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While I was always conscious of punk rock in my younger days, having heard bands like the Ramones and a few smatterings of songs on MTV, the advent of pop-punk, spearheaded by bands like Green Day and the Offspring and later others like Blink 182, hit us over the head like a tonne of bricks (in a good way, of course).
It was a genre that many budding players could grasp quickly. It was easy, catchy, and fun. The hooks were instant earworms, the melodies were catchy, and they also used...(checks notes...) capos!
Wait? Capos in punk rock?! Absolutely!
Why use capos?
While punk and pop-punk are arguably defined by stacks of power chords and clean guitar passages, incorporating capos benefits the genre.
They can make some things more accessible to play. In interviews, Mike Ness of Social Distortion said he has a Gold Top Les Paul tuned down from E standard to Eb standard and capos the guitar at the second fret. This is to make playing certain things more accessible and comfortable, accommodating an old injury on his fretting hand. Thanks to capos, Ness can play in different keys.
They can also help maintain a sound when changing keys in the case of a tune like “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” which is in the key of F minor but played with a capo on the first fret with open chord voicings. Playing the tune in the correct key using barred chords wouldn’t have the same sound and weight as the open-positioned chords used with the capo.
So, let's look at some songs that incorporate the use of the capo.
“Going Away to College” - Blink 182
This track, taken from 1999’sEnema of the State, is about the fear of what a boyfriend’s relationship with his girlfriend will become post-high school. The song is in B major but includes several suspended voicings and open strings. Something like this would be a knucklebuster with barred chords. A capo at the second fret makes this a breeze!
“I Was Wrong” - Social Distortion
We’ve already discussed why Social Distortion’s Mike Ness uses capos to make playing certain things more manageable. Though part of this accommodates his left hand, it also puts a unique spin on his sound that differs from his pop-punk contemporaries. This sound is also front-and-centre in this single from the 1996 albumWhite Light, White Heat, White Trash.
“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” - Green Day
The second single from Green Day’s first number-one album, 2004’sAmerican Idiot, is an epic power ballad in the key of F minor. Those with good ears will notice that the chords sound like open-position chord voicings (Em - G - D - A), thanks to a capo on the first fret. Using barre chords with no capo would not have the same sound and punch.
“Hear You Me” - Jimmy Eat World
From the band that brought you the pop-punk banger “The Middle” (from the same album as “Hear You Me,” 2001’sBleed American), this ballad in the key of E major is strummed with chords in the key of D major, thanks to a capo on the acoustic guitar’s second fret.
“Fall Back Down” - Rancid
Lastly, we have a track from Rancid’s 2006 albumIndestructible. The song is in E major but with a bit of a twist. Thanks to guitarist Lars Fredriksen’s use of a capo on the fourth fret, we get some extra jangle (even with the distorted sound) from chord voicings in C major. This also helps separate his and Tim Armstrong’s tones, creating a large sound from only two guitars and some simple chords.
These are just a few examples of capos elevating the sound of pop-punk. Are there any here that we missed? If so, please let us know in the comments. Until then, grab a capo, turn up loud and start bashing away! Your parents are sure to love it!
By Kevin Daoust - instagram.com/kevindaoust.gtr
Kevin Daoust is a guitarist, guitar educator and writer based in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. When not tracking guitars for artists around the world, or writing music-related articles around the internet, he can be seen on stage with Accordion-Funk legends Hey, Wow, the acoustic duo Chanté et Kev, as well as a hired gun guitarist around Quebec and Ontario. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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