If you’re confused, think about it like this. You can play in the key that best suits their voice without relearning anything yourself by moving your capo around. The same principle applies when you’re playing with a singer. By doing this, you can play the song exactly as before, just shifting up one whole step into the key of A. This puts your playing in the same relation to the capo as the original parts were to the guitar’s nut. Now take all your chords, licks, patterns, etc., and move them up by two frets from where you usually play them. Think of the second fret as your new guitar nut. To play in A, start by placing your capo on the 2nd fret of your guitar. You already know how to play the song in G using open chords. Use a capo to bail yourself out and play the song in a different key without altering the arrangement. If all else fails, also slink back to your lair. Try to wing it and play the song in a different key, possibly making a fool of yourself. Admit that you can’t play the song and slink back to your lair with your tail between your legs. One problem, though, is that they only know this song in the key of A. You sound fantastic, and you pat yourself on the back!Ī week later, you meet up with some friends to jam and show off your newfound musical virtuosity. You’ve put in a ton of practice and found the perfect licks and open chord voicings that fit this arrangement like a glove. Let’s say that you already know how to play a song in the key of G. Now let’s go over the basics of how to use one!Ī capo allows you to play the same guitar parts in many different keys, but how do you do this? So now you know what a guitar capo is and why you would need one. A capo would allow you to learn the song in a key that is convenient to play (probably your open positions) and then move those chords and patterns around the neck to the key that sounds the best. You may also run into songs that are easy to play in one key but sound better in another. Without capo, you would have to relearn the entire song, in a different key, on the spot to play along with everybody else. Also, not every singer will have the same range or can sing in every key. It’s not uncommon for different musicians on different instruments to learn the same song in other keys (some folk songs, for example). This is especially useful when jamming with other musicians or playing alongside a vocalist. Moving a capo to different frets of your guitar allows you to easily play in different keys without relearning chord shapes, scale patterns, licks, or retuning your guitar. Using a capo is kinda like having a movable nut on your guitar. What is a guitar capo, and why do you need one in the first place?Ī guitar capo is a device that attaches to your guitars’ neck and presses down all the strings at a single fret. What is a Guitar Capo and Why You Need One For more info, please see my disclaimer and terms & conditions. If you purchase anything through these links, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you ( a great way to help support the site□). Heads up: This post does contain a few affiliate links. Here we’ll be going over all the basics, such as īy the end of this post, you’ll be able to make a more informed buying decision when shopping for your first or next guitar capo! If you’re a more advanced player, feel free to skip to the top capo recommendations at the bottom of this post! Well, have no fear this post is here to help! It can be overwhelming trying to choose the right one for you. There’s an enormous amount of guitar capos on the market, each with pros and cons. Hello and welcome to the site! In this post, we’ll be going over a small but often overlooked piece of your guitar gear arsenal, your guitar capo.Ī capo is a simple but important part of many guitar players’ toolboxes.
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