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A capo lets you keep the chord shapes you know and change the key they sound in. Here's where to put it, how to work out what you're really playing, and the positions worth remembering.
A capo is a clamp that holds all six strings down at one fret. It's small and simple, and if you sing or play with other people it earns its place in the case quickly. If you've avoided one because working out the chords looked confusing, the arithmetic is easier than it seems.
Each fret raises a string by one semitone (a half step). A capo at the 2nd fret raises all six strings by two semitones at once. In effect it moves the nut up the neck, so the fret where the capo sits becomes your new open position.
Your chord shapes don't change. Finger a G with a capo on the 2nd fret and your hand does exactly what it always does, two frets higher. What comes out of the guitar is an A chord. That's why players talk about two things when a capo is on: the shape you're fingering and the chord you hear.
Place the capo just behind the fret wire, in the same spot a fretting finger would go. Not halfway between two frets, and not on top of the fret itself. Keep it straight, parallel to the fret. If your capo has adjustable tension, use only as much as it takes for every string to ring.
Then play each string on its own. If one buzzes, move the capo closer to the fret or add a little tension. A capo can also pull the strings slightly sharp, more so when it clamps hard or sits far back from the fret, so check your tuning with the capo on. If you retune with it on, check again when you take it off.
Once a capo is on, chord diagrams and most tab count frets from the capo, not from the nut. "3rd fret" means three frets above the capo. A string marked 0 is played open, which now means it rings at the capo.
Count up one semitone for every fret of capo. The twelve notes in order are:
A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, Ab, and then A again.
Some of those have two names (Bb is also A#, and F# is also Gb), but there is no extra note between B and C or between E and F. So a C shape with a capo on the 2nd fret is two semitones along from C, which is D. This table does the counting for the five most common open shapes:
| Capo fret | C shape | A shape | G shape | E shape | D shape |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Db | Bb | Ab | F | Eb |
| 2 | D | B | A | F# | E |
| 3 | Eb | C | Bb | G | F |
| 4 | E | Db | B | Ab | F# |
| 5 | F | D | C | A | G |
| 7 | G | E | D | B | A |
Minor and seventh chords follow the same counting. An Am shape with a capo on 2 sounds as Bm. An Em shape with a capo on 3 sounds as Gm. A D7 shape with a capo on 2 sounds as E7.
Most capo playing comes down to two families of open shapes: the ones from the key of G and the ones from the key of C.
| Shapes you play | Capo | Key you hear | Chords you hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| G, C, D, Em | 2 | A | A, D, E, F#m |
| G, C, D, Em | 3 | Bb | Bb, Eb, F, Gm |
| G, C, D, Em | 4 | B | B, E, F#, G#m |
| G, C, D, Em | 5 | C | C, F, G, Am |
| C, F, G, Am | 2 | D | D, G, A, Bm |
| C, F, G, Am | 3 | Eb | Eb, Ab, Bb, Cm |
| C, F, G, Am | 5 | F | F, Bb, C, Dm |
The C family includes an F shape, which is where many players first run into barre chords. Barre chords for beginners has easier versions of F that work just as well with a capo on.
Often you start with the chords you want to hear and need to find the capo fret. Pick a fret, then count each chord down by that many semitones. If you land on open shapes you know, you're done.
Say a song uses Bb, Eb and F. Count each one down three semitones and you get G, C and D, so put the capo on the 3rd fret and play those shapes. A song in B with the chords B, E and F# gives you a choice: capo on 2 with A, D and E shapes, or capo on 4 with G, C and D shapes. Both are correct. Use whichever set of shapes you change between more easily.
For singing, the method is simpler still. If the song feels too low, move the capo up a fret at a time until it sits comfortably. A capo can only raise the pitch, so if a song is too high you need a different family of shapes. G shapes with no capo give you the key of G. D, G and A shapes with a capo on 3 give you F, a whole step lower.
A capo is also a good way for two guitarists to stay out of each other's way. One plays G, C and D with no capo. The other puts a capo on the 7th fret and plays C, F and G shapes. Both are playing G, C and D, but the second guitar sits higher, and together they sound fuller than two people strumming the same shapes.
Every song page shows the key, capo and BPM under the chord grid, and a song added from catalog search comes with its chords, key and capo position filled in. The transpose stepper shifts the whole song up or down. If a new key would turn easy open chords into awkward barre shapes, the app suggests a capo position instead. The Songs guide covers the song page.
Play G, C, D and Em with no capo. Put the capo on the 2nd fret, play the same four shapes, and say the chords you hear out loud as you go: A, D, E, F#m. Move the capo to the 4th fret and do it again with B, E, F# and G#m. After a few rounds you'll stop needing the table.
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