Why do you use capo

Using a capo will almost always make the chords feel a little easier which will allow you to play more songs and have more fun which will encourage you to practice more. All of which will make you a better player. Feels easier? Also, because the chord feels easier to play they are often easier to change to and from. I hope you are too. Ok, glad we cleared that up.

One of the perks of playing things higher up the neck of the guitar is that for most guitarists it feels a little easier on the fingers. The amount of pressure needed to fret a note at the 6th fret for instance rather than the 1st fret is usually noticeably less. Using the smallest amount of pressure required to fret a note cleanly will allow you to play for longer and with less soreness.

Both chords you have just played are in fact G Major chords. If you are wondering why, then you may need to understand some of the music theory behind what happens when using a capo. Basically, playing a capo changes everything. The chord shape you play becomes a different chord when a capo is involved. They sound similar but one is deeper and bassier and the other is thinner and janglier. The two tones complement each other really nicely and create a different flavour which is handy for when two guitars are playing the same parts.

I decided to play it without a capo and go through the whole song just playing it with barre chords. Playing the song with barre chords was no problem, but after a couple of minutes into the song I was thinking to myself, my left hand is actually starting to get a little tired as we had been jamming for about 90 minutes already. I realised how rarely this does happen in the songs I play. Usually a lot of barre chord songs will have moments where your fretting hand will have a breather.

Not this one. The songs we were jamming prior to this one were all tiring on my fretting hand, so I could have done with a breather. Putting the capo on and playing it that way would have allowed me that breather.

If you play long sessions and want to give your fretting hand a rest, learn my lesson and start using a capo. They are probably just wishing they used one when starting out. Leave a comment below and let me know what your favourite song to play with a capo is. I want to ask something about capo and barre chords. By doing this, you change the pitch and key of the whole guitar. This means that the chord shapes you have learned can still be used higher up on the fretboard.

The chords played will be different, but the chord progressions you have learned will still sound good. Effectively, playing something with a capo is simply transposing the song, or changing its pitch. Capos have some sort of clamping or tightening mechanism. There are a few different types, but all serve the same purpose.

Some have a bar that clamps onto the strings, which is held in place by a cam-style clamp or by a screw that allows you to physically tighten it yourself. The other popular style has a rubber bar attached to a material strap which can tighten around the back of the fretboard, like a watch on a wrist.

A partial capo works just like a regular one, but instead of covering all strings of the guitar, it only covers some of them. For example, you can use a partial capo to cover all but the low E string. Partial capos are often used instead of alternative tunings, such as Drop D tuning, like in the previous example.

Generally speaking, all styles of capo do the same thing. The choice will come down to your personal preference. You may want a capo which you can quickly and easily put on or take off the strings. In this case, you may want to go for a capo with a clamp design. To apply your capo, simply choose which fret you are going to be using the capo on. Make sure it covers all of the strings on the same fret unless you are using a partial capo. The spider capo is a famous example:. With this capo you can choose which strings you want to press down.

You can learn a lot more about partial capos here. Partial capos can make the impossible, possible. Check out this spider capo extravaganza from Luca Stricagnoli! What Type of Guitarist Are You? Join over , other guitar learners and subscribe to our guitar-tips-by-email service. It's free. We'll send you a series of lessons that will move you to the next level of your guitar journey. Learn how everything fits together quickly, easily and effectively.

We share ninja tips for instant fun! How To Strum A Guitar. How To Play Lead Guitar. Visit our YouTube channel for fun guitar videos. Join us on Facebook for daily guitar tips. Listen to our Learn Guitar Podcast for rapid guitar progress. Check out our free chord lessons. We use music to spread joy and reduce suffering. The nut has grooves that, along with the bridge at the body end of the scale length, ensure the correct lateral placement of the strings along the length of the fretboard.

A capo functions as a sort of moveable nut, as it can be affixed to any fret below the neck joint and provide the same kind of vibration termination. A capo thus works in addition to the nut, rather than instead of it. This means that the pitch of fretted notes does not change; only the pitch of the open, unfretted strings. Consequently, not only the pitch but also the timbre of the strings is affected, imparting the tonality of instruments with shorter scales, such as mandolins.