Capo FAQ
I thought using a capo was ‘cheating’ or only for beginners. Why should I use it?
This myth has been propagated by a fair amount of guitarists. Capoing is promoted for two reasons with Chordal charts: it’s a great way to learn numbers by maximizing the amount of songs we can practice one set of numbers with, but also just because it’s an incredible tool that professional and seasoned guitarists regularly use. The riffs that James Taylor plays in songs like Fire and Rain, or George Harrison’s iconic intro for Here Comes the Sun- these sounds can only be accomplished in the particular key form that they’re in. Even if it were possible to play them without a capo, working physically harder on the guitar doesn’t ever equate to sounding better.
Are both the acoustic and electric guitars regularly capoed?
The acoustic, if not strumming in a guitar-friendly key, is almost always (and should be) capoed to one. This applies to most (but not all) styles of music, and general rhythm-guitar strumming. The guiding rule is if resonance and ‘longer’, more connected chords are musically appropriate, it’s a good idea to play in a guitar-friendly key (C, G, D, A, E).
The electric, however, isn’t usually responsible for the same rhythmic and harmonic foundation that the acoustic is. Electric guitars are regularly capoed if it makes musical sense to do so, but lead guitarists sometimes skip it if they don’t need to play open-style chords or open strings.
That being said, playing and knowing open-position chords and lead playing, for any guitarist, is paramount. Too many lead players take a canned, inorganic approach to soloing and playing lead up the neck, while neglecting open strings and playing closer to the nut. A capo can put a guitarist in a healthier, more musical space to be creative when in a non-guitar friendly key.
What are the most popular forms to play in for different genres of music?
Which key and key form a guitarist plays a song in is often a subconscious choice, but it’s also influenced a bit by a particular musical genre. Here are examples of popular key forms in various musical genres:
Classic Rock- Classic rock bands often played with no capos (with some notable exceptions). Older music was often written by guitarists who were a bit less choosy than modern vocalists. For example, The Beatles often played in E Major (Day Tripper, Ain’t She Sweet, All My Loving, Ask Me Why, and dozens more), as well as G, D, A, and C. They also played in keys like F and Bb using barre chords on electric guitars (easier to barre). They did use a capo on songs with more acoustic foundations Norwegian Wood (D, capo 2), (Ob La Di - Ob La Da (probably played in A, capo 1), and Here Comes the Sun (D, capo 7). In general, older music of all genres was written in guitar-friendly keys: the 5 that routinely pop up are G, C, A, E, and D.
Blues- Some of The Beatles earlier tunes borrowed from the 12 bar blues form. This was common in early Rock. The Blues is often played in the keys of E (like Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Pride and Joy, in E but tuned down 1/2 step), A (like Eric Clapton’s Crossroads), and less commonly G, D, and C. Moveable forms are used in blues as well, which means there are songs in less common key forms like B or F.
Country- Traditional country guitarists utilized many of the previously mentioned forms: E (like Folsom Prison Blues, E Capo 1), G (like Merle Travis’ Nine Pound Hammer, D (like Glen Campbell’s Gentle on my Mind), A (like Garth Brooks’ Friends in Low Places), and C (like Hank Williams’ Hey Good Lookin'). Unlike Rock, Country is often solely played in one of these five keys. Modern Country is also played this way, but often starts in a bad key and requires a capo.
Folk/Folk Rock- Bringing up Norwegian Wood again (played in Drop D tuning, Capo 2-sounding like E), playing in Drop D tuning (playing in D and lowering the thickest string down to D as well) is a common tactic in rock, folk, and other genres. The same exact tuning can be heard on Fleetwood Mac’s epic The Chain (Drop D, capo 2), The Beatles’ Dear Prudence, Jason Isbell’s Children of Children, James Taylor’s Country Roads, or Chris Stapleton’s Whiskey and You.
Singer-Songwriter, Folk- Often acoustic guitarists will take to a certain key form and add more nuanced details to the basic chord forms everyone learns. Guitarists like Noah Gundersen take the key of C and add a richness and resonance by voicing the chords with as little movement as possible. The keys of G and C are often utilized in this way, as well as the keys of E and D. James Taylor pioneered iconic voicings and riffs in the keys of D and A. The key of G is also a favorite for its resonance and is utilized by countless guitarists like David Ramirez and Ed Sheeran, or the intertwining guitars of The Milk Carton Kids (one playing in G capo 3, and one in C down-tuned a whole step- the song actually being in Bb).
Alternate Tunings- Some guitarists (acoustic solo acts, folk, experimental rock, roots and blues music) enjoy using alternate tunings to achieve a different, richer, or fuller sound. Tunings like DADGAD, Open G Tuning, and Standard tuning but lowered a 1/2 step or whole step are popular but there are many other tunings that are used. Led Zeppelin’s Going To California is played with a DADGBD Tuning, lowering both E strings down to D. Similar to unique tunings, partially capoing the guitar can yield some inspiring sounds, like capoing everything but the thickest at the 4th fret and playing in C, capo 4, or partially capoing the 4 thickest of Drop D tuning to achieve a raised DADGAD sound. They even make a short or ‘cut’ capo to easier facilitate partial capoing.
