There are capo designs, but most commercial capos consist of a rubbercovered bar that clamps to the instrument's

neck in some way to hold down

the strings. Capos come in different sizes and shapes for different
instruments and fretboard curvatures. The most relevant mechanical factors
that vary by type of capo are ease of use, size, degree of interference with
the player's hands, and ability to hold down strings uniformly without
affecting tuning.
Use
Song arrangements often cite capo position, just as they cite alternate
tunings. When referencing fingerings for a song that uses a capo, the player
must determine whether the chart references absolute finger positions, or
positions relative to the capo. For example, in tablature, a note played on
the fifth fret of an instrument capoed at the second fret can be listed as "5"
(absolute) or "3" (relative to capo). Similarly, a D-shaped chord can be
referred to as "D" (based on the shape relative to the capo), or E (based on
the absolute audible chord produced). Neither method strongly prevails over
the other. For this reason, the phrase "chord-shape" is commonly used to
clarify that the fingering shape and not the audible pitch is being referred to.
With this concept in mind, if two players wish to play a chord progression
with a more harmonious effect, one can play first position chord-shapes
while the second player, placing the capo further up the fretboard, plays
first or second inversions of the same chord progression using familiar
chord-shapes. In this manner, the two guitars create a fuller sound than
they would playing in unison. For example, if they play a simple I IV V chord
progression together in E the first guitarist plays E A B7 while the second
plays the same progression capoed at the 4th fret using C F G7 chordshapes.
Playing with a capo creates the same musical effect as retuning all strings
up the same number of steps. However, using a capo only affects the open
note of each string. Every other fret remains unaffected (e.g., the 7th fret of
an E-string still plays a B note for any capo position at or below the 7th fret),
and thus a performer does not need to adjust for or relearn the entire
fretboard as they might with retuning. The scale length of the strings of an
instrument affects the timbre of the strings, and thus the use of a capo may
alter the tone of the instrument.
Musicians also use capos to bring a guitar tuned below standard up to
standard tuning. Manufacturers sometimes recommend tuning a twelvestring guitar a whole-step or more below standard to offset the additional
stress of the additional strings. A capo can raise it to standard tuning.
However, improved manufacturing techniques have allowed many modern
12-strings to be tuned to standard pitch.
A capo is a mechanical device that attaches to the neck of a guitar and acts
as a "moveable nut" - the same effect as playing a barre with one finger. It is
derived from the Italian "capo tasto" or "capodastro" which literally means
"head of fingerboard". Capos have been in use since the earliest fretted
instruments - carvings show that Egyptians used capos probably made of
twine or sinew tied around the necks of their instruments.
How a capo works? The actual mechanics vary between the different
makes of capo. For instance, I use a Shubb capo which consists of a curved
metal bar with one "hinged" arm and one pivot arm in a curved "E" shape.
The capo is placed just behind the fret. The main bar is fitted with a rubber
sleeve which covers the strings, and the hinged arm fits behind the neck.
The pivot arm has an adjustable screw which pivots on the hinged arm

locking the capo in place. The adjustable tension screw can therefore be
adjusted to fix the capo at different positions on the neck without using
excessive force which could cause damage. If we place the capo behind the
first fret, all the strings have been raised by a semi-tone. If we play a G
chord shape, you are really playing a G#/Ab chord. If we place the capo
behind the second fret, all the strings have been raised by a tone. If we play
a G chord shape, we are really playing an A chord. If we place the capo
behind the third fret, all the strings have been raised by three semi-tones. If
we play a G chord shape, we are really playing a A#/Bb chord and so on.
Can you spot the pattern? If we place the capo at fret "x", whatever chord
we play will be "x" semi-tones higher. This principle also applies in reverse,
so that if we place the capo at fret "x", we play a chord "x" semi-tones lower
than the one written.
El Capo es bsicamente una extensin que sustituye puentes o cejillas
realizadas en los trastes con el dedo ndice, dejando, al dedo mencionado,
libre de esta ocupacin; se lo puede utilizar en cualquier traste disponible (si
es guitarra acstica, la base del brazo no permitir colocar el capo en el
duodcimo casillero). El uso de la palabra "sordina" para referirse al
capotraste es erroneo. La sordina es un aparato usado para disminuir el
volumen y es usado en los instrumentos de viento. Fue inventado por el
guitarrista flamenco Jos Patino Gonzlez en el siglo XIX; fue utilizado por
grandes bandas y es parte de canciones inolvidables, tangos, ya que
permite un exquisito sonido que no sera posible con la utilizacin del dedo
ndice, se convirti en un instrumento indispensable para mucho temas,
como Revolution o Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) de The Beatles.

