Learn to play barre chords, and using movable chord shapes to create chords up and down the neck.

 Using a Capo with the CAGED System

A Capo is a device used by guitarists to change the tuning of the open strings to play in different keys using familiar chord shapes. The term “Capo” is short for the Italian Capo Tasto (Capo = Head, Tasto = Tie, or Fret), and was first used by 17th-century guitarists.

The capo is a very useful tool for guitarists who prefer to play open chords in different keys without retuning the guitar. A capo also allows for the natural sound of the open strings instead of using barre chords.

The Capo can be used in conjunction with the CAGED system to play open chords in any key by placing the capo on the appropriate fret. The table below shows where to place the capo for all 12 keys and for the 5 CAGED shapes.

For example: if you want to transpose a song from the key of C major to the key of E major, you can place the capo on the 4th fret and play a C shape for the E major chord.

Capo Placement

The Capo can be placed on any fret of the guitar up to the 12th fret. It is extremely important that the capo is placed parallel to the frets to ensure proper tuning stability across the fretboard. An improperly placed capo can cause tuning issues and out of tune chords when playing.

It is also important to place the capo slightly behind the fret, rather than in the middle of the fret or directly on the fret. Again, this is to ensure tuning stability, as well as to allow proper hand placement when playing chords with the capo attached. You can see from the picture below the correct placement of the capo for ideal tuning stability and playing comfort.

Tuning with the Capo

As the capo is applying pressure to the fretboard, there can be tuning issues when applying the capo. It is highly recommended that you tune the guitar with the capo attached, rather than before applying the capo. This will ensure that your guitar stays in tune. You should always re-tune the capo when changing capo locations to make sure the tuning of the guitar has not shifted between capo changes.

How to Transpose Using a Capo

The Capo works exactly like a barre chord in that the capo is essentially a permanent barre chord. This allows for chords to be played as open chords that normally would have to be played as barre chords. When we place the capo on a particular fret, it allows us to access different open chords.

In the table below, we can see the left column indicates the fret where the capo is placed. Each shape of the CAGED system has its own column to indicate the new chord created when that shape is played with the capo placed on each fret.

For example, a C shape played with a capo on the 3rd fret would become an Eb chord. A G shape with a capo on the 5th fret would become a C chord. An E shape with a capo on the 4th fret would become a G#/Ab chord.

Chord Progressions Using the Capo

In the following exercises, the top chords and shapes are where you should put your fingers in front of the capo. The bottom chord symbols are the actual chords being played. Note the boxed text indicating the correct placement of the capo