What a capo is for
The capo acts as a new nut. Clamped at the 2nd fret, it turns the open low E string into F♯, the A string into B, and so on. The whole guitar goes up two half steps in one move. It's mainly good for four things.
- Singing in your range. Song too low for you? Move the capo up a fret or two and keep exactly the same fingerings. It's the simplest way to transpose chords.
- Avoiding barre chords. A progression in B♭ with B♭, Gm, E♭ and F takes four barre chords. With a capo at the 3rd fret, you play it with G, Em, C and D: four open chords.
- Changing the color of the sound. The open strings keep ringing, just higher. The sound gets brighter, more "jangly." A lot of folk is played this way.
- Playing with two guitars. If one guitar plays D, G and A without a capo, a second one can play the same chords with a capo at the 7th fret, using G, C and D shapes. Same harmony, different register: the two guitars complement each other instead of stepping on each other.
Where to place the capo
- In the fret space, right up against the fret. Put it on the side of the fret closest to the body, the way you'd place a finger. Not in the middle of the space, and not on the fret wire itself.
- Nice and straight. The capo should stay parallel to the fret. If it's crooked, it presses the outer strings poorly and they buzz.
- Just tight enough. Too loose, a string buzzes. Too tight, it pulls the strings sharp and the guitar sounds out of tune.
- Retune after putting it on. Even when it's placed well, a capo often shifts the tuning by a few cents. Check each string with the capo on (see how to tune a guitar).
- Count frets from the nut. "Capo 3" means the third fret, the one with the first dot inlay on most necks.
Reading capo chords: shapes you play, chords you hear
This is where everyone gets tangled up. With a capo, every chord has two names:
- the shape: the fingering your fretting hand makes, as if the capo were the nut;
- the sounding chord: what actually comes out, higher by as many half steps as there are frets.
Most chord charts online give the shapes. "Capo 3: G, Em, C, D" means: play these fingerings behind the capo. Some sites write both, for example "G (B♭)." The rule fits on one line:
sounding chord = shape + one half step per capo fret.
With a capo at the 3rd fret, a G shape goes up three half steps: G, G♯, A, B♭. So you hear a B♭. Minor chords stay minor, sevenths stay sevenths: only the root changes.
The two names matter as soon as you play with other people. A bass player or a pianist doesn't have a capo: give them the sounding chords. The other way around, if someone hands you a chart in B♭, just subtract the capo to find easy shapes.
Capo chart
On the left, the shape you play. In each column, the chord you hear depending on the capo fret.
| Shape | Capo 1 | Capo 2 | Capo 3 | Capo 4 | Capo 5 | Capo 6 | Capo 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C♯ | D | E♭ | E | F | F♯ | G |
| D | E♭ | E | F | F♯ | G | A♭ | A |
| E | F | F♯ | G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B |
| G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B | C | C♯ | D |
| A | B♭ | B | C | C♯ | D | E♭ | E |
| Am | B♭m | Bm | Cm | C♯m | Dm | E♭m | Em |
| Em | Fm | F♯m | Gm | G♯m | Am | B♭m | Bm |
C♯ and D♭ are the same pitch, and so are G♯ and A♭: the chart uses the most common spelling.
Reading the chart backward
The chart works the other way too: you know the real chords and you're looking for the right capo. Take a song in E♭ with E♭, Cm, A♭ and B♭. Look for E♭ in the chart: it's on the D row at capo 1, and on the C row at capo 3.
- Capo 1: D, Bm, G, A. Only the Bm is a barre chord.
- Capo 3: C, Am, F, G. Only the F takes some effort.
Pick the version you're most comfortable with, or the one that sounds best: capo 3 gives a brighter sound. To work out what key a song is in, see how to find the key of a song.
The most common mistakes
- Giving the shapes to other musicians. You say "G," the bassist plays G, and you're sounding B♭. Always call out the sounding chords.
- Forgetting to retune. A guitar that's in tune open can sound off with the capo. Check every time.
- Misreading tab. In tab with a capo, 0 usually means the capo fret, not the nut. Fret numbers are counted from the capo.
- Going too high. Past the 7th fret, the frets get narrow and the sound thins out. If a song calls for capo 9, a different set of shapes with a lower capo will often sound better.
FAQ
Does a capo work on a ukulele?
Yes, exactly the same way, with a capo sized for the neck. The math for shapes and sounding chords is identical. If you're just starting out, see these easy ukulele chords.
Do I need a different capo for a classical guitar?
Ideally, yes. A classical guitar's fretboard is flat, while an acoustic's or electric's is slightly curved. A capo made for one presses poorly on the other.
How do I know which fret suits my voice?
Sing the melody without the guitar, at a pitch where you're comfortable, then find the matching key. Fredon's Melody mode does this for you: you sing the tune, and the app finds the key, suggests a chord progression and recommends a capo fret so you can keep the fingerings simple.