Hello Closest Pickers!!
For you new pickers out there who have learned a handful of chords in first position, grab yourself a capo. If you don’t have one you can pick one up for around $20, Kyser is the brand I would recommend. You can find them on reverb.com or in any music store.
Two important things to know
1. Take your capo and start applying it to the neck just behind each fret. Moving one fret at a time. Play those same chords and you will hear different voicings. When doing this, take note of what key you are actually playing with the chord you are using. For example if you were playing an E chord at first position it would be E. If you play an E chord on the fourth fret it is no longer an E.
2. Very important to remember, do not put the capo directly on the fret. You want to place it just behind the fret. The reason that this is so important is that if you place the capo directly on the fret, the strings will buzz, not allowing the note to be played clearly. By placing the capo behind the fret, you should be able to produce a nice clear sound.
Capo’s have been used to write some of the biggest hits of yesterday and today. The capo can be intimidating at first because it shortens the playing area of the neck which forces you to readjust your site of the fretboard accordingly.
Getting used to using a capo will take some time but will be a lot of fun once you do it. So when you find yourself wanting to try something new, grab a capo and play what you already know, and open up a whole new world of options!
Take a look at my newest video on Capo’s at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfbaTNM4-6WO3XXTQCDHv6A
Would love to hear how you’re coming along and any questions you may have. Until next time,
Keep Picking!!
TC