You probably already know how to use a capo to change the pitch of a song to match a singer’s range.
But did you know that you can use the capo to find new ways to “voice” a chord, or even create a signature guitar part?
Remember that the moment you clip on that capo you have fundamentally changed the sound of your instrument, because the entire string no longer vibrates. So by adding the capo we change the “scale length” of the guitar….”scale” in the sense of measurement, not the musical kind. This brings out different sounds that might remind you of other instruments with a shorter scale length, like a ukelele or mandolin. Try putting a capo on the seventh fret and strum a D shape…you’ll notice that the sound has a character of its own up there. Listen to the Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun” for a definitive example.
This is also the reason why you sometimes see artists onstage backed by multiple acoustic guitarists. Three guitars with capos in different places can play the same chord in three different ways, creating a sound that is much fuller and richer than a single guitar or multiple guitars played in the same place. (You hear this effect on studio recordings all the time). This article is an introduction to how we learn to do this.
First of all, understand that when we clip on a capo we are “transposing”.
That means that we are changing the key of the song, but without having to change the shape of the chords we use. Very convenient until you realize you may have no idea what chord you’re actually playing! So it helps to understand how transposition works on the guitar.
You may already know that there are twelve notes used in music: the letters A through G, plus a series of in-between notes called sharps and flats. Note that an in-between note can be “spelled” as either a sharp or a flat….more on this later, but basically which one you choose depends on the other notes that surround it. The letters A through G plus the sharps/flats in between form what we call the chromatic scale. Here is the scale spelled out using both sharps and flats….note that a sharp looks like a pound or number sign, while a flat looks like a lower-case letter b.
Using sharps: A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G#
Using flats: A Bb B C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab
By the way, notice that there’s no B sharp, E sharp, C flat, or F flat. (There CAN be, but not for our purposes…..too confusing and not useful). And note that the in-betweens, the sharps and flats, are interchangeable if they occupy the same position in the sequence….in other words, the note between C and D could be called C sharp OR D flat and would sound the same either way. So from here on I’ll express these notes as C#/Db, D#/Eb, etc.
The sequence will repeat over and over again no matter where you start.
As written, the sequence would start over on A, but you could start from any other place and the notes will appear in the same order, with A always following G#/Ab.
On your guitar, every fret is one note of the chromatic sequence. So a C chord with a capo on the first fret becomes C#/Db (the next note in the sequence) while a C chord with a capo on the third fret becomes D#/Eb.
There’s a lot here to learn, but you could start by memorizing a few capo locations and the corresponding keys. Then as these become familiar, transposing is as simple as moving the capo up or down the right number of frets. Here’s some common ones to get you started:
Key of A: capo 2 and play in G, capo 7 and play in D, or capo 9 and play in C.
To get to A#/Bb, B, or C, move the capo up one, two, or three frets from these locations.
Very important: note that I said “play IN G”, not “play G”. When you play a G shape with the capo on fret 2, the chord that sounds is an A. The next step is to apply the same transposition to the other chords in the key of G. Fingering A minor sounds as a B minor, while a C shape sounds as D.
With that said, here’s some more:
Key of C#/Db: capo 1 and play in C, capo 4 and play in A, or capo 6 and play in G.
To get to D, D#/Eb, or E, move the capo up one, two, or three frets respectively.
Key of F: capo 1 and play in E, capo 3 and play in D, capo 5 and play in C, or capo 8 and play in A.
To reach F#/Gb, G, or G#/Ab, move the capo up one, two, or three frets as before.
Memorizing these locations allows you to reach all 12 keys with just a basic knowledge of music theory. Add a basic familiarity with the Nashville Number System and you have the entire neck open to you in all twelve keys. (For more on the number system, check out Chas Williams’ definitive book on the subject, “The Nashville Number System”).
If you find all of this confusing, don’t despair….just pick one example and play with that for a while until you can remember it easily.
Then slowly add more until you’ve built a vocabulary of options. There’s so much to know that it’s easy to get overwhelmed, so sticking to bite-sized pieces of information keeps the task manageable. Good luck and have fun!
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s
equally educative and interesting, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head.
The issue is something that too few folks
are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I
found this in my hunt for something regarding this.
It there a chart to show the position of the capo in reference to a key. someone playing in the key of c where else would you play in the key of c with a capo?
In the key of C:
Open position: C
3rd position: A
5th position: G
8th position: E
10th position: D
Notice how this spells out CAGED, which is a useful system for organizing chords up the neck, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen it applied to capo positions. I’m going to think on this a little, look for a lesson video in the near future.
What if I put the capo on the second fret what is that called
And what about the key of B, 1st position in the 2nd fret B 432 like this pattern below:
2fr E |–x–|
A |–1–|
D|–2–|
G |–3–|
B|–4–|
E|–o–|
how to transpose to key of C, thanks and I am looking forward to your response, more power and regards
I found this part of your explanation very confusing: “Key of A: capo 2 and play in G, capo 7 and play in D, or capo 9 and play in C.”
Let’s assume that in the original non-capoed position, one is playing an A chord as the tonic of the song that is in the key of A. Now you capo to the second fret and your A chord fingering is now being heard as a B even though the fingering is an A shape. Since this is still the tonic of your newly transposed song, the key would be designated as B, no? Can you explain why this is not so? Thanks so much.
Trying to play Gary Stewart song it’s in f Bb c been playing in key of G but can’t the right sound I have hard time playing Bb how can I capo it
F-Bb-C in the key of G should just be G-C-D, if I’m understanding you correctly. Or rather, those three chords transposed to the key of G would be G – C – D and the song would sound a whole step higher.
If you meant how to play in F with a G shape, don’t, you’d need to capo the 10th fret. Better to capo 3 and use D-G-A, or capo 5 and use C-F-G. All of those would sound in the key of F.
I just want to know what each fret is call when using a Capo I know when I am playing with others they G or D or F or C then I have to look where they put their Capo before I know where to put mine or count the frets if you can help on that would be great thanks
I’d like to know where to place the capo so I can get a C shape but be in the key of A.