With the addition of this handy tool, the guitar becomes a an instrument capo-ble of much more!
The capo (pronounced “kay-po” or sometimes “cappo” depending where you’re from) is a device that allows you to change where the nut is on your guitar. This enables you to play open or first position chords in different keys. It’s important to remember that a traditional major barre chord on the low E string is an E Major, but moves your first, barred finger around like a capo! The addition of a capo means playing with open position fingerings and chord formations in the key of your choice. Plus there’s that sweeter, brighter tone.
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Classic rock anthems such as The Eagles’ “Hotel California” (fret seven), The Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun” (fret seven), Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain” (fret two), and Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin” (fret three) all make use of the handy device.
An issue with using a capo, though, can be putting it on. Often they will tug at the strings and when used incorrectly, and can result in pulling the guitar out of tune. This is a major issue when it comes to playing live, with the need to move it between each song a recipe for disaster. It’s also best to tune the guitar with the capo on, as the intonation of your guitar will change!
The answer is placement. If you place the capo on the neck with space between it and the fret, the strings are going to be adversely stretched. The key is to set one just behind the fret, but not on it, otherwise it will deaden the strings. It’s in the perfect position when the edge of the capo is placed right on the back half of the fret. As is the case with all techniques, practice makes perfect. But once you can replicate this position with ease, playing with a capo will become synonymous with placing in tune.
Pencil capo
For those unsure whether they want to dive in, a trick as old as time itself is a pencil and a few elastic/rubber bands. The function of a capo is to fret all six strings at once, and a rigid, straight tool like a pencil can do this with ease, as long as the rubber band can hold it securely in place. This can be a great solution in a place where a capo is needed immediately, like a recording studio where inspiration has struck, or a writing session where a capo has been misplaced! For this writer, capos have become like odd socks in the laundry and there’s multiple that’ve been lost to the void.
Spider capo
Traditionally used to fret all six strings at once, crafty guitarists over the years have used multiple capos to fret different notes on different strings, though sometimes limited because of how securely a capo needs to clamp onto the neck and frets. Enter the Spider Capo, a crafty invention that frets strings individually, allowing for creative and inventive tunings to be used. While the Spider works across one fret, the addition of a traditional capo or a second Spider can expand on creativity!
Tonality
The tonality of a guitar with a capo is also attractive to the player, higher fretting giving an acoustic guitar a mandolin-like quality as the higher notes remove the full-bodied sound of an acoustic guitar. While not explicitly ‘thin’ sounding per se, the addition of one of these handy tools removes the mud and low-end of a guitar, bolstering its midrange for a sparkling, chime-y tonality.
Keep reading about their use beyond just the guitar, in folk music, at The Denver Folklore Centre.
