Capo Chords

For guitarists who experiment with using a capo, understanding how capo chords are produced is vital.

A capo is a device a guitarist attaches to his or her guitar's neck in order to transpose the guitar into another key. To put it another way, a capo allows a guitarist to use the same chord shapes to play many different chords.

How this works is fundamentally very simple. The capo clamps down on the guitar's strings creating what is essentially a movable nut. When the capo is moved further up the neck, the strings become shorter, and their pitch is increased. Thus, applying a capo transposes the guitar; the exact same chord shape produces a completely different chord after the capo is applied. This easily transposable feature is one of the real beauties of the guitar, and has long been a sore spot for jealous piano players who despairingly refer to the guitar capo as a cheater.

Where this all becomes confusing is when a guitar player needs to know which capo chords he or she is playing when the capo is applied. If the capo is on the third fret and the guitarist is playing a D chord shape, what key is that? See the following information for the answer to this question and many others.

The Internet comes through again when it comes to finding information on capo chords. In addition, for those who prefer their guitar knowledge to come the old-fashioned way, several books on the subject also exist.

The following websites have excellent information on guitar capo chords. They approach the material from different perspectives. Some have visual graphics, and some are more linear in their description of how chords change when a capo is applied. Visit several sites to determine which are the most useful for you.

• Stephen Olson's Capo Lesson: Stephen Olson at the Christian Music Web has complied an excellent website that shows how the guitar's chords are affected by a capo.

• Capo Chord Converter: A small, simple, and effective grid is available at this website that shows capo chords all the way up to the seventh fret.

• Capo Conversion Chart: Follow this link for a printable .pdf file of guitar capo chords.

• Guitar Chord Conversion: You'll find an easy to use capo conversion chart that will help you understand what key you're in when you first start working with a capo.

For those who are willing to spend a few dollars on their guitar education and like to use technology, the following products can make the process of learning capo chords a little more interesting.

• Chord Master – Capo: This excellently simple program features a capo wizard that converts guitar chords to capo chords with a click of the mouse. Simple select whether you want the wizard to convert the chords from open to capo or capo to open. Then select the chord you want converted and the wizard does the rest. This fee for this application is $10.00.

• Guitar Capo Assistant: This software for the Palm OS provides a powerful tool that will help you use your capo effectively. You may download a free 30-day trial, and if you like the product, you may purchase it for $14.95.

Follow this link to Amazon for a complete list of books on guitar capo chords.

Whether you choose to use the Internet, interactive software, or a book to help you learn capo chords, the bottom line is that you must keep practicing. Pick out some songs that you like that use a capo, and start learning them. After a while, you'll be surprised that you no longer need to consult any outside source, but instead know all the capo chords by heart.

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