This explains very well. Still learn bar chords! My guitar teacher threw mine in the back yard the first day we met lol. I'm glad he did. Yes it can be difficult at times but I know my chords and for 40 years I've never used this blessed monster! LEARN YOUR CHORDS! In the end you'll be glad you did!!
Thank you, excellent tutorial. I’m 76 years young and renewing my playing after 60yrs absence. Years of horse riding have misshapen my 3rd and 4th fingers on both hands to make forming most, if not all, barre chords impossible. A capo is essential for me, and I have a suggestion. To avoid the mental exercise counting backwards through the chromatic scale to arrive at the capo position, I keep it simple and count forward like this: (1) I decide on the chord set I want to use (eg. G). (2) I count forward the chromatic steps from G to the target key (eg. D). Thus, G to D = 7 steps. (3) I place capo on 7th fret. Trust this helps.
Good lesson! Many guitar teachers skip right over this, perhaps because they think it’s too basic. Truth is, to learn how to play like a pro, you absolutely NEED to know this stuff...it’s THAT important!
After watching this video, I can now go out with my guitar and boldly say that I can play guitar.... thanks man you're the best teacher on this platform for guitar
Your a trip Mr Stitch you have a lot of fun with guitar and teaching it makes me fill good to learn from you because you positive and it's not like dang I have to make this video got a class to teach your not giving out no negative vibes and guitar is to enjoy and have fun and you show that in your videos I took some lessons one time and the instructor was in a hurry to finish the lesson you could tell he did not want to be there so i just quit my friend was his friend also asked why did you quit I said you no why and he knew and understood but then Mr Stitch comes along and has blessed me ever since I started watch your videos 100% positive vibes...Thank You....Roland J Gutierrez from Magdalena New Mexico usa.
Great video. You have a wonderfully genuine way of delivering information. And it creates a positive outcome. We can tell your a grounded man. Keep up the good work my friend. Happy holidays.
Good lesson and presentation. There are two things that do differentiate capos. The first is whether it has a fret surface that will work on the radius of your guitar fretboard and the second is if it has a profile above or below the neck that works best for you. Of course as you mentioned, the grip required to overcome tension placing it over the strings. Thanks for the lesson. Capos have a simple side and a more complex theory side related to where to put them and how they change the chords and fingering in addition to changing the pitch.
Very well done, All my life I struggled to learn to play, My fingers don't comply that often, as well living on minimal income, Prevents me from taking lessons, Thanks for the help
I have that same capo, but I didn't know it was called a spring capo. Little things like that mean a lot. I really hope you knock it out of the park with your new fundamental videos!
Ian youre a great teacher thanks for the capo lesson i purchased the sheets looking foward to learning and locking those into my tool box i.e. brain albeit not a large toolbox. The late great Glen Campbell always spoke of how useful the capo was to him and thats a guy whos guitar talent never required it but used it alot in his later years according to him. Thanks again looking forward to more.
Found u today- wow what a blessing!! Thanks for u taking the time to explaining stuff really well in your videos instead of just teaching chords and strumming patterns for a song. My husband and I are now empty nesters and are practicing together things we have learned from u- thank u !!!!
Your videos are great!!! I started playing Guitar when I was a child. But have not picked one up in so long and your videos are making getting back into it so much easier.
thank you for reason Number 3.......I was at a church service with 5 guitarist all playing the same chord shapes, I went out of my mind...my wife couldn't control me.......thanks for this......stay safe..PEACE AND LOVE
Great lesson Ian! I've been playing a bit with my girlfriend who is just getting back into the guitar. Her bar chords are not there yet and the caged system is too advanced for now, so this is a perfect compromise. Thanks!
Subscribed. I've been playing on and off for a years and only during this time have I focused on the theory. I've watched about 5 videos before yours and not one of them explained and visualized the note changes. Thank you.
I always refer beginners and people wanting to increase their guitar skills on reddit to your RUclips channel. This is a great capo lesson. I love how you can do more hammer ons and pull offs in different keys with capos and partial chords up the neck. Capos are so handy to play with
I'm not exactly a beginner but I never really understood how capo's work. This will come in handy while playing on acoustic since barre chorda are more difficult than on an electric. Thanks.
Ur vids are very helpful to many I always found cheap capos don't always hold the strings down properly, I prefer clamp-on capos they work much better for me but ur right any capo is better than none, keep sending out the good stuff
Other than playing a few Beatles songs I never really use one. But I always wanted to explore it more with singing. A mate of mine who sings pretty well basically said use it to transpose songs into a key you can sing in. They're also really good for making the guitar sound a bit like a mandolin up around the 5th fret.
