Meaning of instructions on a capo box

Question

I've recently bought a capo and have troubles with decoding clues on the box.

First two columns are clear: if you want to play in C or in G, do not use the capo (that is, place it above the nut); then moving the capo by one fret will increase change the key by one semitone. The only subtle misunderstanding is that I thought that classical EBGDAE tuning corresponds to E minor / G major and cannot see where does C come from: it is neither parallel nor relative key.

What intrigues me most is the last two columns. The grid seems to depict first five frets of a six-string guitar. But what is the meaning of four small bold rectangles and the purpose of the Fret/Nut table as a whole? Is it a handbook for those not knowing how to count to five, or there is some hidden sense I cannot understand?

Answer 1

It’s just relative. They could have listed all 12 keys, or only one. Instead they’ve listed capo positions relative to two chords, G and C; it’s useful to give a couple of common examples. I guess they do this to show the principle; you can then extrapolate this to other common chords (the CAGED chords spring to mind: C, A, G, E, D).

So, the diagram just tells you which chords C and G become when using the capo at different frets.

A guitar isn’t “in” G or Em, despite the open strings being close to the tonic chords of these keys.

Answer 2

You are being suggested which keys will be easy to play in with the capo in different positions. And how the C and G shapes will be affected by the different capo positions.

The FRET column is unnecessary, unless you need showing what the 1st fret looks like! I don't think the bold rectangles mean anything in particular. I think NUT is just the first entry in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd... list, rather sloppily presented.

Answer 3

Something's been lost in translation! 'Above' would be better translated as 'on'. It shows which chords, not keys, can be played using those particular open chord shapes. It pre-supposes that C and G are the most commonly used open shapes - which obviates the shapes E and A (and D). Maybe the author preferred 'cowboy chords'!

Don't read much into the 'instructions', which patently obviously didn't start out in English. While trying (!) to be helpful, they confound quite well...