How could it be that the capo isn't changing the pitch?

Question

I know the title sounds crazy, so hear me out. I'm beginning to look at how I would play The Wolves and the Ravens by Rogue Valley. Here are three key links:

• The album recording of the song.
• The actual band playing it live, where you can unmistakably see a capo on the 5th fret.
• Some random guy's tutorial, which doesn't use a capo but still sounds the same as the album in terms of pitch.

I can't comprehend how both this guy with no capo and Chris Koza (the lead guitarist of the band) with a capo could have achieved the same pitch.

Could it be that Chris Koza is using an alternate tuning, or am I missing something here? I am very new to guitar.

Answer 1

The pitch of the strings change when you put a capo. What you missed is that on the guitar you have different ways and positions for executing the same chord.

So, while the guy with no capo does a C chord in the basic position that everybody learns at first, Koza does the same C chord in a different position in fact his hand has a different shape, the one that you would use to do a G chord without a capo.

This works because if you think about it, if you put the capo on 5th fret, the pitch of every single string is 5 semitones higher. This means that the "G shape" chord with a capo on fret 5 is actually 5 semitones higher than G, that is, a C.

If the two chords sound the same pitch to your ear, it could be that Koza is not strumming the 1st string and that could make that G shape chord have exactly same notes as the open C without capo:

Answer 2

Album - definitely in key C - guitar using open chord.

Live recording - using capo on fret 5, and playing C chord with an open G shape.

Tutorial - uses open C, rooting on 5th string.

All standard tuning - A=440Hz.

In fact, the pitch is changing - for some of the chords' notes. Some will remain the same notes, in the same octave, but will be played on other strings. For example, open C, top note E. That same E is played on 2nd string 'open' when the capo is on 5th fret.

There are different places and shapes available onguitar for playing the same name chords. They produce different voicings, the choices made by the player at the time. Sometimes it's for the sound, sometimes for the ease or effectiveness of playing. By mixing up shapes and positions, it will vary what each chord sounds like, without actually changing the chord itself. One of the joys of guitar.