How do you use a capo?

You've probably heard that you can play hundreds of songs on guitar with only four chords.

You can use the G, D, E minor, and C chords.

Those chords work great with a song in the key of G.

But for a song in the key of A, they don't sound right.

Unless… you use a capo!

Put the capo on the second fret and play G, D, Em, C chord shapes. Now it sounds right.

Great!

But what if someone asks you to play along with a song in the key of B? 

How do you know where to put the capo?

Two options:

1. Capo Chart

 Feel free to screenshot this chart so you can use it in the future.

2. Learn the Musical Alphabet

But what if you want to find where to put the capo without relying on a chart?

Then you need two pieces of information.

- You need to know that the musical alphabet is A B C D E F G, and then it starts over at A.

- You also need to know that B to C and E to F are only 1 fret apart. Any other pair of adjacent letter names is 2 frets apart and has a sharp in between.

So when you start with G and move it up a fret, it's G#. Then up another fret is A. Then A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G. When you reach G again, the cycle is complete. If you want to go higher, the cycle repeats.

When you understand this, you realize you CAN play hundreds of songs using the same four chord shapes.

If you have questions, let me know. I'm glad to help.

Keep making music!

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