Capo?

[Lorrayne]

As a super extra beginning guitarist, should I invest in a capo?

[GuitarLight]

Hi Lorrayne. Yes. If you ever intend to sing, a capo will be your best friend. Using a capo changes the guitars pitch, evenly, higher or lower, across the board, to match your voice on different songs. If you find your voice is too high and the guitar sounds too low...you can raise or lower the capo to positions 1 2 3 4 etc as needed, bringing it up slowly to where it meets and works with your voice the best. It is also good to switch your capo position when you practice a lot and wish to change the sound coming to your ears after you have played it many times over. Using a capo in positions 1 2 3 4 and up, can also give your frets a break from wear because it splits up where you are pressing the frets over and over and over...say during learning a new song. I often learn new songs by playing it repeatedly with a capo..first capo 1..then capo 2...then capo 3 and so on. That also allows me to sing along with each capo position to see which one best suits my voice for that particular song. If you happen not to have a guitar tuner, you will DEFINITELY need a guitar tuner, even before a capo. It will help you keep your guitar in PERFECT tune..therefore sounding its best. A capo...a tuner...and a pick, unless you only play finger style..these are things you will need. Keep up the good work Lorrayne!

[lengle1981]

I use a capo quite a lot . When you learn how the guitar works chords wise etc you can use a capo to your advantage. My capo is like my best friend especially on acoustic guitar.

[MorrisrownSal]

I have three of em... :)

 

I can play cowboy easy chords anywhere on the guitar!

 

Yes - as a singer (lousy one) it is great for transposing keys...

[bill67]

I learned to play the chords all over the guitar,I think you should learn that first.Then use a capo if you want,but I don't think you will.

[dr faustus]

I don't use it a lot, but I am very glad I have a capo. For some songs - especially when singing (not sure you can call what I do singing, but anyway...). They aren't expensive, so invest in one. Why not?

[Lorrayne]

I started playing about the end of October (I consider that super extra beginner), so I've got a decent handle on the basics and a couple of simple songs learned. I still have a LONG way to go on barre chords! Someone suggested I get a capo because I sing. So far I only need it for one song. Thanks for the input!

[Dodger11]

I would definitely recommend getting a capo Lorrayne, it means you can sing the song in many different keys just by moving the capo along the frets and find the key which accomodates your voice best.

 

Good luck with learning - barre chords are difficult but you'll get there in time. I think the more you play with other people no matter what their level is, the better it is for everyone.

 

Guitar playing is like everything else - you plateau and think you'll never get any better them later everything clicks and you improve with every practice.

 

Happy strumming!

 

Dodger

[Mark L]

Hello everyone! A capo? (Short for Capodastro) YES! Definitely. Especially if you are into Christian Music which I discovered a year ago. With a capo most songs if not all are just 4 chords - Em, C, G and D. You just move the capo up or down to suit your voice key. I have actually 6 of them. One for each guitar that I use regularly. Thanks. 😃🎸

[Lorrayne]

So I ended up getting a capo even though I'm almost not terrible at playing barre chords. My Mom plays a keyboard and is visually impaired, so it's easier for me to adjust to her if we play together. Thanks for the advice!

[cliffmac]

Hi Lorrayne. Yes. If you ever intend to sing, a capo will be your best friend. Using a capo changes the guitars pitch, evenly, higher or lower, across the board, to match your voice on different songs. If you find your voice is too high and the guitar sounds too low...you can raise or lower the capo to positions 1 2 3 4 etc as needed, bringing it up slowly to where it meets and works with your voice the best. It is also good to switch your capo position when you practice a lot and wish to change the sound coming to your ears after you have played it many times over. Using a capo in positions 1 2 3 4 and up, can also give your frets a break from wear because it splits up where you are pressing the frets over and over and over...say during learning a new song. I often learn new songs by playing it repeatedly with a capo..first capo 1..then capo 2...then capo 3 and so on. That also allows me to sing along with each capo position to see which one best suits my voice for that particular song. If you happen not to have a guitar tuner, you will DEFINITELY need a guitar tuner, even before a capo. It will help you keep your guitar in PERFECT tune..therefore sounding its best. A capo...a tuner...and a pick, unless you only play finger style..these are things you will need. Keep up the good work Lorrayne!

[/quot

 

A capo allows you to play different chords in the same key ex. G chord capo on the 3rd is an A and the A chord being the B chord. It just helps with some songs, Yes definitely get a capo make sure it is one the won't interfere with your chording.

Guitarlight as usual is right on the money with info

[diverden]

As stated above you should try and learn all the chord positions that you can.

A capo is a must though when you have to use a particular chord shape to add a 4th or augment a chord.

A common one being using a D shape with capo at the third fret for an F.

Also when jamming with others a capo comes in handy when you get thrown a key change at the last minute.

Just have fun with it.

[Dennis G]

Yes, get one.

[milod]

I picked up a capo for my very first guitar when first I bought it. Guitar, case, capo, strap (an odd thing for a classical), spare set of strings - and a book called "Folksinger's Guitar Guide."

 

That's over 50 years ago. I still have the classical/flamenco guitar capo, btw. Not the guitar, though.

 

Anyway, I have a capo for each of my guitars - even the "rock/country" electrics. Mine all are Kyser capos, not because they're necessarily the best, although they're quite good, but because they are good, middle-priced and work similarly on all of my guitars the same way.

