CAPO GUITAR
A FRESH LOOK AT THE SHORT-CUT CAPO | Mitch Bohannon
How ’ s your guitar creativity ? Do you explore on the guitar ? Do you ever feel like you ’ re stuck in a rut of playing the same things the same way every time you pick up your instrument ? Do you ever get bored with your own playing ?
Getting into a rut can be devastating ! I believe the downfall of many a church started with getting into a set way of doing things ! I don ’ t want to get off on a tangent , so I ’ ll stick to guitar-talk ! If you haven ’ t yet explored the Short-Cut capo , I want to encourage you to give it a strum and I am certain you will find a new creative spark you were unaware of . Some folks use it periodically and some use it all the time .
In most of my Short-Cut classes I will teach that this capo can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be . There is not just ONE way to use it . There is NOT just one set of fingerings to use ! Normally , I teach fingerings that are modifications of playing chord shapes out of the key of “ D .” So , let ’ s look at it in a different way .
It starts with learning two simple shapes . If you are familiar with standard Short-Cut capo chords , you probably already know the E / G #. The second is a variation of the “ A ” chord .
These two shapes are moveable and will create a nice collection of chord voicings ! Let ’ s apply these shapes with the Nashville Number System . If you ’ re not familiar with the Number System , look it up … it ’ s really helpful when using capos .
The diagram will show you the key of “ E ,” the chord-numbers , and the fret numbers of the bass note for these new shapes .
You ’ ll notice that on frets 2 , 7 , 9 , and 12 you will use the same shapes … but on 7 , 9 , and 12 you ’ ll want to mute the 5 th string with your finger . This helps to clean up the bass note .
Again , I ’ m showing you the Number System and frets relative to the capo so that it will make sense when you double-capo to play in keys above “ E .” There is no capo shown in the diagrams because this shape will be played all the way up the neck .
As you strum through these chord shapes , you ’ ll find a family of Short-Cut chords where the root note is the bass note . With these new voicings , we ’ re able to expand the “ sound ” of the Short-Cut capo .
Often , I over-emphasize the simplicity of the Short-Cut capo when I ’ m teaching it . That can lead folks to think it is a tool for the beginner . However , I could tell you story after story of studio musicians and other pros who regularly play with the Short-Cut capo .
Wouldn ’ t that be something … if hearing these new shapes stirred something in your spirit and new songs of praise were born ! Don ’ t get stuck in a rut ! Give the Short-Cut capo a try and play in freedom ! If you have questions or if you would like my chord diagrams and instructions , please email me at cutcapo @ gmail . com
Mitch Bohannon Mitch Bohannon and his wife , Noelle have been married for 30 years with three adult kids and two granddaughters . Mitch developed the Short- Cut Capo for Kyser and is the Director of Live Production at Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles , Louisiana .
70 October 2022
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