A lot of guitarists like to use a capo, which is a small bar that clamps onto the guitar neck a fret or more below the nut; the nut is the bar (usually white ) that delineates the top of the neck. Clamping on a capo essentially decreases the length of the neck, with all the pitch changes that accompany that.

Chords change as well; if you continue to use the same chord shape you used without the capo, then identify the fret number and the chord shape you’re playing, you can discover the chord you are actually hearing.

The biggest advantage: Capos allow guitarists to play in tricky keys using basic open chords. But figuring out which fret to place the capo on can be confusing. The guitar capo chart below can make this task simpler by helping you determine where to place your capo for the desired sound.

Using the Guitar Capo Chart

1. How to play a song in the original key using simpler chords.

Find the root of the chords you’re trying to play in the far left-most column (don’t worry about the type of chord; if you’re trying to play a B♭ minor chord, just look for B♭).Check the columns to the right, and look for a capo fret number that allows you to play all the chords in the original key using open chords.Place the capo at the specified fret, and play the chords in the column underneath that fret. They will sound like the chords in the far left-most column.

  1. How to know which chords you’re playing when using a capo.

If you put a capo somewhere on the neck of the guitar and play the same chords as you would have without a capo, you’re ultimately playing different chords despite not changing the chord shapes. To find out which chords you are playing:

Find the fret where the capo is by looking at the top row of the chart. Look down the column to find the chord, in other words, the chord shape that you’re playing. Don’t worry about the type of chord, for instance, whether you’re playing a D major or a D minor chord. Just look for D. Look at the first column to identify the chord you’re actually playing, i.e., the one you’re hearing.

Guitar Capo Chart

Open Chord 1st fret 2nd fret 3rd fret 4th fret 5th fret 6th fret 7th fret 8th fret

A

G

F E

D

A♯ (B♭) A

G

F E

D

B

A

G

F E

C B

A

G

F E

C♯ (D♭) C B

A

G

F

D

C B

A

G

D♯ (E♭) D

C B

A

G

E

D

C B

A

F E

D

C B

A

F♯ (G♭) F E

D

C B

G

F E

D

C B

G♯ (A♭) G

F E

D

C

That’s it. Choose a guitar capo that suits you, and use the guitar capo chart to play the chords of your dreams. Good luck and happy guitar playing. 

Featured Video

How to Simplify Chords by Using a Capo

Easy Chords on Guitar

How to Tune Your Guitar to Open E

How to Read Guitar Chord Charts

Top 80s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

Top 70s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

Learning the 7th Chords on Guitar

How to Play in DADGAD Tuning

How to Play the G Major Chord on Guitar

Introduction to Learning Guitar for Beginners

Learning Open Chords and Strumming for Guitar

Top 60s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

The Harmonic Minor Scale Explored

A Primer on Playing Funk Guitar

Five Positions of the Pentatonic Scale for Guitar

What Are Keynotes and Tonics?

Home

Entertainment

Careers

Activities

Humor

About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy

LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.

When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies

A lot of guitarists like to use a capo, which is a small bar that clamps onto the guitar neck a fret or more below the nut; the nut is the bar (usually white ) that delineates the top of the neck. Clamping on a capo essentially decreases the length of the neck, with all the pitch changes that accompany that.

Chords change as well; if you continue to use the same chord shape you used without the capo, then identify the fret number and the chord shape you’re playing, you can discover the chord you are actually hearing.

The biggest advantage: Capos allow guitarists to play in tricky keys using basic open chords. But figuring out which fret to place the capo on can be confusing. The guitar capo chart below can make this task simpler by helping you determine where to place your capo for the desired sound.

Using the Guitar Capo Chart

1. How to play a song in the original key using simpler chords.

Find the root of the chords you’re trying to play in the far left-most column (don’t worry about the type of chord; if you’re trying to play a B♭ minor chord, just look for B♭).Check the columns to the right, and look for a capo fret number that allows you to play all the chords in the original key using open chords.Place the capo at the specified fret, and play the chords in the column underneath that fret. They will sound like the chords in the far left-most column.

  1. How to know which chords you’re playing when using a capo.

If you put a capo somewhere on the neck of the guitar and play the same chords as you would have without a capo, you’re ultimately playing different chords despite not changing the chord shapes. To find out which chords you are playing:

Find the fret where the capo is by looking at the top row of the chart. Look down the column to find the chord, in other words, the chord shape that you’re playing. Don’t worry about the type of chord, for instance, whether you’re playing a D major or a D minor chord. Just look for D. Look at the first column to identify the chord you’re actually playing, i.e., the one you’re hearing.

