Make Your Guitar Easier to Play Instantly With This Simple Capo Trick
Struggling with hand or wrist pain while playing guitar? Learn how to make your guitar easier to play using a capo and proper tuning. Great for beginners or anyone with physical limitations.
Make Your Guitar Easier to Play Instantly With This Simple Capo Trick
If you’ve ever felt like you want to practice guitar longer but your fingers, hands, or wrists just won’t let you, this trick might be a total game-changer. Shout out to my student Elbie who inspired this lesson – they realized a trick I shared for barre chords could work for regular chords too. They were right, and today I’m going to show you how to use it.
All you need is a capo. That’s it!
Capos are cheap (around $10) and incredibly helpful, especially if you’re dealing with fatigue or discomfort while playing. If you don’t have one yet, I even have a video showing how to make a capo with just a pencil and some rubber bands.
Step-by-Step: The Capo & Tuning Trick
- Place the Capo on Your Guitar
The fret you choose will determine how easy the guitar feels:- 1st fret: Slightly easier
- 2nd fret: Much easier
- 3rd fret: Super easy
- Tune Your Guitar Normally
After placing the capo, tune your guitar like you normally would: E A D G B E. Here’s the trick: because the capo is on the fretboard, your strings will initially read sharp. For example, with the capo on the 1st fret, your low E string might show up as F. Just loosen it back down to E. Repeat that for all six strings. - Double Check Your Tuning
Always tune up to the note to keep your guitar in tune longer. That means going a little flat, then coming back up to pitch.
Why This Works
What you’re doing is shifting the nut (the part of the guitar that sets the string height at the headstock) up the neck. This shortens the scale length and reduces string tension, making it easier to press down the strings. Your chords will still look the same – an E chord is still an E shape – but the sound will be slightly higher in pitch depending on where the capo is.
Practice in “Easy Mode”
Start with the capo on the 2nd or 3rd fret and play as usual. Stick with it for a week or a month, depending on your comfort level. As you build strength and endurance, you can move the capo down to the 1st fret… then eventually take it off completely. Just make sure to retune to standard E A D G B E tuning every time you move it.
Next Steps
If you’re looking for a more structured, step-by-step path, I offer a full course called Learn Guitar Once and For All that takes you from absolute beginner to confident strummer. You’ll learn all the essential chords, strumming patterns, and play real songs as you go. Check it out here →
Let me know how this trick works for you, and happy practicing!
