Guitar Capo : ALL ABOUT THEM

There are many different accessories that you can use for your guitar. One accessory that you should consider a buying is called a guitar capo. This is a device that you place on your guitar neck. Here is what you need to know about the capo.

What is a Capo?

A guitar capo is a device for your guitar. It's placed on the guitar neck at various positions or frets. it's used by guitar players to change the key that they are playing in. It acts like a new nut for your guitar. They are several different types of capo you need to be aware of.

Cloth Capo

This type of capo lies against the fretboard and there's a strap of nylon which will wrap around the back of the guitar neck and connects a toggle on the capo. This can then be pulled the snug against the fretboard. This type is a lot harder to work with because you have to fiddle with the cloth when compared to spring or C clamp capos.

Spring Capo

The spring capo is very easy to use and it can be changed quite quickly. It can be placed and removed on the guitar neck with just one hand. One of the drawbacks to the spring capo is that it might cause fret buzz higher up on the frets because of the pressure that the capo put on the strings. You have no way to adjust the pressure of a spring capo but this is by far the most popular version because of its simplicity. You may find the strings go slightly out-of-tune with this type of capo or you might have a little bit of fret buzz.

C Clamp Capo

This type of guitar capo works much as a regular clamp does. The capo goes across the fretboard and then you turn a small knob to move the clamp closer to the fretboard to tighten it. One of the advantages to this type of capo is that you can change the tension on the capo to suit your guitar. There will be less fret buzz with this type and the strings won't go out of tune like they do with other types of capo.

Why use a Capo?

Most players are used to playing the guitar in regular tuning where they form chords at the nut by the headstock on the guitar. This allows the player to play in regular tuning. The problem with this is that your voice might in a different key for a song you want to play. When you use a capo you are able to change the key that you are playing in. It allows guitar players to play songs in a key that is suitable for their voice.

Change the Key of a Song

Songs are written in a certain key. for example, a song might be written in the key of C but you want to play it in the key of D without changing fingerings for the song. By using a guitar capo, you can play the song in the same way and you just place the capo on the neck to change the key. In this case, you would put the capo on a guitar neck at the second fret and you would be playing in the key of D. You can move the capo up and down the neck to whatever fret that you want to change the key. The main reason that you want to use a capo is so that the singer can sing the song in the key that is comfortable for them. Perhaps the singer is better suited to be singing in the key of D then the key of C so a capo on the guitar put the music into their vocal range.

Different Sounds

A capo can also make music sound different. You can give the guitar a brighter sound depending upon where the capo is placed. In fact, it can sound a lot like a mandolin and have that sort of jangly type of sound to it when you use a capo. This is especially the case if you placed a capo quite high up the fretboard.

Summary

A guitar capo is a device that most guitar payers will use at some point in their playing career. It’s an accessory that you should have in your guitar case because you may need it for a song you wish to play.