A capo is an accessory for string instruments fitted with frets, including acoustic and electric guitars, banjos, mandolins and ukuleles. ‘Capo’ is actually short for capodastro, which means ‘the head of the fretboard’ in Italian. This Buyer’s Guide has been put together to give you a better idea of what capos are used for, how they work and which one you need for your instrument. If you can’t find the answer to your question here, feel free to contact us!
Find the Right Capo
in No-Time with Our Gear Finder
Click on ‘Gear Finder’ and answer a few questions to get a clear overview of the capos that match your instrument and the type, colour and price you’re looking for.
Or continue reading to learn more about capos.
1. What’s a Capo?
Using a capo, it’s possible to raise the pitch of the strings on a guitar by a number of semitones. In other words, it’s used to change the key or note without having to use different chords. It’s basically an extra ‘finger’ that lets you play your chords the way you’ve learned them, since it presses down on all strings at any fret like your index finger does when playing barre chords. The capo ensures you can use your index finger to play as you normally would, but at a higher pitch.
It’s easy to think the word ‘capo’ is based on the music theory term ‘da capo’, which means ‘from the beginning’ in Italian. But as a matter of fact, capo is short for ‘capodastro’, which means ‘head of fretboard’ in the same language and stems from ‘capotasto’, the Italian word for string nut. An apt name, since a capo is essentially a moveable string nut.
As explained, the open chord fingering doesn’t change when you use a capo. Say you’ve spent countless hours struggling to master a new guitar part, only to find out the pitch is too low for the singer. With a capo, you can effortlessly raise the pitch by one or more semitones without having to change your guitar part.
In addition, as often indicated in songbooks, some songs actually require that you use a capo.
Another advantage - especially for more advanced players - is that a capo can be used to give a song a completely different sound. When you clamp one on the second fret of your guitar and play a standard D-chord, it’ll sound two semitones higher than it normally would, in other words, like an E-chord. Here, you’ll notice the timbre is different from when you play a standard E-chord without a capo. For this reason, special ‘open tunings’ also often require a capo.
Clamp your capo on the fretboard right before the fret, just like where you’d place your fingers. Much like your fingers, the capo presses the strings down onto the fret, which are then able to vibrate whilst in contact with the fret. Make sure the capo isn’t clamped on too tightly to prevent damaging the finish and keep the strings from dropping out of tune.
Toggle capos come with a little belt and are relatively inexpensive, but do take more time to attach since you’ll need both hands. The tension can only be adjusted in fixed steps. Thumb-screw capos are clamped onto the fret, after which you can accurately increase or decrease the amount of force they apply using a fitted screw. Trigger capos work like a clothespin, making moving them up and down the fretboard quickly really easy. As such, these are great for live use, although the drawback is that you can’t adjust the tension. If the tension is too high or too low, you’ll risk either the strings dropping out of tune or causing a buzzing sound. In addition, more budget-oriented trigger capos have a spring-loaded mechanism that’s subject to wear and tear, so they can lose tension over time. Other kinds of capos include special models that combine the benefits of clamp-on and screw-based systems. While these generally cost a little more, they can definitely be worth the investment.
First off, check which instrument the capo you’re looking at is designed for (e.g. guitar, banjo or mandolin). Secondly, knowing the fretboard radius (the curvature) of your instrument is essential, since the capo will be clamped across it. Electric and acoustic steel-string guitars have curved fretboards, meaning that the capo you use should also be curved. Classical guitars have a flat fretboard radius and usually a wider string nut, so for these, you’ll need a different capo. In the specifications found on the product page of each of our capos, you can always find what kind of guitar it’s designed for.
Regular capos are clamped across the entire width of the fretboard and cover all of the strings. Advanced musicians, however, sometimes like to use shorter-model capos called ‘partial capos’. There is, for instance, a special drop-D capo that’s designed to only push down the five highest strings so you can play your guitar in a drop tuning without having to actually re-tune it. You can also find 3-string capos called ‘short-cut capos’, which can be used to experiment with complex chords and note combinations, and there are even 1-string capos called ‘fret-locks’ that are used to lock a single string at a specific fret to open the door to a world of bizarre chords and previously unimaginable solos. For 5-string banjos, something similar exists: a ‘fifth-string’ capo to accommodate the typical ‘open’ string of this instrument.
The prices of capos can vary greatly depending on the quality of the material, the finish and any underlying systems or mechanisms (see Question 4), but a solid model that gets the job done doesn’t have to cost you a whole lot of money. If you’re shopping for your first capo, you really don’t have to spend more than £10. It’s also advisable to try a few different ones so you can see what works best for you.
