Capo (musical device)

A capo (/ˈkeɪpoʊˌ kæ-ˌ kɑː-/ KAY-poh, KAH-; short for capodastro, capo tasto or capotasto [ˌkapoˈtasto], Italian for "head of fretboard")[a] is a device a musician uses on the neck of a stringed (typically fretted) instrument to transpose and shorten the playable length of the strings—hence raising the pitch.

It is a common tool for players of guitars, mandolins, mandolas, banjos, ukuleles and bouzoukis.

The earliest known use of capotasto is by Giovanni Battista Doni who, in his Annotazioni of 1640, uses it to describe the nut of a viola da gamba.

Factors that vary by type of capo are ease of use, size, degree of interference with the player's hands, and ability to hold down strings uniformly without affecting tuning.

All types of capo should be applied after a fresh tuning by laying the barre, descending from above, and directly behind the fret, so that all of the strings have uniform position and pressure.

For this reason, the phrase "chord-shape" is commonly used to clarify that the fingering shape and not the audible pitch is being referred to.

Playing with a capo creates the same musical effect as retuning all strings up the same number of steps.

Some guitar styles—such as flamenco, Irish traditional music, and British and American folk music—frequently use a capo.

Many rock and roll musicians who are influenced by folk and blues, such as Richard Thompson, Keith Richards, Ry Cooder, Ian Anderson, Steve Earle, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Noel Gallagher, Steve Rothery, Johnny Marr, and others also use the capo.

In many cases, they have extended its use past the traditional purpose of changing the key, and broken new ground, employing it in new ways.

Because they stretch to create a tight fit, the straps on these capos can be prone to stretch-fatigue and wear.

These capos can typically be applied either to the treble or bass side of the instrument, depending on the player's preference.

Three of the most recognizable models of spring clamp capos are manufactured by Dunlop, Kyser and Thalia.

This is particularly true if the capo is applied from the treble side of the instrument, which facilitates quick removal.

When played at the second fret, this appears to create a drop D tuning (in which the bass E string is detuned to a D) raised one full tone in pitch.

The above-mentioned drop D design was previously achieved, for example, by applying a spring clamp capo to the treble side of the fretboard but leaving the bass E string uncovered.

[citation needed] American guitarist Dominic Frasca uses single string "mini capos" that attach by drilling through the neck of his customized 10-string guitar.

Spring clamp capo
A guitar capo with a lever-operated over-centre locking action clamp
Demonstrating the peg removal feature on an Adagio guitar capo
A guitar being played with a spring clamp capo
A Shubb capo, which uses a lever-operated over-centre locking action clamp
A G7th Capo Company capo, which uses a wrap spring clutch
Capo with interchangeable fretpads
Capo with exotic wood and shell inlays
Capo with partial fretpad installed