How to Use a Capo for Playing Guitar in Different Keys

NEWS UPDATE:

Attention All Beginner Guitar Players! Now you can learn 20 popular guitar songs using only 8 common chords! Free video download available.

Really Easy Guitar Songs

MUSIC TRIVIA:

Did you know…?

Two of my very favorite songwriters, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers , have known each other since they were in grammar school. They began playing music together in high school and by 1985 became known as the Indigo Girls.

Here’s a little history for you…

– 1990: Indigo Girls win the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording, and are nominated for Best New Artist of the year

– 1991: They achieve their first gold album with Nomads Indians Saints, which features the song Hammer And A Nail.

– 1991: Hit song Hammer and a Nail reaches #12 in the charts.

– 1991: Their first album, Indigo Girls, goes platinum.

– 1992: The duo’s song Galileo reaches #10 in the charts.

– 1996: Their album “Swamp Ophelia” goes platinum and reaches #9 in the album charts.

Not bad if you ask me. I got to see the Indigo Girls in concert back in the 90s and they were great. I would definitely go see them again if I had the chance.

In February 2009, the Indigo Girls released their first independent album in 10 years titled: “Poseidon and the Bitter Bug.” The reviews are good, saying the album highlights their extraordinary songwriting capabilities, beautiful harmonies, and excellent guitar work. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to hear it!

TODAY’S GUITAR TOPIC :

How To Use A Capo

Last month I received an email asking me why I didn’t mention using a capo to change keys in my last newsletter. Perhaps you may have wondered the same thing. After all, it would be much easier than playing around the Circle of Fifths, wouldn’t it?

Yes, it would. But there are some limitations to relying only on a capo. One of the main limitations being the tendency to get stuck using the same chord shapes over and over.

When that happens a guitarist doesn’t develop a chord vocabulary as well as they might have otherwise.

Learning how to change keys without using a capo will…

• expand your knowledge of chords and the fretboard
• build greater strength and dexterity in your fingers
• provide more variety and dimension to your playing

On the other hand, capos make life much easier for guitar players and many artists use them frequently.

The Indigo Girls for example, use a capo on the 4th fret for their song “Hammer And A Nail.” The song is written in the key of B and the tempo is set on a metronome at 138 per quarter beat, which is fast.

Without a capo, the chord sequence for the intro and would go like this…

B  F#sus  G#m7  E+9  B  F#sus   Esus2

But with a capo at the 4th fret, the chord sequence for the inro goes like this…

G  Dsus  Em7  C+9  G  Dsus  Csus2 

Both chord progressions are in the key of B, but the second
sequence, with the capo, is much easier to play!

I worked out the words and chords to this song for those of you who asked for something a little easier to play than what you’ve been getting with the Lick of the Month. Just click the link below to access the pdf file…

Hammer And A Nail

Here is a youtube video you can watch to hear what is sounds like…

Indigo Girls – Hammer And A Nail

Try to keep your 3rd finger down when you switch between the chords: G Dsus and C(+9). These chords are easy to play, but if you have trouble with them, you can substitute Dsus with D and C(+9) with C, and so forth.

It’s a fun and “feel good” song to play :0)

MORE GUITAR TIPS:

Learn more about using a capo by reading my article titled…

The Capo Caper

GUITAR AND INDIE MUSIC BLOG:

Guitar Spring Cleaning

Turn Your Guitar Hobby Into Income

TELL YOUR FRIENDS: