Should You Tune Your Guitar With or Without a Capo?

Every guitarist knows this one:

you tune your guitar perfectly, put the capo on…
and suddenly everything sounds out of tune.

Frustrating – especially when you’re about to record or play live.

In the video I show exactly that:
first I tune the guitar without a capo, then place the capo… and the guitar is immediately out of tune.
Then I do the same thing again, but the other way around:
first the capo goes on, then I tune – and suddenly everything stays nicely in tune.

In this lesson I’ll explain why that happens and what the correct order is.

Why Your Guitar Goes Out of Tune When You Tune First and Then Add the Capo

A capo is basically a movable nut:
it shortens the string and increases the tension.

But:

every capo pushes the string down a little
often a bit harder than a finger would
that extra pressure pulls the string slightly too far
which makes the pitch go too high (sharp)

So if you tune your open strings perfectly and then add the capo:

the string tension changes
the intonation shifts
your guitar suddenly sounds just a bit “off”

Result: chords sound sour, especially higher up the neck.

The Right Order: Capo First, Then Tune

If you want to sound really in tune with a capo, always use this order:

Put the capo on the correct fret.
- Place it just behind the fret, not in the middle.
- Make sure it sits straight and presses all strings evenly.
Tune your guitar with the capo on.
- Pick each string at the fret where the capo sits.
- Tune that note with your tuner, as if it were your “open” string.

Now your guitar is tuned in the actual position you’ll be playing in.
Every chord and riff you play after that will sound much cleaner.

How Do You Tune with a Capo Exactly?

Let’s say you put the capo on the 2nd fret.

The low E string becomes F#
The A string becomes B
The D string becomes E, and so on

You don’t need to memorise all those notes – your tuner will show them.
What matters is:

don’t listen to the open string
tune the note you hear with the capo on the string

That way you automatically correct the extra tension the capo creates.

When Should You Retune?

A few simple rules:

Every time you move the capo
– from 2nd to 4th fret? Always check your tuning.
After big temperature or humidity changes
– from backstage to stage, from rehearsal room to outside.
After playing hard
– lots of bends, aggressive attack, heavy strumming.

It takes 30 seconds, but it can save an entire song from sounding off.

Extra Tips for an In-Tune Guitar with a Capo

Use a good quality capo that doesn’t clamp the strings excessively hard.
Place the capo close to the fret, not in the middle between two frets.
Don’t set it at an angle – that causes intonation problems per string.
Always combine it with regular tuning; a capo doesn’t fix a poorly set-up guitar.

In Summary

Tuning without a capo and then putting the capo on = almost always out of tune.
The capo changes the string tension and therefore the intonation.
The correct order is simple:
place the capo first, then tune in that position.
Move the capo? Always check your tuning again.

Want to hear how big the difference is?
Watch the video on this page – in just a few seconds you’ll hear how this tiny habit makes a huge difference in how professional your guitar sounds.

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If you like clear, practical guitar and music coaching instead of random YouTube tips, you need structure. My guitar books and coaching programs give you that structure, so you can finally make real progress and level up your playing.