Makes so much sense ! Thank you so much for clarifying all this Stitch. This is so helpful and adds such a great dynamic when playing with other guitarist.
You might want to capo up if you want to have an open sound or to use open chord techniques which you often cannot play with Barre chords , such as pull-offs and hammer-on with your index or second fingers .
This is also helpful if you don't transpose but the pitch of a song is too high or low to sing for you. Also songs in Eb or Bb can be played in more " comfortable" chords. And finally, certain licks or bass runs / root - fifth picking just work better with certain chords.
Hey Ian, I love your energy and work here and I think you're a brilliant tutor. Really valuable lessons you're making time to give people, thank you. I wasn't sure if you were aware or not, but I noticed on the Capo transposition chart(s) that you're selling in the key of D, "capo 2nd fret" you have a typo and should have an R6 minor B chord, not a B major. To clarify no.6 = Bmin with capo 2nd fret in the key of D major. (using the C key chart). Also in the key of D major using the G shape chart, that has the same typo too. Hope I'm right? lol...All the best =D
In your playing with another player using a capo where your partner is not, how do you address that the capo sharpens the tuning of all your strings? I've been looking at this and wonder why capo manufacturers (designers) haven't looked at an attached shim to go under the strings thereby reducing the additional stretch between frets (imitating the light touch of a good player). Having to tune with a capo on isn't ideal, but neither is playing out of tune with other players. Great video, BTW!!!
Wow, just watched this video on the capo? So darn interesting and clear....I’m learning, just starting guitar.....play piano which I also totally enjoy......yu definitely are not for the beginner in guitar?!.._😢. I love your teaching style.....so excellent.....I’m sure many many folks enjoy your videos.....thank yu!
I'd like to add a coupla more reasons to use a capo..... • If you're learning/writing a song with a signature guitar riff/lick based on a very specific chord voicing, capos become quite handy in allowing you to preserve the inherent 'sound' of the riff without having to re-voice the chord progression. • This dovetails into the other reason I frequently use a capo: often times I'll write a chord progression that utilizes a moving voice within a chord to help fashion a musical hook. If I find I can't sing the melody well in it's original written key, capo-ing can often help retain the little hook you came up with that seems to only work with a specific chord shape, while adjusting the entire song into a key that's more vocal friendly. Rock on.
Thanks for these videos. If you add the chord images to your charts, you'd have an awesome/complete tool kit for beginners. This is already way better than how I was taught
Hi Ian, where would you direct someone new to your channel who wants to learn to play guitar? Is there a playlist of yours that explains the theory and things to know when getting started? Thanks!
Another important use for the capo is to easily change chord voicings that might be sounding awkward in open position. For instance, before I figured this out I would often avoid the key of D, not because I cant sing it, but because some songs just sound weird when the IV chord is more than an octave below the I, but because its country or folk, it also doesn't sound quite right when you strum the barre chords. (If my fifth grade English teacher is still alive, she just experienced a stabbing pain behind her eyes!) So with a capo you can address this by playing D as a C shape at the second, or an A shape at the fifth, which, to me at least is much more mellow and natural sounding. Open D makes everything sound like bluegrass to me. But you should NOT allow your capo to become an excuse to not learn and master barre chords!!
Mann I was using the whole neck to write songs,but I ran out of ideas,But when I got the Capo my songwriting came right back now I can travel everywhere like in outer space ,I bbn just bought harmonix delay pedal, get ready,a capo and delay pedal 💛🧡❤🥰👍🤪🤪💜💚💛🧡💙👍💜💛🥰❤💞💞❣💓💙💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕❤
I’m a fingerstyle guitarist. I use a capo to sing in the correct key. I’m looking for certain inversions and maybe play a chord melody with my chords. My voice range is not the same as Dan Fogelberg, so I will use a capo to sing it easier.
wow! like Chrissy hinnes say he taught me what that holes was for great tut i some times write a song in a key thats to high for my voice at the chorus so how do i transpose the chords with the capo or can i use the circle of fifths chart to do it i'm confused i need the STICH METOD🤗
Hey. Good morning, Ian. Would you do a songwriting vid.? As in song structures etc... Would be so interesting to see what comes out of your brains... Have a good day, man..
When I write with capo 3, I have the bass in drop c. The lowest two strings of capo 3 create an inverted c power chord. I treat it as more of an open tuning.