What are some examples of music that’s in a bad guitar key that doesn’t use a capo?
There are plenty. Music that isn’t resonant, jazzy or funky music, classical music, and rock music, are some examples of genres that don’t work well with a capo. Here are some examples:
Stevie Wonder’s Sir Duke- This, and anything in this style, uses chord forms that are moveable up and down the neck. The strumming style is also more percussive. Other examples include Bruno Mars’ Treasure, The Meters’ Cissy Strut, or Rufus & Chaka Khan’s Tell Me Something Good. Anything that is funky, lick based, or jazzy probably doesn’t use a capo (with the occasional exception of course).
Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody- A tune like this doesn’t work with a capo for a few reasons: it’s harmonically ambitious- in several different keys, with many kinds of chords in each key, and has power chord and riffed based sections. Power chords feel and sound the same in any key. A capo would just complicate things more than simplify them.
The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery- Similar to the first example, anything that sounds jazzy (or simply jazz), doesn’t usually require a capo. Virtually all jazz chords are moveable forms and rarely have open strings included. In addition, jazz often includes many chords in several different keys (even in the same song) meaning that transposing music with a capo is often too complicated. Transposing would be pointless anyway- the chord forms found in jazz sound identical and are the same difficulty in every key.
How does using a capo work when a song is in multiple keys?
A general answer is that you try to find a way to play in 2 equivalent guitar-friendly keys without moving the capo. For example, if an acoustic guitarist wanted to cover The Beatles’ Hey Jude at a show and sing it in the original key (in the keys of F and Bb), they could wing it without a capo (which wouldn’t sound great) or they could find a way to play it in two guitar-friendly keys in the same capo position, like D, capo 3 (sounding like F) and G, capo 3 (sounding like Bb)- both good keys for guitar and at the same capo position). Another good option would be A, capo 1 and E, capo 1.
Sometimes songs modulate up a half step, or can’t be played with the same capo position with good guitar chords, like George Jones’ ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ (G to Ab) or Brian Wilson’s Soul Searchin’ (D to Eb). Usually one of the keys will be a good guitar key; barre chords can be used to play the chords in the non guitar-friendly key.
Keep in mind: the rockier a song is (where moveable power chords are used), the more non-diatonic chords are used in a song, and the higher the use of an electric guitar (where bar chords are easier to play), the less a capo is used. This is especially true of specific or unique sounding chords (jazz chords, fusion-style chords, classical chords, etc.).
How do I know what key to capo in if there seem to be multiple options?
A good rule of thumb is that the lowest possible guitar friendly key sounds the best to play a song in, (and generally at the 5th fret or under). This rule can always be broken for musical reasons- Here Comes the Sun is in the key of A but instead of playing it in A no capo, or G capo 2, George Harrison plays it all the way up in D capo 7 (giving it its iconic sound). Which key form to play something in often has to do with the composition and inspiration of a song, as well as a guitarist's bias and preference.
A good rule of thumb is to learn a song in its original form- it’s an important skill to be able to replicate the voicings and forms that make a song sound memorable. If you’re looking to change the sound and perspective of a tune, changing how you play it (which key form is used) is one way of doing that. Here are a few examples that show different capoing possibilities. It’s good to keep in mind here that the numbers never change for these songs, just the forms they take:
Wonderwall, Oasis- This song is in A, but they play it G, capo 2 (giving the chords their iconic sound). This tune could be played A, no capo, or something like E, Capo 5.
First Day of My Life, Bright Eyes- This song is in E, played in C, capo 4. The key of E is great for guitar but playing it C gives it a different sound (C is also a popular finger picking key). It’s also a bit easier with the capoed chords (all the chords are open in C, but some are barred in E). If you wanted to cover this song and put a new spin on the overall sound, playing it open in E, open or D, capo 2 is an interesting way to experiment.
Hotel California, Eagles- This song is in Bm/D. The iconic guitar intro is thanks to an altered ‘Nashville’ tuning, capoed on the 7th fret and played with Em/G chords. If one was playing a solo acoustic version of this song, playing it that high up the neck somewhat thins out your sound. Playing open, in Bm/D, and at capo 2, with Am/C chords, are other alternate ways to play the tune that still is relatively easy in each form.
The Sound of Silence, Simon & Garfunkel- This song is in Em/G. Instead of playing it open, Paul Simon capos the guitar at the 7th fret and plays it in Am/C. This contributes to the song’s iconic sound, but could be changed to change the sound.
An important thing to remember- capoing a certain way greatly influences the sound of your chords. Changing the key form a song of a song (especially songs with more than 1, 4, and 5 in them) might not suit the song well. If you are looking for a song to sound the same as the recording, playing it in the same key form and capo position is probably the way to go. Changing the key form and capo position might also breath fresh air into something that’s been covered a million times.