Guitar Capo Chart

Open Chord 1st fret 2nd fret 3rd fret 4th fret 5th fret 6th fret 7th fret 8th fret

A

G

F E

D

A♯ (B♭) A

G

F E

D

B

A

G

F E

C B

A

G

F E

C♯ (D♭) C B

A

G

F

D

C B

A

G

D♯ (E♭) D

C B

A

G

E

D

C B

A

F E

D

C B

A

F♯ (G♭) F E

D

C B

G

F E

D

C B

G♯ (A♭) G

F E

D

C

That’s it. Choose a guitar capo that suits you, and use the guitar capo chart to play the chords of your dreams. Good luck and happy guitar playing. 

Featured Video

How to Simplify Chords by Using a Capo

Easy Chords on Guitar

How to Tune Your Guitar to Open E

How to Read Guitar Chord Charts

Top 80s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

Top 70s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

Learning the 7th Chords on Guitar

How to Play in DADGAD Tuning

How to Play the G Major Chord on Guitar

Introduction to Learning Guitar for Beginners

Learning Open Chords and Strumming for Guitar

Top 60s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

The Harmonic Minor Scale Explored

A Primer on Playing Funk Guitar

Five Positions of the Pentatonic Scale for Guitar

What Are Keynotes and Tonics?

When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies

A lot of guitarists like to use a capo, which is a small bar that clamps onto the guitar neck a fret or more below the nut; the nut is the bar (usually white ) that delineates the top of the neck. Clamping on a capo essentially decreases the length of the neck, with all the pitch changes that accompany that.

Chords change as well; if you continue to use the same chord shape you used without the capo, then identify the fret number and the chord shape you’re playing, you can discover the chord you are actually hearing.

The biggest advantage: Capos allow guitarists to play in tricky keys using basic open chords. But figuring out which fret to place the capo on can be confusing. The guitar capo chart below can make this task simpler by helping you determine where to place your capo for the desired sound.

Using the Guitar Capo Chart

1. How to play a song in the original key using simpler chords.

Find the root of the chords you’re trying to play in the far left-most column (don’t worry about the type of chord; if you’re trying to play a B♭ minor chord, just look for B♭).Check the columns to the right, and look for a capo fret number that allows you to play all the chords in the original key using open chords.Place the capo at the specified fret, and play the chords in the column underneath that fret. They will sound like the chords in the far left-most column.

  1. How to know which chords you’re playing when using a capo.

If you put a capo somewhere on the neck of the guitar and play the same chords as you would have without a capo, you’re ultimately playing different chords despite not changing the chord shapes. To find out which chords you are playing:

Find the fret where the capo is by looking at the top row of the chart. Look down the column to find the chord, in other words, the chord shape that you’re playing. Don’t worry about the type of chord, for instance, whether you’re playing a D major or a D minor chord. Just look for D. Look at the first column to identify the chord you’re actually playing, i.e., the one you’re hearing.

Guitar Capo Chart

Open Chord 1st fret 2nd fret 3rd fret 4th fret 5th fret 6th fret 7th fret 8th fret

A

G

F E

D

A♯ (B♭) A

G

F E

D

B

A

G

F E

C B

A

G

F E

C♯ (D♭) C B

A

G

F

D

C B

A

G

D♯ (E♭) D

C B

A

G

E

D

C B

A

F E

D

C B

A

F♯ (G♭) F E

D

C B

G

F E

D

C B

G♯ (A♭) G

F E

D

C

That’s it. Choose a guitar capo that suits you, and use the guitar capo chart to play the chords of your dreams. Good luck and happy guitar playing. 

A lot of guitarists like to use a capo, which is a small bar that clamps onto the guitar neck a fret or more below the nut; the nut is the bar (usually white ) that delineates the top of the neck. Clamping on a capo essentially decreases the length of the neck, with all the pitch changes that accompany that.

Chords change as well; if you continue to use the same chord shape you used without the capo, then identify the fret number and the chord shape you’re playing, you can discover the chord you are actually hearing.