Hey, I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for about 6 months. I’ve been watching tutorials online, mainly fingerstyle, but I would like to learn more about music theory and reading music. However, all of this is kinda confusing for me and I was hoping maybe you could give me insight on where to begin with that journey.
I have been praying for over 60 years and enjoyed this video immensely. Very well taught. Thank you.
This explains very well. Still learn bar chords! My guitar teacher threw mine in the back yard the first day we met lol. I'm glad he did. Yes it can be difficult at times but I know my chords and for 40 years I've never used this blessed monster! LEARN YOUR CHORDS! In the end you'll be glad you did!!
Best lesson I've seen on how to use a capo, for a long long time. Thank you 👍
Thank you, excellent tutorial. I’m 76 years young and renewing my playing after 60yrs absence. Years of horse riding have misshapen my 3rd and 4th fingers on both hands to make forming most, if not all, barre chords impossible. A capo is essential for me, and I have a suggestion. To avoid the mental exercise counting backwards through the chromatic scale to arrive at the capo position, I keep it simple and count forward like this: (1) I decide on the chord set I want to use (eg. G). (2) I count forward the chromatic steps from G to the target key (eg. D). Thus, G to D = 7 steps. (3) I place capo on 7th fret.
Trust this helps.
Thank you. I learned so much from this. 🙏
Amazing video! JUST the explanation I needed!
Easy to understand, taught in a very clear and concise manner. Thanks.
This video has been the most helpful in helping me to understand the Capo concept. Thank you!
Ian, you explain this stuff so well in such a nonchalant manner.
Good lesson! Many guitar teachers skip right over this, perhaps because they think it’s too basic. Truth is, to learn how to play like a pro, you absolutely NEED to know this stuff...it’s THAT important!
You are the awesome guitar angel I’ve been waiting all these years!
I've watched many guitar videos and your videos actually helped me the most! Thank you sir
After watching this video, I can now go out with my guitar and boldly say that I can play guitar.... thanks man
you're the best teacher on this platform for guitar
Wow! I've watched tons of videos and no one ever explained it this way. I'll get the charts. Thanks so much!
Yes, he is also such a great guy
Your a trip Mr Stitch you have a lot of fun with guitar and teaching it makes me fill good to learn from you because you positive and it's not like dang I have to make this video got a class to teach your not giving out no negative vibes and guitar is to enjoy and have fun and you show that in your videos I took some lessons one time and the instructor was in a hurry to finish the lesson you could tell he did not want to be there so i just quit my friend was his friend also asked why did you quit I said you no why and he knew and understood but then Mr Stitch comes along and has blessed me ever since I started watch your videos 100% positive vibes...Thank You....Roland J Gutierrez from Magdalena New Mexico usa.
Great video. You have a wonderfully genuine way of delivering information. And it creates a positive outcome. We can tell your a grounded man. Keep up the good work my friend. Happy holidays.
Good lesson and presentation. There are two things that do differentiate capos. The first is whether it has a fret surface that will work on the radius of your guitar fretboard and the second is if it has a profile above or below the neck that works best for you. Of course as you mentioned, the grip required to overcome tension placing it over the strings. Thanks for the lesson. Capos have a simple side and a more complex theory side related to where to put them and how they change the chords and fingering in addition to changing the pitch.
Well done, easy to understand. Never learned with a capo but now I at least know what it means to use one. Thanks.
Very well done, All my life I struggled to learn to play, My fingers don't comply that often, as well living on minimal income, Prevents me from taking lessons, Thanks for the help
Thanks Stitch,best and most well explained capo lesson I've ever had🎸
Quite possibly the best info ever shown. I've used a capo but never really the "true why".
Wow that was super helpful and gave me a great insight. Years of scratching my head and then...illumination! Thank you!
This was so informative! I didn't know how versatile the capo was until you explaining it to me. Thank you so much!
Great video. Very informative. Will definitely use the chart. Thank you.
This is the video I’ve been looking for! Thank you!!
I have that same capo, but I didn't know it was called a spring capo. Little things like that mean a lot. I really hope you knock it out of the park with your new fundamental videos!
This was great. I may just pick up the guitar again after giving up on all those bar chords. Thanks so much!!!
Ian youre a great teacher thanks for the capo lesson i purchased the sheets looking foward to learning and locking those into my tool box i.e. brain albeit not a large toolbox. The late great Glen Campbell always spoke of how useful the capo was to him and thats a guy whos guitar talent never required it but used it alot in his later years according to him. Thanks again looking forward to more.
he called himself the capo king in fact!
