Guitar Capo

I had a little knowledge of the capo because years before when I played only the G, C and D chords I attached a rubber band to a pencil and used it as a capo. It worked. Someone gave me a capo and told me that it would enable me to play with these horn players if only I could unlock the secrets as to how it was used. After hours of experimentation I learned that if I clamped it on the first fret and played a "D" chord, I was actually playing an "Eb." It reminded me of the Miller's Analogies test. Everything was relative. Playing the G chord configuration actually gave me an Ab etc. I became pretty quick at using the capo. It allowed me to avoid some of the difficult chords that the horn players liked but at the same time there were still songs that changed keys in the middle; for them the capo was no help.

Some guitarists use a capo because they like the sound. Listen to "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles and you will hear a song which was played with a capo on the seventh fret. It gives a sound that isn't often heard but you must admit that it is pleasing.

Consider a singer who accompanies himself on the guitar but can play only a few chords. Unfortunately his voice does not sound at its best with any of the chords he knows. The simple solution is to use a capo and play the song in a key that is just right for him.

The capo is an inexpensive piece of equipment that every guitar player should own and experiment with at some point in their guitar playing career. The capo really can bring some magic to your guitar playing!