The term capo is derived from the Italian words capo tasto which mean
head fret. This term was first used to describe to the nut of a guitar,
however as many later on the term was used to describe devices which
temporarily altered or changed where the head fret was placed, by simply
resting on the fret-board and fretting the strings for the player which altered
the tuning without any other manual force.
The first capo known to mankind was invented in the mid 1700s and this
device was basically a single piece of brass which was bent to a C-shape.
This piece of brass was pressed on to the selected instruments neck from
the side and was held tightly in place by the brass pieces own tension. This
device was not considered to be ideal since it caused significant scratches
on the neck, due to not having any padding. However, this was the start of

creating better capos that ended up helping musicians play stringed

instruments with ease.
1700s Brass Guitar Capo
1700s Brass Capo
In the late 1700s, two other types of capos were invented and these devices
were called, the English yoke and the Spanish cejilla. The English Yoke got
its name since it was shaped exactly like an egg yoke but had a crossbar
padded along with that rested primarily on the strings. This type of unique
capo was secured through a screw that was in the middle of the yoke, which
pressed against the neck of the stringed instrument. In the case of some
English guitars, the egg yoke capo had a screw that penetrated the neck of
the guitar. The cejilla was shaped like a little eyebrow due to the shape of
its string. This uniquely shaped capo was a large block made of wood that
has a screw at the top and a string was threaded through a hole in this
screw which was then looped around the stringed instrument that is guitar
and tied to the other side. The capo was then fastened to the stringed
instrument or guitar by the means of turning the screw and drawing the
strings tighter.
1640: Giovanni Battista Doni uses the term Capo in his work Annotazioni
sopra il compendio.
1850: James Ashborn of Walcottville, Connecticut, USA was the first person
to apply for a capo patent. The capo he patented looked similar to the yoke
capo, but tightened in a different way. This device could be tighten by using
a lever with a cam on it and was held in place by the devices pressure.
1890: The Gutman company sold a D Shaped Capo that tightened by using
a similar mechanism however; this device had a lever on the top instead.
'\]/[[,.........
1900: Sears sold a unique and interesting guitar in the early 20th century,
which had a built-in capo. The capo that was fitted into this guitar could be
tightened thorough a string, and a slot was cut in the neck of the guitar to
allow the capo to slide forward and backward on the fret-board.
1931: W.H. Russel was the first person to patent the first elastic capo. This
device was one of the simplest capos invented in its time. The capo was a
hard, padded bar that held firmly to the guitar by means of an elastic strap
that winded around the neck of the instrument.
1965: James Dunlop of Jim Dunlop was the first to patent a toggle capo.
This device was quite similar to the strangely shaped cejilla; however the
device created by Jim Dunlop device worked by placing a lever into one of
many holes located in the top of the capo. This device worked when the
lever was folded down, which tightly fastened the strap against the back of
the guitars neck.
1973: Herbert Bauerfeird from Germany was the first to patent a plastic
capo. This simple yet brilliant device was basically a broken loop that had a
pad which was placed over a group of reeds that would cut into the top of
the loop to ensure accommodation of the different types of curves and
tensions that the various types of guitars provide.

