Capo Chart (Learn EVERY chord instantly!)

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Ever learned all of your basic chords but wondered how you to take them to the next level? This lesson will show you how you can use a capo chart to enhance your guitar knowledge!

In this free guitar lesson you will learn:

• The no1 secret to enhancing your fret board knowledge.
• 4 capo hacks that will enhance your musicality.
• How to learn guitar chords in 5 of the most common guitar keys.

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Capos are awesome, not only do open chords sound much better with a capo it also makes playing the guitar easier.

It allows us to play ANY chord and ANY song that we want. Capos allow us to reach out to more advanced chords.

Need a capo before you get started? We recommend the Kyser Quick-Change capo.

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Although moving the capo around the fretboard is a great way of playing chords in all keys, it’s also useless if you don’t know what those chords are.

This capo chart shows you what all of the basic open chords are, on each fret of the guitar.

You can download it here: Capo Chart

How To Use A Capo Chart

At first, this chart looks crazy! But don’t worry, we’re going to walk you through it, step by step.

• The column on the left of this chart indicates what chord you play. So for example, if it says C, you play a standard C chord. (This is in open the position.)

Learn this chord here: Easy Ways To Play The C Guitar Chord

Say, you want to move this chord up two frets, so that the capo is now on the 2nd fret. But you’re not too sure on what the chord is.

You simply:

• Take a look out where it says ‘2nd fret’ on the capo chart, go down to original chord. In this case it’s C.
• Look at what the note is below the 2nd fret on the capo chart, that note is D.

So, if you play a C chord with a capo on the 2nd fret, it’s actually a D chord.

The chord is still a C shape, but the sound your guitar makes is a D chord.

Let’s try this with a few other chords.

Capo Chart – The D Chord

When this chord is used without a capo, it is a D chord.

Learn this chord here: 3 Easy Ways To Play The D Chord On Guitar

However, lets move our capo to the 5th fret.

This now becomes a G chord.

To find this out you:

• Look at the original chord shape on the capo chart, in this case it’s D.
• Look at where the 5th fret is on the capo chart.
• Go down to your original chord. (Which is D.)
• From here, you can find out what your new chord is. That chord is G.

Remember, even though we’re still playing a D shape, the chord which you’re actually playing is a G as we’ve moved the capo up.

Let’s try one final chord.

Capo Chart – The A Chord

If we play this chord, without a capo. It’s a A Chord.

Learn this chords here: 3 Easy Ways To Play The A Chord On Guitar

This time, lets move our capo up to the 7th fret. This now becomes a E chord.

How do we know this?

We know this, because:

• The original chord is A.
• The capo chart tells us that at the 7th fret, the A chord shape, is actually an E chord.

Make sure, that you don’t get the shape and sound mixed up.

The sound of an A chord on the 7th fret is an E chord.

Now we know a little bit about how to use capo charts, let’s check out four practical ways that we can use a capo.

1)  Use A Capo To Play Different Voicings of A Chord

Using a capo is a great way to play different voicings of a chord.

Imagine there’s two guitar players in your band and they’re playing the exact same chords. This leaves little or no dynamics within the music.

A great way to solve this is for both guitarists to play the same chord but in different voicings. If you’re not sure on the different voicings, you can use a capo chart to help you.

You can also use capos to create a different feel within your playing.

For example, if you wanted to create a softer feel within in a song, use the capo further up the neck.

If you want your chord to sound huge, use open position chords.

Experimenting with capo placement can give a song an entirely different feel.

To learn how to use a capo, go here: How To Use A Capo

2) Using Capos Makes Songs Easier

Using a capo makes learning songs easier. Often many beginners find a song they like and can play 4 out of 5 chords, however the last chord can is too difficult.

This is where using a capo can help you!

Capos allow you to play ANY song, regardless of what key it’s in.

This is because, you can:

• Place the capo on a different fret on the guitar.
• Play the chords you already know on a different fret on the guitar.

Because you’re changing the placement of the capo, this means that your existing chords change.

So if there’s a difficult chord, you don’t need to worry. Chances are, you can move the capo to make the song easier.

This is why the Capo Chart is SO useful, as you can use it to find any chord on the fret board.

3) Use A Capo To Change The Key of A Song

If you’re a keen singer-songwriter, a capo is your best friend.

Let’s say you’ve written a song with a catchy melody and strong chords. However, you’re struggling to sing it properly.

By using a capo you can quickly change the key of the song, by moving the capo to a different fret

This is fantastic for two reasons:

1. It allows you to move the key of your song quickly and efficiently.
2. It saves you from working out what the chords would be in a different key.

It’s quick, easy and sounds fantastic! What’s not to like about using a capo?

4) You Can Use Capos To Create Crazy Chords

The most common way to play chords with a capo is to use standard chords.

If you’re smart, you can use capos creatively to barre over specific strings. This can create some interesting chords and textures,

This is slightly difficult to do with a standard capo, however you can buy a partial capo which is designed to hold down specific strings.

Here’s what a partial capo looks like:

Partial capos are awesome because:

• They allow you to explore different tunings.
• They make the guitar accessible to people with disabilities. (With partial capos, you can play chords with as little as no fingers!)

Check out capo extraordinaire Luca Stricagonili’s use of a partial capo:

Want a partial capo for yourself? We recommend the Spider Capo by Creative Tunings.

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You can learn more about about partial capos here.

Using Capos Elsewhere

Most guitar players use capos to enhance their open chords. However, we can also use capos to enhance our theory knowledge.

It’s useful for us as guitar players to understand how each key relates to each fret on a capo.

To explore this, we’re going to use 5 of the most common guitar keys. They are:

• C.
• G.
• D.
• A.
• E.

To learn about guitar keys, go here: Guitar Keys: An Essential Guide

For each of these keys there are 3 major chords and 3 minor chords.

We’re going to learn how these chords translate across the fret board.

Capo Chart – Chords In The Key of C

The major chords in the key of C are:

• C major.
• F major.
• G major.

The minor chords in the key of C are:

• D minor.
• E minor.
• A minor.

To learn more about the key of C, go here: Understanding the chords in the key of C

Here’s the capo chart for the chords in the key of C:

Capo Chart – Chords In The Key of G

The major chords in the key of G are:

• G major.
• C major.
• D major.

The minor chords in the key of G are:

• A minor.
• B minor.
• E minor.

Learn about the key of G here: Chords in the key of G and tips for understanding keys

Download for the capo chart for the chords in the key of G, here:

Capo Chart – Chords In The Key of A

The major chords in the key of A are:

• A major.
• D major.
• E major.

The minor chords in the key of A are:

• B minor.
• C# minor.
• F# minor.

Here’s the capo chart for the chords in the key of A:

Capo chart – Chords In The Key of D

Here’s what the major chords in the key of D are:

• D major.
• G major.
• A major.

Here’s what the minor chords are in the key of D –

• E minor.
• F# minor.
• B minor.

As you can see, the more keys you learn the more chords you know!

Here’s the capo chart for the chords in the key of D:

Capo Chart – Chords In The Key of E

Here are what the major chords are in the key of E:

• E major.
• A major.
• B major.

Here are what the minor chords are in the key of E –

• F# minor.
• G# minor.
• C# minor.

If you’d like to know more about chords in the key of E, go here: Chords In The Key Of E

Here’s the capo chart for the chords in the key of E:

As you can see, knowing how to use a capo to its full potential is so useful for us as guitar players.

It means we can play:

• Any chord.
• Any song.
• Any key.

This is a powerful tool that every guitarist must-know.