This absurd photograph actually appeared in the Journal of Research in Music Education in the early 1980's. The Journal was publishing a paper about how to use the partial capo to simplify guitar fingerings for children and those with learning disabilities, and their editors did not want to give publicity to any specific commercial product. Since our Third Hand Capo was the only product there was that accomplished the task of making an Esus chord, they printed this photo rather than one of our capo.

There are a number of ways to partially capo a guitar. They fall into three categories: capos designed for partial application, standard capos that can be used out of the box for some partial configuration(s), and standard capos that can be readily altered for partial use.

Third Hand Capo

The Third Hand Capo is the only universal partial capo. It can clamp any combination of strings on any guitar. It is the best way to clamp some configurations, and the only way to do them all with one device. It is invaluable for experimentation. If you get involved in partial capoing at all, you should have a Third Hand. Many people will find it satisfies all their partial capo needs.

There are at least two other commercially available capos designed for specific partial configurations. The Shubb partial capo can clamp either an E suspended chord or an A major chord, depending on which side of the neck it is applied. from. The Keyser Drop D capo is designed to clamp all but the low E string at the second fret, making the configuration we call Drop E. We were making our own versions of it out of standard Shubbs for years before they decided to start manufacturing them. (See below.) The Esus configuration is by far the most popular of all the partial capo uses, and Open A, the other configuration it clamps is also very useful. The Keyser Drop D works fine, but you can do the same thing by simply off-setting a standard Keyser, so we think its existence is pointless.

Shubb Partial Capo

Keyser Drop D

Several "open jaw" type capos, including Shubb, Keyser, Victor, and Dunlop Trigger models can be placed slightly off center to clamp Drop E configuration. None will work on any or every guitar, but all will work on most guitars. (Be careful when doing this. You don't want to mar the back of your neck. The padded part of the capo cradle is out of position and metal may contact the finish.)

Finally, some models of standard capos can be adapted to partial use with grinders, saws, and files. Just about any open jaw capo can be shortened to make Half Open A. Notches can be filed or cut to let strings pass through capos for other configurations. This can be tricky. Fingerboard width, string action, and fingerboard curvature all have to be taken into account. We prefer to work with Shubb capos when doing alterations for several reasons. They are made of brass, a soft metal which works easily. They have the smallest profile of any open jaw capo we know, so they're the easiest capo to reach over when you need to finger a note next to or behind the capo.

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