capotasto

Capotasto is a term used in Italian music nomenclature to describe a device or technique that shortens the vibrating length of the strings on fretted instruments, thereby raising the pitch. It literally combines capotasto, from capo (head) and tasto (fret or key). In practice, it can refer to both the hardware device and the left-hand barre technique.

As a device, a capotasto is a clamp or bar placed across all strings at a chosen fret, effectively acting as a movable nut. Modern capos are typically spring- or screw-clamped devices, but historical capotasti could be wood or other simple constructions. When used, they enable transposition and familiar chord shapes by changing the open-string pitch system without changing hand positions.

As a technique, capotasto also denotes the barre across multiple strings, sometimes partial, achieved with one finger (usually the index) pressed across the fretboard. In lute and Baroque guitar notation, capotasto can indicate either a physical barre or a signal to use a barre position for the passage that follows. In many modern editions, the term is largely supplanted by the word “capo” for the device and “barre” for the technique, though the historical term remains encountered in early scores and pedagogical writings.

In summary, capotasto encompasses both the hardware device used to transpose and the left-hand barre technique, with the exact sense depending on period, instrument, and notation. The modern equivalent in contemporary practice is commonly called a capo, while the barre is described as a barre or partial barre.