TAC Family Forums

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  • Carol-3M-Stillhand

    Member
    March 2, 2023 at 6:16 pm

    @AnneD. If you are using a capo, you generally would not change your tuning at all. So without a capo your open strings are EADGBE, and if you place your capo on for example, the 3rd fret, your open strings are now GCFA#DG. It’s almost impossible to tune your strings low enough to maintain standard tuning with a capo once you place it higher than fret 2 or 3. You’d get buzzing strings from them being too loose. So anything you play with using a capo will be higher notes than if you played without one. If you’re playing along with a recording or with another person then you both need to have your capo on the same fret so they match. But if you are playing or practicing solo then it just doesn’t matter if the notes are all higher. So don’t fret it (hehe pun intended). Just tune your guitar to standard tuning EADGBE without the capo, then put the capo on fret 3 or 4 and then go ahead with your practice or drills.

    (There is a “capo rule” that after applying a capo you should re-tune your guitar because the capo can pull the strings sharp, but for your purposes, you can skip that part. It can get a little confusing to figure out what the “new open string notes” are supposed to be with the capo in place on any given fret.)