Squeezing the Neck

I've discovered the capo. I don't know how to fully utilize it, of course, but it's fun to play around with. Capo is Italian for head and for the small percentage of people who know less about guitar playing than me, a capo is a padded clamp that goes across the strings, essentially shortening the guitar's neck and raising the pitch. You play the same way but get a different sound.

My capo (above) comes from Kyser Musical Products of little Canton, Texas, and is nice because you can put it on and take it off with one hand. If you dig around in your desk, though, you can come up with the materials to make your own, like the one on the right. I bet it would go well with a cigar box guitar.

Capos have been around since the 17th century but some purists call them cheaters and say using them is a shortcut for people who are trying to avoid learning barres and other difficult chord shapes. To me, that sounds like disparaging someone for driving to Philadelphia when they could have walked.

Capos even have their own online museum.