1978: R. Shubb was the first to redesign the side-clamp capo and he did this
by adding an adjustable screw to the lowest lever. This allowed the musician
playing the guitar to easily adjust the lever to accommodate the width of
the stringed instruments neck. This capo is now sold and referred to by the
person who patented the capo.
1979: Trigger capos are held in their place through a spring on the side of
the device. The person who patented this type of cap was Nichols, Berner,
and Fernande. The inspiration for this device was provided by the
clothespins Berners wife used. The various shapes of these trigger capos
were licensed to different manufacturers such as Jim Dunlop who is now the
possessor of the Trigger name. Another manufacturer who was licenses with
this type of capo was Kyser. Some capo models of Kyser were designed with
a secondary device in the lever to help in pulling the bridge pins.
1980: Lyle Shabram, Jr. was given the patent of the Third Hand Capo which
is one of the oddest of all the capo designs. This device is similar in design
to the elastic capo; however the Third hand Capo has a bar that is divided
into six pieces. The pieces in this bar can rotate around the bar to ensure
that only the selected strings are fretted. The design of this particular capo
allows the guitarist to have some of the advantages of alternate tunings
without having to constantly retune the guitar to get the desired results.
1986: Swany Cornette was the one to patent the Glider capo which was
designed keeping the basic structure of rolling capos in mind. This device
not only has rollers on the top but also at the base which, allowed for fast
key changes
Soon after fretted instruments were introduced, man realised the use for a
device that could fret all the strings at the same time. The very first capo
was invented in the mid 1700's.
Both the yoke capo with screw and the wooden Spanish capo cejilla were
invented in the late 1700's. The yoke capo still looks the same, and the
Spanish capo is still in use by Flamenco guitarists. On the English guitar at
that time, the capo was attached through holes in the neck by a small
carriage bolt tightened by a wing nut. I have not found any patent on the Cclamp with screw, so I guess that capo is pretty old too.
The first capo patent was applied for in 1850 by James Ashborn of
Walcottville, Connecticut. His capo was tightened by an eccentric roll on the
back of the neck. Since then, about 130 capo patents have been granted
(I'm writhing this 1999), but very few seem to be practical. My guess is that
most of them never reached the market. (If you have the opportunity, I
strongly recommend you to pay a visit to a Patent Office. You'll get many
good laughs from watching the many crazy musical accessories man has
invented.)
Perhaps the greatest capo invention was the elastic capo, patented by W. H.
Russel in 1931. It is still going strong. Almost every capo user has had one.
The first plastic capo was invented by H. Bauerfeind in 1973.
In 1978 R.Shubb improved the C-clamp by adding a screw to a lever type
capo, thus making the eccentricity adjustable.

Guitar Capo Pronounciation

A common question, people often wonder how to pronounce Capo. Should Capo be
pronounced as Cap-Oh, or Kay-Po. The correct answer is Kay-Po.

How Does A Guitar Capo Work?

A guitar capo is an important accessory that is used by every guitarist at some point in time.
Depending on the design the capo may create tension by using a thick elastic band to
create tension across the selected strings; or this device may use a simple spring
mechanism to create tension. You can also find capos that use a screw with a threaded bolt
to create tension. A guitar capo can not only be used for tuning guitars but it can also be
used to create a higher pitch or a lower pitch for particular tunes such as Irish tunes.

G7th Performance Capo

G7th Performance Capo

The G7th Performance Capo is used mainly for 6 string acoustic guitars, 6 string electric
guitars and classic guitars. This capo has a revolutionary design which allows precise
placement and clamping to the desired fret without pulling or bending the guitars strings.
This capo doesnt cause guitars to go out of tune, in fact it helps beginner and advanced
guitarists play the song of their choice with ease.
To use this device, the guitarist will have to push the small black lever to release the arms
and then position the device just behind the desired fret. After this, the lever has to be
squeezed to tighten either from above or below and finally the black lever has to be
pressed to release the guitar.
The G7th Performance Capo has to be squeezed into place by using one hand and then
released using the lever located at the back of the device. When this capo is not being
used it can be stored near the guitars headstock. Since this capo has a wrap spring clutch
mechanism it is adjustable and easy to use.

Kyser Quick
Change Capo

This is one of the most popular electric stringed instrument capos mainly since it was the
first claim styled designed capos that could be set and moved with the use of one hand.
This easy to use Capo for electric guitars is created using light weight metal such as
aluminum which makes it easy for guitarists to carry, fit and use with most necks of electric
guitars. This device is simple to use and is a favorite amongst many electronic guitarists.
Kyser offers a variety of Capos for beginners and advanced guitarists. The Kyser partial
capos made their first appearance around the year 1999 and ever since their invention;
many guitarists vouch for these devices due to their effectiveness and ease of use. The
Quick Change Guitar capos are considered to be the best devices offered by Kyser since
Quick Change Capos are attractive, easy to use, durable and affordable. The quick change
capos are available in various colors such as black,white, silver, red, gold, pink, blue and
freedom colors.

http://www.theguitarcapo.com/