer with your guitar or jam with other musicians just because you don't know the chords to a particular key. Spend $4 or $5 on a capo and put it in your gig bag.
What is a capo? A capo (from Italian,
capotasto, "head of the fretboard") is a device that shortens the strings of your guitar. It's like having a magic finger that let's you barre a fret anywhere you want. It's usually a strip of rubber, that you clamp down on your guitar at the fret of your choice. Imagine placing a capo at the second fret of your guitar. This raises the pitch of each string one whole step. It has the same effect of retuning your guitar from EADGBE to F#BEAC#F#.
The simplest capo is a rubber roller that you attach to your guitar with elastic straps. But there are other methods to clamp the rubber piece, including thumbscrews, cams and springs. Some guitarists scoff at the capo as being for cheaters. Granted, it will let you cheat. If you only know the three of four basic chords to play in a given key, with a capo you can use these same chords to play in any key without having to learn new chord forms.
But even accomplished guitarists can benefit from a capo. Here are six reasons to have a capo, no matter what your playing level.
Accompany a Singer
A capo is handy if you sing or accompany a singer. You may know a tune in its standard "sheet music" key. But maybe you sing or accompany a singer who can't sing it in that key. No problem, try a few capo placements until you find a guitar key to match the vocal range.
Jamming with Other Musicians
Imagine going to your first bluegrass jam. You want to join the jam and the leader calls for a tune in the key of A. Unfortunately you don't know those chords. But you're good with chords in the key of G. And, you've got your capo. Put the capo at the second fret, and your G chords (G, C and D) become A chords (A, D and E). Join the jam, there's no need to sit this one out.
Play Chords Requiring Big Stretches
If you're playing solo guitar, some tunes require long stretches of the fretting hand. If your're not up to those stretches, capo up a few frets. That will shorten the stretch. There's no need to take that tune out of your repertoire.
This is also a good way to develop stretchability. If the chord stretch is too much for you at an open position (at the nut of the guitar), capo up a few frets until you find a position where the stretch is easy. Get the chord changes down at that position. Then, set the capo back one fret for a more challenging stretch. Repeat. Over time, you'll gain flexibility and make that stretch in the open position.
Artistic Expression
You may want to capo your guitar because you just like the sound. Shortening the strings with a capo increases the string tension and makes for a brighter song. Listen to blues great Albert Collins. He regularly plays his guitar capoed up the neck. It's not because he needs to cheat. He does it purely for artistic expression.
Jamming with a Plethora of Guitars
It's not unusual to find four or five guitarists at a jam. That can get pretty muddy with everyone down at one end of the neck. Use some capos to liven things up. This works best with uncomplicated songs in easy keys. But, it will introduce new, higher chord voicings, and lead players will have to rethink some of their stock phrases.
Enable Basic Picking Patterns
A classic example of another good guitar player using a capo is Simon and Garfunkel's Scarborough Fair. Paul Simon capos his guitar at the seventh fret to play this E minor song using A minor chord voicings. This enables a picking pattern that would be impossible in A minor.
Some Other Special-Case Uses for a Capo
Older Guitars
Some old guitars, particularly 12-strings cannot withstand any more string tension than standard tuning. Tuning it up higher could damage the guitar. The solution: use a capo.
A Third Hand
If you do setup work on your guitar or make other tweaks that require you to fret a string, the capo can be used as a mechanical third hand.
For $4-$5 minimum to $16-$17 for the Cadillac of capos, you can't afford to be without a capo.
