Partial capo

A partial capo may appear to have a similar effect to alternate tunings, but there are differences.

However, this affects only the open tuning of the strings, and thus, when used at the second fret, an E chord using the "D shape" will have the "Drop D sound" with a low E note.

Guitarists have also used many alternate tunings to change the pitch of the open (unfretted) strings.

Recently, guitarists have begun to use capos that only clamp some of the strings, usually called a "partial capo", which offer similar options to guitarists as alternate tunings, with drone strings and new chord voicings.

There are unconfirmed anecdotes from the 1960s and 1970s indicating that some people may have started to use some basic kinds of partial capos.

Guitarist and songwriter Harvey Reid is a prominent partial capo popularizer.

[2] Reid recorded 2 albums in 1982 and 1983 in Washington DC, which were the first commercial recordings to use the partial capo, and he published the Duck Soup Guitar book in 1982, which was the first published use of the partial capo in music education.