 

The one problem with a capo is ensuring that it's placed on the neck appropriately - because regardless of "type," if it's not clamped evenly when you're attaching it, one or more strings will be outa tune. And... you can't really tune a string while it's held down by a capo. The Kyser type does help make that possible, but it can take a little bit of gripping it to get it clamped correctly.

 

If you only have been messing with guitar since the end of October and can sing a song and accompany yourself, you're doing pretty well.

 

I'd say learn a bit about "transposing" even for the simplest of songs. For example, a blues song with chords E, A and B7 can be played with the capo at the fourth fret in C, F and G7 positions. or with the capo at the seventh fret and played with A, D and E7 positions. Or...

 

Best of luck.

 

m

 

EDIT: I just got thinking that at roughly $15, and with a capo in each guitar case, that's enough for me to have another nice Epiphone acoustic-electric. But they've been bought over time and it's handy not to worry about having a capo in a guitar case I might grab to play "out" somewhere.

[TommyK]

A capo can become a crutch, but using one makes a beginner able to play more tunes in more keys by capo-ing up then fingering cords in a key you know.

 

Being a crutch one can become dependent upon it. At some point 'wean' yourself off of it by learning more first position cord shapes as well as barre cords.

 

Then, a capo can be used to capo up when jamming and a jam mate changes they key on you.

 

Note, the cheapo Dunlop rubber-band-on-a-nail capos are generally do not work well with guitars with crowned fret boards, i.e. 99% of guitars made. The 99% are folk guitars. Classical guitars, on the other hand, most generally, have flat, uncrowned fret boards.

 

If you want to know what is the best don't ask on this forum as you'll get a gazillion answers. But the best capo for the money is the Shubb.

 

 

 

 

Let the argument begin.

[milod]

I'd disagree that the capo is a crutch. There are plenty of high-end pickers, from blues to flamenco and folk, who use them.

 

It's just a different mentality of playing.

 

I remember one good example when I was called in some 40 years ago by a college theater prof. His guitar player for "Man of La Mancha" came down ill and he needed somebody to do the guitar thing. It was all in Ab, Bb and Eb. I had a cupla days to memorize the music - not all of which I was familiar with - and to figure how to play those keys. Transposition and the capo worked quite well - and far better than a whole musical score with my index finger glued to the fingerboard. Could I have done it that way? Probably, although a fretting hand cramp would also be likely over a number of performances, including matinee and evening.

 

In flamenco a capo is almost a part of the guitar. Some blues pickers ditto. Folkies/country pickers from Mother Maybelle Carter through the folkie "thing" in the 50s and '60s used them commonly so a fingerpicking or flatpicking thing at root chords could work in about any key. That's functionally impossible without the capo.

 

OTOH, rock and jazz tend to have a different concept of the guitar. That's the difference right there, "concept."

 

The guitar is many instruments in concept, even using the same bits of wood.

 

m

[Mrmajstyk]

Yes, get a GOOD capo. Shubb is an excellent choice! I have 4 of them.

Listen to a lot of your favorite guitarists/singer-songwriters. A lot of them use capos.

Continue learning and using barre chords too though.

A capo isn't necessarily a crutch. There IS a difference in sound when playing a first-position open E chord vs a C chord with the capo on the 4th fret. Or the difference between a first-position open D vs a C chord with the capo on the 2nd fret. Lots of fun in discovery. And get a good clip-on tuner too...Snark is good.

But, more importantly...just keep playing!!!

[Cougar]

One thing not mentioned: The farther down from the nut you go, the frets get progressively closer together. I like putting a capo on the 2nd fret (well, not on the fret) just because it makes playing open chords easier. The fingers don't have to stretch as far to make an open C chord, for example.

[milod]

Cougar...

 

Yup, especially on 25 1/2 inch scale acoustics!

 

m

[fromnabulax]

Using a capo can be especially sweet when jamming with other guitar players.

 

While your pals are playing open G chords, you can capo on the 5th fret and play D shapes. Your G will have a completely different feel and tone while offering texture and tonality not achieved otherwise.

 

It's also a simple easy way of standing out from the other players around you.

 

There are several types of fine capos on the market, I use both Kyser and Shubb depending on the guitar. Heck, I even use mandolin capos from time to time in order to barre off only certain strings. Playing in the key of E using D shapes on the second fret with an uncapoed lower E string sounds great. It's a technique used by early Dylan on several tunes.

 

Be sure you get the right capo for your guitar neck though. Most steel string guitars have curved necks while nylon string classical and flamenco guitars have flat necks and require capos designed and built specifically for them.

 

A capo is not a crutch or cheat device, it is a tool.

[sbpark]

Definitely are nice to have! I'd recommend a Planet waves or Shubb brand capo. You can adjust the tension on them, unlike a Kyser. The Kyser puts a lot of tension on the strings that can easily make them go sharp, forcing you to re-tune. With the Planet Waves or Shub you can dial in just enough tension to work, without going sharp. Makes for quicker on and off in between playing.

[wiggy]

There was an interview with Glen Campbell years ago in which he said that one of the reasons he was in such demand as a session player at the beginning of his career was down to his use of a capo. Whilst all the other musicians had to work out the chord inversions when the key was changed on a take he would simply move the capo and be ready to go (particularly useful in his case as he could't read notation or tab at that point)

[Dennis G]

Semi hijack, although it still refers to Glen Campbell. Read recently where even though he's in the final stages of Alzheimer's and may/may not recognize family/friends/etc. he can still pick up and play a guitar. Didn't say whether or not he still used a capo though (semi keeps it on topic, no?).