Found u today- wow what a blessing!! Thanks for u taking the time to explaining stuff really well in your videos instead of just teaching chords and strumming patterns for a song. My husband and I are now empty nesters and are practicing together things we have learned from u- thank u !!!!
Love your approach to teaching guitar Stitch. Keep it up man.
I love the way you hold the guitar while you make these videos, Stitch. We can see the left and right hand and your face. You are a great teacher!
Your videos are great!!! I started playing Guitar when I was a child. But have not picked one up in so long and your videos are making getting back into it so much easier.
I just learned something new , I love that! Thank you sir.
thank you for reason Number 3.......I was at a church service with 5 guitarist all playing the same chord shapes, I went out of my mind...my wife couldn't control me.......thanks for this......stay safe..PEACE AND LOVE
Dude you’re a godsend been trying to find someone that explains it well and the charts are a major plus thank you!!
you are a gift to the musical generation.
I enjoyed this video thanks for the help I now know how to say capo
Great lesson Ian! I've been playing a bit with my girlfriend who is just getting back into the guitar. Her bar chords are not there yet and the caged system is too advanced for now, so this is a perfect compromise. Thanks!
Best explanation on fret uses, thanks sir
Subscribed. I've been playing on and off for a years and only during this time have I focused on the theory. I've watched about 5 videos before yours and not one of them explained and visualized the note changes. Thank you.
Awesome to have you! Thanks for the kind words
I always refer beginners and people wanting to increase their guitar skills on reddit to your RUclips channel. This is a great capo lesson. I love how you can do more hammer ons and pull offs in different keys with capos and partial chords up the neck. Capos are so handy to play with
Another great lesson....woiuld love to see the charts for D-A-and E.
Awesome guy 👌 learning a lot so thank you for your time and effort ❤️
Passenger's "Let her go" makes so much more sense now. Thank you!
I'm not exactly a beginner but I never really understood how capo's work. This will come in handy while playing on acoustic since barre chorda are more difficult than on an electric. Thanks.
Already subbed.. Thumbed up, shared and posted.
Thanks Stitch ✌️
Ur vids are very helpful to many I always found cheap capos don't always hold the strings down properly, I prefer clamp-on capos they work much better for me but ur right any capo is better than none, keep sending out the good stuff
This is why i subscribed for this type of info
Thankyou I can undestand the way you teach
i have a habit already to play everything in C or D this will help me find the cords much easier..
May I say you are the nicest bearded guy I have seen on RUclips, and a great teacher!
Fantastic! Very clear to understand
Other than playing a few Beatles songs I never really use one. But I always wanted to explore it more with singing. A mate of mine who sings pretty well basically said use it to transpose songs into a key you can sing in. They're also really good for making the guitar sound a bit like a mandolin up around the 5th fret.
Makes so much sense ! Thank you so much for clarifying all this Stitch. This is so helpful and adds such a great dynamic when playing with other guitarist.
You might want to capo up if you want to have an open sound or to use open chord techniques which you often cannot play with Barre chords , such as pull-offs and hammer-on with your index or second fingers .
Thank you for posting appreciate it Geordie lad now living in Nottingham England love you videos Oasis made me pick up a guitar Paul
I get it now. (means: You're a good teacher!)
Wow your videos just get better and better, best teacher ever - amazing!
Thanks John, much appreciated
thanks a lot, useful information. Of course, I can play barre chords.
This is an excellent lesson. Well done, and thank you.
This is also helpful if you don't transpose but the pitch of a song is too high or low to sing for you. Also songs in Eb or Bb can be played in more " comfortable" chords. And finally, certain licks or bass runs / root - fifth picking just work better with certain chords.
May I add
1b You can play the barred chords but the original songwriter/band played it capo'd and you want to nail the voicing.
to this great lesson?
incredible lesson wow thank you
Hey Ian, I love your energy and work here and I think you're a brilliant tutor.
Really valuable lessons you're making time to give people, thank you.
I wasn't sure if you were aware or not, but I noticed on the Capo transposition chart(s) that you're selling in the key of D, "capo 2nd fret" you have a typo and should have an R6 minor B chord, not a B major.
To clarify no.6 = Bmin with capo 2nd fret in the key of D major. (using the C key chart).
Also in the key of D major using the G shape chart, that has the same typo too.
Hope I'm right? lol...All the best =D
Your right, but on the actual chart for downloading I fixed that typo. Rock on
In your playing with another player using a capo where your partner is not, how do you address that the capo sharpens the tuning of all your strings? I've been looking at this and wonder why capo manufacturers (designers) haven't looked at an attached shim to go under the strings thereby reducing the additional stretch between frets (imitating the light touch of a good player). Having to tune with a capo on isn't ideal, but neither is playing out of tune with other players. Great video, BTW!!!
