Using a capo on your electric or acoustic guitar can be both functional and fun. It will give you access to a whole new and exciting spectrum of sound textures as well as making key transpositions a snap. Using it is like giving the guitar the whole new palette of sounds.

Capo is actually short for the Italian phrase “capotasto”, which translates to “principle fret”. The device in essence provides a temporary nut on the guitar at various fret positions. In effect it shortens the length of the vibrating strings which raises the pitch of the open strings. So it makes open chord transposition a snap.

The capo is also a very useful tool as it makes it extremely easy to change a songs key to a more suitable vocal range. The guitarist can instantly change the pitch of the strings to suit their vocal range from song to song. It also makes playing flatted bar chords like Eb, Ab, and Bb much easier as with a capo you can play them with open voicings as compared to bar chords.If you affix the capo at the first fret, all the chords shapes you normally play will now be moved up a half step. Try playing familiar chord voicings while utilizing the capo at different frets and listen to the different sounds you can get with the capo.

Below is a chart that illustrates basic major chord shapes and what they will be transposed to if a capo is used at the indicated fret. For example if you play a C chord shape while having the capo affixed at the 6^th fret, the chord will ring out to the pitch of F#. If you play a E chord shape with the capo affixed at the 6^th fret, the chord will ring out to the pitch Bb.

You can see by these examples the capo allows the guitar player to shape common open chord fingerings but have the actual pitch ring out to a chord they may have to play with a bar chord.

There are basically three types of minor scales – natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor. The harmonic minor scale is a very interesting sounding scale that will add color and depth to your sound – it is a very exotic sounding scale. It has a very distinctive color to its sound – almost Spanish sounding. It is a natural minor scale with a raised seventh. The scale degrees are 1, 2 ,b3, 4, 5, b6, 7.

The natural minor scale is the same scale except the last degree is a flatted seventh, (b7). This form of minor scale is called “harmonic minor” because when harmonies are constructed in minor-key music, it often tends to utilize the raised 7th, especially in dominant harmony. In the key of C the harmonic minor scale would consist of the notes C, D, Eb, F, G, G#, and B. In the table shown on the written lesson you can see how the harmonic minor scale intervals relate to some of the other scales and modes that we have discussed in previous lessons.

This scale sounds great when played over a major V chord in a minor key progression or over minor plus seven chords. Try laying down a rhythm of Am7 – E7. Play A Aeolian over the Am chord and when the E7 chord comes up play the A Harmonic Minor scale over that chord and listen to the sound – WOW. Try resoling the 7^th degree to the root for a nice tension and release feel. You can play the scale over straight minor chords – but it will sound a bit exotic – try it and experiment. Remember the keynote in the scale is that 7^th – it is always a half step behind the root note.

Just to get you started below are two scale shapes. You can grab these easily in any key as you grab the root note with your first finger on the 6th string root in the one shape and the 5^th string root in the other. These will get you started but over time learn the scale over the entire neck and practice in all keys.