M-Space: The Blog

Banjo cap-o

On many fretted instruments, a capo is a very handy device for changing keys. The 5-string banjo has the problem that its shorter 5th string gets missed out by a regular capo, at least if you're using it at one of the first 5 frets (which is the most common place to use it). There are various ways of getting round this problem:

1. Ignore the key the tune is supposed to be in and play it at a pitch to suit the instrument (e.g. play it in G instead of A or C instead of D). This approach works fine if you're playing alone, but can be inconvenient for playing with others or trying to sing.
2. Tune up the 5th string to match the pitch of the others. Not too much of a problem if you're only going up a semitone or two, but scary if you're going higher. Also a bit of a drag to have to keep retuning if you're flipping between keys.
3. Use model railroad spikes installed on the neck so you can hook the string under them to hold it down against the appropriate fret. This is the preferred approach of many banjo players and is relatively cheap and easy to install. One of my banjos has spikes, but I've not got round to putting them on the others.
4. Use one of a variety of commercially available 5th string capos. These are generally somewhat more expensive, can be hard to obtain in the UK and are often a bit bulky and cumbersome. Some people like them though.
5. Use some kind of temporary nut stuck in under the string at the appropriate fret. Some of the commercial capos work on this principal, but here I'm thinking of more DIY options.

My Dad (who was my first and principal inspiration to take up the banjo myself) sometimes uses a little piece of bone to wedge under the 5th string. It seems to work quite well although it can be fiddly to get it properly positioned and it is prone to flying out at inconvenient moments. It's also quite easy to misplace.

A few years ago I came across a variation on the same idea while surfing the web, which was to fashion a 5th string capo from the cap of a ballpoint pen. I always intended to make one for myself but never got round to it until yesterday, having heard another reference to the idea shortly before discovering a spare pen top. Armed with a few basic tools (a mini hacksaw, a Stanley knife, a pencil and some sandpaper), I set to work and within minutes came up with this:

(If you click on that photo you should arrive at my Flickr photostream, where you can see more pictures of it.)

The main benefits of this over the bone version (apart from the fact that I didn't have any spare bits of bone to use) are that the extra size makes it slightly less fiddly to use and harder to misplace and that it can conveniently sit on top of one of the tuning posts when it's not in use. Also, it's a great way to recycle pen tops (which always seem to mysteriously turn up independent of pens) and it's easy to make and easy to replace if it gets lost. I've not made very much use of mine yet, but it seems to work quite well.

After making my new capo, I dug out the link to the website from which I'd originally got the idea: www.frets.com. Evidently I remembered it pretty well, as my capo has come out very similar to the one shown there and I seem to have got the storage idea from there too.

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