Learn To Play Guitar: Using A Capo Part 1

Using a Capo
Tutorial: Part 1


This is introduction to capos. One of the great things about a capo is that you can take an established chord progression and kind of breathe new life into it, with new voicings and new ways to play things. It's great for second guitar parts, because you won't be playing the same voicings as the guy without the capo.

Another thing is as you move up the fret board and the frets get closer together and the pitches get higher, voicings that weren't viable here in the open position suddenly become viable.

Then one of the most common usage of the capo is to take a chord progression and alter the key, so that you can keep your voicings that you are used to, in the way applying it, but now you can alter the key to suit a different vocal style or a different vocal range. So we will just look at that very basic functionality of the capo right now.

So let's say I have a very simple G to D to C chord progression. My singer told me that he did not want to do it in the key of G, that C is his most natural key to sing in.

So the first thing I would do is take a look at the chord, the G major chord that I am starting out with. I look at the root note. You will notice that root note, the root of the chord, the G in G major is here at the third fret of the sixth string. So all that we simply have to do is change that so that its now C. So we will go up, G, A, B, C. An easy thing to remember about the natural notes is they are all a whole step apart from each other, with the exception of E and F and B and C, which are a half step apart from each other. So we will go G, A, B, C.

The chord section starts out with a D chord, and uses the D to the D sus4. We have already seen those fingerings previously, so we are just adding the fourth finger. Then we will go to a C at ninth chord, and then to a G major.


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