CUT CAPO
BLENDING ACOUSTIC GUITARS | Mitch Bohannon
Have you ever tried blending together more than one acoustic guitar when you ’ re playing live ? Wow ! Unless both players are very experienced and versatile , the sound can be … let ’ s just say , less than desirable . Face it , we ’ ve all been there .
I remember one time I bought a used piece of sound gear online for my church . Talking with the seller on the phone , come to find out , he ’ s a guitar player “ of many years .” So , naturally , I asked him if he ’ s familiar with the cut capo . He responded that he ’ s familiar with the capo as a “ device ” but never had heard of a ‘ cut capo .’ Familiar with the device ? That got me thinking about this article . There may be some of you out there who don ’ t use a capo at all . I ’ ve often heard seasoned players refer to the capo as a “ cheat stick .”
God tells us to play skillfully and sing to Him ( Psalm 33:3 ). So I ask , who ’ s more skillful … a fisherman who can pull in a bass with a string and his bare hands or a fisherman who carefully chooses his rod and reel ? Just being able to do amazing feats with their hands doesn ’ t make them more skillful . The idea is similar to the question of why someone would select rosewood over mahogany , spruce over cedar , or ovangkol over maple ? The answer is the choice of a desired tone ! Choice of tone or sound is the same reason I choose to place a capo on fret 2 , fret 7 , or not at all .
With that in mind , let ’ s talk about blending . Let ’ s play in the key of “ E ” ( the main cut capo key ). The first guitar can play with the cut capo on fret two . The second guitar has several choices …
1 . Play open – I think this would add too much midrange .
2 . Play with a full capo on fret 2 with the chord shapes D , A , G , and Bm … this is essentially what the first guitar is doing without the droning strings that the cut capo creates . Here , the two guitars will “ step on each other ’ s toes .”
3 . Play with a full capo on fret 4 with the chord shapes C , F , G , and Am . This could be a nice blend ; however , many players avoid the shape of an “ F ” chord .
4 . Play with a full capo on fret 7 with the chord shapes A , E , D , and F # m . This would be my choice . The voicing is high enough to stay out of the way sonically and it also provides almost a mandolin or high-strung effect .
This example is for the key of “ E .” Working with other specific keys works just the same . It may take a little thought but separating the voicings of the guitars will breathe fresh air into your music . Just a few examples … If you ’ re playing in “ A ” the first guitar may play open standard chords while the 2 nd guitar plays with a full capo on 5 and cut capo on 7 . The key of “ G ” might have your first guitar playing open while the 2 nd guitar plays with a full capo on fret 9 using shapes A , E , and D .
An important key to remember is that the guitars need to stay out of each other ’ s way . The cut capo can be a great way to help achieve this . For reference , my capo transposition chart is shown below . If you ’ d like a digital copy , just shoot me an email .
The numbers represent a fret with a 6-string capo . Play the chord shape on the left and you ’ ll “ hear ” the chord listed under that number . For example , place a capo on fret 5 , play a “ D ” shape , and you ’ ll be playing a “ G ” chord . Apply this chart to the cut capo by following chord shapes E , B , A , C # m , F # m , and so on .
Keep Worshiping Him !
Mitch Bohannon Mitch Bohannon and his wife , Noelle have been married for over 27 years with three adult kids . Mitch developed the Short-Cut capo for Kyser and is a teacher / coach in Louisiana
SHAPE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 A Bb B C C # D Eb E F Bb B C C # D Eb E F F # B C C # D E b E F F # G C C # D Eb E F F # G Ab C # D Eb E F F # G Ab A D Eb E F F # G Ab A Bb Eb E F F # G Ab A Bb B E F F # G Ab A Bb B C F F # G Ab A Bb B C C # F # G Ab A Bb B C C # D G Ab A B b B C C # D Eb Ab A Bb B C C # D Eb E