Capos! What strange and mysterious devices! What do they
do?  How do you use them?

Almost every guitar player has one or two of these creatures
tucked away in the bottom draw of their closet. You know what I
mean …it’s the same place you keep all those “easy” learn to
play guitar books and videos!

Like many things in music when you buy the “item” you are left to
“figure it out” for yourself. I’ve never seen any instructions
with any capo. It’s the same when you purchase an electric
guitar…does anyone know what those controls do?

For those of you who do have a capo and have had “private
lessons” – have you ever taken your capo along for
“enlightenment” on its use and relevant application? I’ll bet you
left more confused than when you arrived.

Personally, I recall receiving a 20 minute lecture on the “evils” of
this contraption when I brought my capo along to my guitar
lesson.

Needless to say, the capo never made a return to the guitar
lessons and for a long time it lived in the bottom draw of the
closet. (That’s how I know where most guitarists put
them. I guess most of us have had similar experiences).

It always made me wonder what the capo really did do …how could
this innocent looking piece of metal cause so much trouble?

For a long time I never tried to use the capo … then
after my ten thousandth attempt at working out the introduction
of the Beatles “Here Comes The Sun” I noticed that if I could
clamp a finger (I think that might be a clue) down behind my
other three fingers with a lot of stretching I could just about
get the sound I was searching for. The problem was holding all my
fingers down and stretching …the solution…the capo.
Immediately my problem of holding down the impossible chord was
solved!

From that moment on, I began investigating the possibilities of
using a capo on other songs I had difficulties with and sure
enough …the capo was the answer. Immediately a whole new
world of exciting possibilities had opened for me.

How do capos work?

Essentially there are two types of chords guitarists use:

(a) open chords – chords that use open strings

(b) bar chords – chords that do not use open strings whereby a
single finger (usually the index finger) is used to cover two or
more strings.

The capo gives the guitarists the best of both worlds, by
enabling the player to get the crisp sound of open chords in keys
that would normally require the use of bar chords.

Tip 1:The main problem guitarists encounter is having to re-tune
their instrument every-time they use the capo.

I recommend the “Kyser” brand capos, they cost a couple of dollars
more than the basic capos, but you will never regret buying one.
I’ve been using one of these capos for over 25 years and it’s still
going strong!

Tip 2:If you have trouble getting a clear sound from your guitar
when you are using a capo check to make sure that you have placed
the capo behind the fret … just like a finger.

Guitarists and guitar books refer to placing the capo on “X”
fret, when in reality the capo is placed behind the fret.

For example, if the song indicated the capo should be placed on
the second fret, you would in fact place the capo BEHIND the
second fret.

Tip 3: Another point is, you need to make sure that your capo is
close to the fret (but not on top of the fret). If you are using
a screw style of capo then you have to make sure you have enough pressure on the strings to ensure they do not buzz.

Tip 4: When purchasing a capo be sure to advise the salesperson
of the type of guitar you play i.e., a steel strung acoustic guitar
requires a “curved capo” as the fretboard on a steel strung
guitar is slightly curved. If you play a nylon strung guitar you will need a flat capo as the nylon strung guitar has a flat fretboard.

Tip 5: Once you place a capo on the neck you are essentially
making the guitar’s neck shorter. Therefore you would treat the
capo just like a new “nut” and play your standard chord shapes
the way you would normally play them without the capo.

Now you know how they work, try playing some of your favorite
songs with the capo, you will be surprised how much difference a
capo can make, it’s like playing a brand new instrument.

From Mike Hayes – The Guitar Coaching Guy & the Express Guitar System

https://www.GuitarCoaching.com
https://AdvancingGuitaristProgram.com