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Capos, Explained! 6 Ways They're Helpful

Lesson #178 • Sep 29, 2018

Editor’s notes

One of my Patreon supporters recently wrote in with a question about using capos. How do they work? What’s the best kind? What are the different ways they can be used when playing a song? In this video, I happily give my answers!

Video timestamps:

  • 0:00 Video Overview
  • 2:45 Benefit #1: Being Able to Play Along with Others
  • 4:47 Benefit #2: Moving A Song Into Your Vocal Range
  • 6:25 Benefit #3: Make Finger Stretches Easier
  • 7:26 Benefit #4: Makes Barre Chords Easier
  • 8:07 Benefit #5: Changing Up the Sound
  • 9:36 Benefit #6: Play a Song with Simpler Chords

Which Capo I Use

The capo model I’ve always used: https://amzn.to/2xIjZeb. Note, I earn a small commission if you purchase via this link.

What Other Teachers Say About Capos

To be clear, the clamp-type capo is the only type I’ve ever used, and I’m pretty unaware of the pros & cons. For example, in this video from Lessons with Marcel he explains why he doesn’t prefer this sort of capo. Note, this video is coming at things from a bluegrass-centric point of view:

To round things out, here’s Justin Sandercoe’s take on capos:

And here’s another video from Justin, explaining how you can use a capo to play the same chords with different grips:

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