A capo, or capo tasto in full length, is a device used for change the key without changing the tuning. You just attach the capo around the guitar neck on a fret that you choose and the pitch is raised (place the capo over the fretboard as you would do with your index finger playing a barre chord). Sometimes you see notes like 'Capo 3' or 'Capo 5'. This mean that you should attach the capo around the guitar neck on these frets.

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The capo is especially a splendid solution if you find it difficult to play barre chords. With the assistance of a capo you can rearrange the barre chords to open chords in new positions – see the chart below. The capo is furthermore a great tool for those who want to find new ways in their guitar playing.

Transpose with help of the capo

The chart below is a guide that helps you find the right chord using a capo.

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To the left you see diagrams with chord shapes and next to them the chord names. The numbers on the top indicates on which fret the capo is placed. If you place the capo on the third fret and play the Am chord shape, we find out by the chart that the result is a Cm chord. You can of course go further than the sixth fret, but it will soon be very short of room for your fingers. See a picture of fretboard with notes or see capo chord chart.

Examples of how the chord changes

C Capo 2 = D | C Capo 4 = E | C Capo 5 = F
D Capo 2 = E | D Capo 3 = F | D Capo 5 = G
E Capo 1 = F | E Capo 3 = G | E Capo 5 = A
G Capo 2 = A | G Capo 4 = B | G Capo 5 = C
A Capo 2 = B | A Capo 3 = C | A Capo 5 = D
Dm Capo 2 = Em | Dm Capo 3 = Fm | Dm Capo 5 = Gm
Em Capo 1 = Fm | Em Capo 3 = Gm | Em Capo 5 = Am
Am Capo 2 = Bm | Am Capo 3 = Cm | Am Capo 5 = Dm
See also The Capo Chart ebook with over 300 chord diagrams including partial capo.

Examples of how the key changes

If you play with a capo on the 2nd fret a song with chords like G, C and D will sound like A major.
If you play with a capo on the 4th fret a song with chords like C, F and G will sound like E major.
You probably get it now ...
So, if you have music written in the key of C# and I want to play it in A? In this case you could put the capo on fret 8, but it wouldn't be very practical. In this case you should probably not use a capo at all but transpose the whole music piece to another key. There are programs for that, for example Guitar Pro for guitar.

Emulated tunings

The capo changes the effective tuning of the guitar. If the capo is placed on the first fret, for instance, it will emulate the following tuning:
1st string (the thinnest) = F
2nd string = C
3rd string = G# / Ab
4th string = D# / Eb
5th string = A# / Bb
6th string (the thickest) = F

Capo with open strings

The capo must not be put over all strings. It can for instance be put over the 2-6 strings leaving the high E-string open, or, over the 1-5 strings leaving the low E-string open. In both cases new interesting sounds is the result.
A capo on second fret on 2-6 strings will result in the emulated tuning F#-B-E-A-C#-E. Playing the open shapes G6 - D5 - C will now result in A - E5 - Dadd9, but with a different timbre because of the open highest string. More partial capo tunings with open strings and chord charts can be find in other articles: Capo with open high E string and Capo with open low E string.

Choose the right capo

There are many models of a capo nowadays and accordingly the price fluctuates a bit. The cheapest with just an elastic band can be bought for a few dollars. But it is recommended that you use capos that are specially made to fit an arched or a plain guitar neck. The price for these capos varies between 20 and 40 dollars.
Three popular models seen on images below:
Donner DC-2 One Handed Trigger Guitar Capo for Electric and Acoustic (left)
Shubb Deluxe Series GC-30 (S1) Acoustic Guitar Capo (middle)
G7th Performance 2 Silver Capo 6-String (right)

Guitar Pro is a powerful score player really helpful to learn how to play, improve your technique, reproduce your favorite songs or accompany yourself.

Guitar Pro allows you to compose and read music scores using the musical notation of your favorite instrument. Display the tablature notation to learn guitar riffs or use the standard notation to read music score for piano, drums, brass and strings. Rediscover also the Slash notation to sight-read easily rhythmic patterns from chord charts.

Hit play and the tab automatically scrolls on. A highlighted cursor lets you know which note is being played and the sound engine reproduces all of the effects specific to the guitar: pickstroking and fingerpicking, bend, slide and ghost notes. You can also adjust tempo or use the speed trainer to loop a section of the score while inscreasing the bpm (beat per minute).

Drive your Guitar Pro files with the instrument's global view available below the sheet music. It allows you to have a synthetic view of the instrument tracks and thus to easily move around it. You can define various sections in a score, such as intro, verse, or chorus. Audio mixing features are included in this overview. You can mute one or several tracks, and choose to show or hide them. Simply solo/mute the tracks you want as if you were playing along with your band.

Express your talent by creating your own scores in a matter of minutes. You can edit the notes directly on the standard score or on the tablature. All the usual musical symbols pertaining to the guitar and to other stringed instruments are available. The notes capture can be made quickly with the numerical pad, the mouse, or even a MIDI instrument.

Customize your score

Based on the classic or jazz styles, you can set 70 different parameters, configure the layout of your scores exactly as you wish, and get professional-level paper printouts.

Create multitrack scores

The multitrack edition allows you to create music scores with dozens of instruments: guitar, bass, drums, piano, voice, strings, brass and many more.

Notation elements

Guitar Pro allows you to add to your score all of the usual musical symbols pertaining to the guitar and to other stringed instruments.

Guitar Pro 6 Capo

Bar and sheet music organization

Key, key signature and rhythm rendition for your sheet music. Bar repetition, repeat bar, da coda, da segno, return to the line and section name (verse, chorus, bridge…) for your bars.

Music notation

Note value (from whole note to sixty-fourth note), triolets, n-tuplets, rest, dynamics, accents, tied note, accidental, fingering for left and right hand, up and down pick strokes, barre chords, stems and ligatures. You can also add comments to the score, lyrics and chord diagrams.

Playing effects

Let ring, palm mute, natural and artificial harmonic, bends, tremolo bar, vibratos, slides, hammer on, pull off, tapping, slapping, hoping, brushes, rasguedo, grace note, trill, tremolos, crescendo/decrescendo and fade in/fade out

Chords

Ask any chord and Guitar Pro will display all possible positions on the fretboard. Draw a diagram by clicking on the chord grid and see all matching names.

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Scales

View and listen many scales from the most common to the most exotic ones. The selected scale can be displayed on the fretboard or piano to help you compose your song, write a solo or melody line.

Lyrics

Guitar Pro Capo Tuner

Easily enter the lyrics of your songs and arrange them at bottom of your vocal track. You can also add annotations to point riffs or solos out that might need some extra explanation for being played properly.

Polyphonic tuner

The polyphonic tuner allows you to tune your guitar by plugging it into your sound card or via a microphone. Just one brush-down stroke allows you to check the tuning of all six strings at once.

Virtual instruments let you view and enter musical notes from a graphical representation of your instrument. It can display notes of the current time, the notes of the current bar or of the selected scale. Intuitive and easy to use, it is an ideal tool for beginners or tablature notation fans.

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