No, despite the similarity of the words, the capo is not your regular trigger-happy Mafia leader although it does come from the Italian word “capo tasto” which means head of fingerboard. Instead, the capo is a harmless gadget or device attached to a stringed instrument like a guitar, to raise its pitch.
Capos come in different brands but the common kinds are the elastic capos which are the least expensive and commonly used by guitar players, the nylon capos and the steel string capos.
While it may look a bit strange and highly technical stuff for non-guitar players, the capo can be easily attached to a guitar. It is placed on any of the frets of a guitar neck. A fret is a small ridge on the fingerboard of a stringed instrument. In layman’s term, it looks like equal divisions located in a guitar’s neck or handle, the one attached to the guitar’s semi-elliptical body.
To use the capo, just attach the device in any of the frets and make sure the clamp can hold all the strings down. Inspect for any kind of pulling of the guitar strings as it may cause the guitar to sound out of tune.
A special kind of capo, the third hand capo, is a gadget that can surely and easily clamp all the strings of the guitar in place. Like the ordinary capos, it allows the guitar player to play tunes that may be difficult to get or to play using the bare guitar strings.
If you have tried singing accompanied by a guitar, or just playing the guitar, you may be familiar with songs that are either too low or too high and you just can’t get the right pitch. This is where the capo comes to the rescue, by making the pitch right.
The capo is not only used by guitar experts because it also allows beginners to enjoy different kinds of tunes without any difficulty. However, using the capo can sometimes be frustrating for most guitar players as they can sometimes hinder proper playing or proper hand reaching.
While capos are used in stringed instruments, it is commonly used in guitars. Guitars can either be acoustic or electric, but the basic method of playing the said instrument remains the same. Ordinarily, guitars have a total of six strings but there are 12-stringed guitars. But no matter how many the guitar strings are, it is played by strumming or plucking the strings with a person’s right hand. Sometimes, a pick is used to do the plucking or strumming. The left hand is used to hold the guitar in order to come up with a note or chord.
A guitarist must possess the following essentials:
1. Extra Strings-guitar strings usually break when you least expect them to so do yourself a favor by keeping a change of strings for emergency purposes. Guitar strings should be changed every two months even if they do not break. However, if you use your guitar more often than the regular guitar player, then you should try changing strings more than once every two months to keep your guitar in shape.
2. Picks-stock on this little things because they are easy to lose. Other guitar players who only have one pick and lose them use alternatives like carving a pick image from a hard plastic. However, professional pick is always better.
3. Capo-the capo is a very important device for guitar players because it can help one strum a higher pitch of a song proves too low. You would not want to be frustrated if you cannot get the right pitch so better invest on a good capo.
Guitar teachers advise their students, especially beginners, to use an electronic guitar tuner so they can focus on learning how to play the guitar. Like the basic tuner, the capo is one of the essential accessories a guitar player should have because it can easily change keys that may sound awkward with ordinary strumming.
If you have enough budget, then go for the most durable and reliable capo, even if they are more expensive than the ordinary ones. But before buying a capo, you must first have a guitar where you can attach the gadget.
The following are tips in buying and maintaining a guitar:
Price must be an important consideration because you would not want to buy a guitar which is well out of your budget.
The guitar of your choice must be easy and comfortable to play. Experts suggest that buying a guitar with strings that are closed to the fret board would be good for easy playing.
A beginner should not only invest in a good guitar but should also get hold of the essential guitar accessories like the capo.
Keep your guitar rust-free by making sure you wash and drain your hands properly before playing the guitar. Remember, the guitar strings are pone to rusting so take care of them.
Keep you guitars in a safe container and away from sudden weather or humidity changes.