A capo is one of the important accessories for a guitar player which might be very new and confusing for beginners. At the beginning of a guitar journey, you may not even heard about it nor even know what it does. Maybe a certain point once you start playing songs and looking for guitar chords/tabs, you will find it is mentioned something like Capo on 3rd Fret. So, definitely as a guitarist you should know what is capo and what it works for..

Capo is a small device made of plastic or metal, which is clammed on the guitar frets over strings. That’s why sometimes, this capo is also called a guitar clamp. Fixing a capo on a fretboard will reduce the string playing length at the same time it will raise the pitch of music. 

If you look into the part of the guitar, the capo acts almost similar to the nut of the guitar. The way position of the nut determines where the string will stop playing from bridge, similarly the capo also determines the location which can be adjusted by the player within the fretboard. 

The capo is used to change the pitch of any music. At any point if you need to increase the pitch of music, fixing capo will solve the issue. However, to get the outcome you definitely must know the chords and scale for individual music. 

Type of Capo

Considering the user friendly and also durability, there are different types of capo. However, the purpose for all capos are the same and they also take very short to fix or change frets. Different capo has different clamping or tightening mechanisms.  Following are some common type of capo used by guitarist:

1. Strap Capos.

This type of capo are very low cost and made of elastic and plastic. It has a plastic cylindrical shape bar which is placed on guitar string and the elastic fabric is used for tightening the capo with fretboard. 

This type of capo is very easy to use, less expensive and easy to slide up or down within the neck. But, as they are made of elastic fabric, with time, it will loosen its tension and at some point may wear out. Strap capo can only be recommended for beginners.

2. Toggle Capos.

These capos are also inexpensive and can be used by beginners. It is almost similar to strap capos but it has a toggle which needs to be pulled to tighten the capo over the neck. 

The durability of toggle capos may vary on individual using pattern, but this type of capo can bring out the string from tune very easily.

3. Trigger Capos.

Trigger capos are just like a clipping device. It is very easy to you and also user friendly. Just pressing the clip, this capo can be shifted along the neck. This capo has long durability and is also very firm on its attachment. 

Beside its being user friendly, the capo will apply additional pressure on strings while clamping it. As a user, you may try to fix it so quickly, which may also damage the fretboard due to overpressure.

4. Spring Capo.

This capo is similar to trigger capos but more easy to use and also long lasting. However, as it is also spring style capo, this may create more pressure towards one side of the fret.

5. Adjustable Screw Capo.

For most guitar players, this adjustable screw capo might be uncommon and confusing to get one. It has a screw at the back, which requires it to be tightened while fixing it on the fret. This capo has an evenly pressure distribution along the fretboard which keeps the guitar tune better without disturbing. The only difficulty for this type of capo is changing position, as they are tightened with screws. 

Guitar Capo Chart

As we already know, use of capo helps to change the pitch of music or to be specific, to transpose the music up or down a key. Depending on music chords or sometimes singers choice, the original music key may need to be changed which is done by capo by most of the acoustic guitar players. So, as a guitarist you may play your known chord with your finger but you actually can change the Key. 

For better understanding we are providing you with a capo chart, which will make you understand about how a capo changes the chords