Wow, just watched this video on the capo? So darn interesting and clear....I’m learning, just starting guitar.....play piano which I also totally enjoy......yu definitely are not for the beginner in guitar?!.._😢. I love your teaching style.....so excellent.....I’m sure many many folks enjoy your videos.....thank yu!
I'd like to add a coupla more reasons to use a capo.....
• If you're learning/writing a song with a signature guitar riff/lick based on a very specific chord voicing, capos become quite handy in allowing you to preserve the inherent 'sound' of the riff without having to re-voice the chord progression.
• This dovetails into the other reason I frequently use a capo: often times I'll write a chord progression that utilizes a moving voice within a chord to help fashion a musical hook. If I find I can't sing the melody well in it's original written key, capo-ing can often help retain the little hook you came up with that seems to only work with a specific chord shape, while adjusting the entire song into a key that's more vocal friendly.
Rock on.
great video... thanks for all you do
Thanks for these videos. If you add the chord images to your charts, you'd have an awesome/complete tool kit for beginners. This is already way better than how I was taught
You just got a new sub! This is the BEST video on Capo. Fcking awesome man!!
What level of Patron will allow me to print the Capo charts? 😜🤓
Great video Mr. Ian
Thank you so much sir, it is really help me a lot.
Hi Ian, where would you direct someone new to your channel who wants to learn to play guitar? Is there a playlist of yours that explains the theory and things to know when getting started? Thanks!
Another important use for the capo is to easily change chord voicings that might be sounding awkward in open position. For instance, before I figured this out I would often avoid the key of D, not because I cant sing it, but because some songs just sound weird when the IV chord is more than an octave below the I, but because its country or folk, it also doesn't sound quite right when you strum the barre chords. (If my fifth grade English teacher is still alive, she just experienced a stabbing pain behind her eyes!) So with a capo you can address this by playing D as a C shape at the second, or an A shape at the fifth, which, to me at least is much more mellow and natural sounding. Open D makes everything sound like bluegrass to me.
But you should NOT allow your capo to become an excuse to not learn and master barre chords!!
My fingers will never let me do barre chords
Mann I was using the whole neck to write songs,but I ran out of ideas,But when I got the Capo my songwriting came right back now I can travel everywhere like in outer space ,I bbn just bought harmonix delay pedal, get ready,a capo and delay pedal 💛🧡❤🥰👍🤪🤪💜💚💛🧡💙👍💜💛🥰❤💞💞❣💓💙💕🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕❤
Wow thts amazing n easy to understand
Love these videos!!
I’m a fingerstyle guitarist. I use a capo to sing in the correct key. I’m looking for certain inversions and maybe play a chord melody with my chords. My voice range is not the same as Dan Fogelberg, so I will use a capo to sing it easier.
wow! like Chrissy hinnes say he taught me what that holes was for great tut i some times write a song in a key thats to high for my voice at the chorus so how do i transpose the chords with the capo or can i use the circle of fifths chart to do it i'm confused i need the STICH METOD🤗
Hey. Good morning, Ian. Would you do a songwriting vid.? As in song structures etc... Would be so interesting to see what comes out of your brains... Have a good day, man..
Great info as always.
Great work and much appreciate your approach.
Great lesson, man! 🐰🎸🎶🤝✌️
Thank you. Great lesson. 🎶👍🏼🇺🇸
Fantastic thanks man👍
Great job!
Top shelf ! Cheers !
Great information... thanks...
When I write with capo 3, I have the bass in drop c. The lowest two strings of capo 3 create an inverted c power chord. I treat it as more of an open tuning.
Great video thanks Jim F.✌️😎
Hey, I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for about 6 months. I’ve been watching tutorials online, mainly fingerstyle, but I would like to learn more about music theory and reading music. However, all of this is kinda confusing for me and I was hoping maybe you could give me insight on where to begin with that journey.
I thought I would waste my time listening to this video, boy was I wrong! Learned a lot more then the title aludes to!, thanks!
Thanks again Stich!!!!
Very helpful. Thank you.
Sir plz make a video on strumming patterns and time signature,I really struggled in deciding the strumming pattern for a song
They’re coming don’t worry! Subscribe so you know when
Excellent lesson!
this makes so much sense wow i wish i knew this before caged
Good lesson
Great video!.. any chance of A,D,&E chord family charts like this?
Excellent post thanks much