Capo

A capo (short for capotasto, Italian for "head of fretboard"; /ˈkeɪ.poʊ or ˈkæ.poʊ/) is a device used on the neck of a stringed (typically fretted) instrument to shorten the playable length of the strings, hence raising the pitch. It is frequently used on guitars, mandolins, and banjos. Giovanni Battista Doni first used the term in his Annotazioni of 1640, though capo use likely began earlier in the 17th-century. The first patented capo was designed by James Ashborn of Walcottville, Connecticut, USA.