A capo is a little piece of equipment which you strap onto the neck of the guitar. What it does is really reducing the fretboard which means the strings are actually shorter too and thus they will sound higher.
Presently there exist several reasons for utilizing a capo. To begin with and probably the most frequent reason people use a capo is simply because it permits them to utilize the same common chord shapes they already know to give them various sounding chords which may not be so simple to play on the guitar. Another factor to consider is that it adds an alternative texture to your playing. Open strings just have a different sound on the guitar and by having a capo to emulate that open string sound your chords will ring out a lot clearer.
Let’s take a look at circumstance one: If you play an open G chord on the guitar without using capo then that will just be a basic G chord. But when you put the capo on fret one and play the G chord 1 fret higher than where you would normally play it that chord will now be an Ab. Move the capo and the G shape chord another fret higher and you’ll end up getting an A chord. So while you can play an A chord using an open A shape this specific voicing of A will sound different and maybe preferable. Move everything up an additional fret then you’ll be playing Bb. Sure you can use a barre chord to play Bb but it just will not sound as cool as the capoed version.
The second scenario has more to do with textures and colours of the chord voicing. If you put the capo on fret 5 then play the G, C and D chord shapes you’ll actually be playing C, F and G. These chords could have been played using barre chords, open chord shapes as well as with A, D and E chord shapes with the capo on the 3rd fret it wouldn’t have had an identical sound as the capoed version on the 5th fret. Using the G, C and D shapes with the capo on fret 5 will give the guitar an entirely different sound and texture which might suit the song better than other voicing.
There are lots of more factors for using a capo but the most suitable choice is simply to experiment and let your ear be the judge. Capo’s definitely aren’t for lazy guitarists as they say. A capo is an great tool you can use to generate new and wonderful tones on your guitar. Purchase one and experiment!
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