So you put a capo on your guitar, say the third fret, and you start playing a song using a D chord. What are you playing?
Most guitarists will say “D.” And that’s the start of a lot of confusion. In reality, when we place the capo on the third fret (as in this example) we raise all of our chords up a step and a half. So your D chord is actually now F. If you don’t believe me, place your capo on the third fret and check the open D string against your tuner.
Now it goes without saying that we do already know this. Or kind of know it. Somewhere in those brains of ours wheels are clicking and our ears are also telling us that this D chord doesn’t sound like D. But when we think about the actual chord we’re playing, our fingers and brains are saying “D” and not “F.” It might be even better to say that our fingers and brains are on autopilot and not thinking or saying anything.
This is part of the accepted “doublespeak” of the guitarist when it comes to using a capo. We’ll acknowledge that using a capo changes the simple chords we play but we continue to call the chords by their open position names. When you think about it, it’s interesting because we don’t do the same thing with barre chords as we move our index finger around the neck like an instantly adjustable capo.
And all this discussion might also be a big yawn, but not acknowledging the doublespeak is usually what makes us second guess all the time when using the capo. We know what we do but haven’t taken the time to understand what it is that’s exactly happening. And that understanding is key to help us make using the capo easier.
Now, this isn’t to say that you want to start thinking of the new chords and keys each time you use the capo. That’s like expecting some shredding lead guitarist to name off every note in a lightning-fast lick. It’s just not going to happen. We learn patterns, whether those patterns are scales or chord shapes, and we use them without thought once we know where to start, once we have a reference point. And what is a capo if not a reference point?
So begin to acknowledge, if not embrace, the doublespeak. When someone says, “This song is just G, C and D with the capo on the fourth fret,” somewhere in the back recesses of your mind you should be thinking, “Okay, that’s really B, E and F#” and then go back to talking about the chords as if nothing’s changed. Doing this will help you when you’re trying to change a song in a difficult key, because you’ll be starting to recognize the “real” chords as well as the “capo position” chords. And it will also start you on a path where you’ll be thinking about chord progressions in terms of scale degrees. Which is where we’ll pick up next time…
Peace
Lucas
February 21st, 2009 @ 12:25 pm
Wow talk about perfect timing, I recently discovered your 3 lessons on learning to play a song by ear and was working on “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby” and couldn’t quite figure out why after placing the capo on the 1st fret you continued to call the chords G and C. Thanks, this helped a lot!
David
February 21st, 2009 @ 12:34 pm
Perfect timing, indeed! I think you must have gotten this less than an hour after I posted it!
Glad to be of help, Lucas, and thanks for reading my articles both here and at Guitar Noise.
Peace
Paul
March 28th, 2009 @ 5:39 pm
david, your lessons are truly appreciated.
David
May 1st, 2009 @ 5:52 pm
Hi Paul
Thank you very much for your kind words. I’m hoping to be better at getting more of them out there on Guitar Noise. And here on my Blog as well.
Peace