The song that i am trying to learn calls for a capo on the second fret. I know that its to make the chords easier, but unfortunately I don’t have a capo… Can i tune the guitar differently so i can still play the same song with the easy chords?
Or can i just play with out the capo and have the song sound right, even if lower/higher than the original?
No need to retune. You can just play the song without the capo. It will sound almost exactly the same, just a whole step (2 frets) lower than if you had a capo on the guitar.
If the song was originally recorded with a capo on the 2nd fret, you won’t be able to play along with the recording as you’ll be in a different key.
If you can sing the song as it was originally recorded with a capo on the 2nd fret, you might find it harder to sing with without the capo because you’ll be in a lower key.
That’s really why you use a capo — to put the guitar into a key that you can sing comfortably in.
If you don’t have a capo, you can improvise one out of a pencil and a rubber band. Won’t be great, but it will work. But why not just go to the music store and get a capo? A cheap elastic one is $5. A good one, like a Shubb, or Kyser, or Paige, is $15-$20, and will last for years. They’re worth having — and learning to use.
I wouldn’t tune my guitar up a whole step just to play one song. But that’s me.