The biggest advantage: Capos allow guitarists to play in tricky keys using basic open chords. But figuring out which fret to place the capo on can be confusing. The guitar capo chart below can make this task simpler by helping you determine where to place your capo for the desired sound.

Using the Guitar Capo Chart

1. How to play a song in the original key using simpler chords.

  • Find the root of the chords you’re trying to play in the far left-most column (don’t worry about the type of chord; if you’re trying to play a B♭ minor chord, just look for B♭).Check the columns to the right, and look for a capo fret number that allows you to play all the chords in the original key using open chords.Place the capo at the specified fret, and play the chords in the column underneath that fret. They will sound like the chords in the far left-most column.
  1. How to know which chords you’re playing when using a capo.

If you put a capo somewhere on the neck of the guitar and play the same chords as you would have without a capo, you’re ultimately playing different chords despite not changing the chord shapes. To find out which chords you are playing:

  • Find the fret where the capo is by looking at the top row of the chart.
  • Look down the column to find the chord, in other words, the chord shape that you’re playing. Don’t worry about the type of chord, for instance, whether you’re playing a D major or a D minor chord. Just look for D.
  • Look at the first column to identify the chord you’re actually playing, i.e., the one you’re hearing.

Guitar Capo Chart

Open Chord 1st fret 2nd fret 3rd fret 4th fret 5th fret 6th fret 7th fret 8th fret

A

G

F E

D

A♯ (B♭) A

G

F E

D

B

A

G

F E

C B

A

G

F E

C♯ (D♭) C B

A

G

F

D

C B

A

G

D♯ (E♭) D

C B

A

G

E

D

C B

A

F E

D

C B

A

F♯ (G♭) F E

D

C B

G

F E

D

C B

G♯ (A♭) G

F E

D

C

That’s it. Choose a guitar capo that suits you, and use the guitar capo chart to play the chords of your dreams. Good luck and happy guitar playing. 

That’s it. Choose a guitar capo that suits you, and use the guitar capo chart to play the chords of your dreams. Good luck and happy guitar playing. 

Featured Video

Featured Video

Featured Video

Featured Video

Featured Video

Featured Video

  • How to Simplify Chords by Using a Capo

  • Easy Chords on Guitar

  • How to Tune Your Guitar to Open E

  • How to Read Guitar Chord Charts

  • Top 80s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

  • Top 70s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

  • Learning the 7th Chords on Guitar

  • How to Play in DADGAD Tuning

  • How to Play the G Major Chord on Guitar

  • Introduction to Learning Guitar for Beginners

  • Learning Open Chords and Strumming for Guitar

  • Top 60s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

  • The Harmonic Minor Scale Explored

  • A Primer on Playing Funk Guitar

  • Five Positions of the Pentatonic Scale for Guitar

  • What Are Keynotes and Tonics?

How to Simplify Chords by Using a Capo

How to Simplify Chords by Using a Capo

Easy Chords on Guitar

Easy Chords on Guitar

How to Tune Your Guitar to Open E

How to Tune Your Guitar to Open E

How to Read Guitar Chord Charts

How to Read Guitar Chord Charts

Top 80s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

Top 80s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

Top 70s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

Top 70s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

Learning the 7th Chords on Guitar

Learning the 7th Chords on Guitar

How to Play in DADGAD Tuning

How to Play in DADGAD Tuning

How to Play the G Major Chord on Guitar

How to Play the G Major Chord on Guitar

Introduction to Learning Guitar for Beginners

Introduction to Learning Guitar for Beginners

Learning Open Chords and Strumming for Guitar

Learning Open Chords and Strumming for Guitar

Top 60s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

Top 60s Songs for Acoustic Guitar

The Harmonic Minor Scale Explored

The Harmonic Minor Scale Explored

A Primer on Playing Funk Guitar

A Primer on Playing Funk Guitar

Five Positions of the Pentatonic Scale for Guitar

Five Positions of the Pentatonic Scale for Guitar

What Are Keynotes and Tonics?

What Are Keynotes and Tonics?

Home

Entertainment

Careers

Activities

Humor

About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy

LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.

Home

Home

Entertainment

Careers

Activities

Humor

About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy

  • About Us

  • Advertise

  • Careers

  • Privacy Policy

  • Editorial Guidelines

  • Contact

  • Terms of Use

  • EU Privacy

  • Entertainment

  • Careers

  • Activities

  • Humor

LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.

When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies