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Guides

Capos

The term "capo" derives from the Italian "capo tasto," which literally means "head fret" or "main fret."
Capos
Overview
  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. What do I need a capo for?
  3. 3. How and where do you attach a capo?
  4. 4. What types of capos are there?
  5. 5. Special Capo Types
  6. 6. Choosing the Right Type
  7. 7. Conclusion
  8. 8. Our current Hot Deals

1. Introduction

People sometimes shorten "capodaster" to "capo", and the humorous reference to it as a clamp isn't too far off. It works a bit like a clamp, pressing down on the strings behind a chosen fret, basically turning that fret into a new starting point for the strings. This shortens their vibrating length, which makes them sound higher.

Functionally, a capo is like a replacement for your index finger and thumb when playing barre chords. You place the rubberized side of its top arm parallel to a fret and between two frets on the fretboard. The bottom arm gives support against the neck.

And for some geeky insight, a brief look into the history books: The first capo for the guitar was reportedly built in the 17th century and was made from a piece of bent brass. The term "capo tasto" (and its playing technique) was first used in Giovanni Battista Doni's (1593-1647) work "Annotazioni sopra il compendio."

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