Capo and transpose calculator
Capo Chord Transposer
Enter the key a song is in, or the chords exactly as they sound, and this calculator gives you the shapes to finger. Choose a capo fret and see which shapes to play — or say which shapes you already know and get the capo fret that turns them into the key you need.
How the capo calculator works
- Say what you know. Pick the song key, or type the chords exactly as they sound on the recording. If you know the capo fret you want, choose it; if you know the shapes you can play, choose those instead.
- A capo is a shift, not a new tuning. The capo clamps across the strings and raises the sounding pitch of every shape you play by one semitone per fret. Fret 3 means every chord sounds three semitones higher than your fingers suggest.
- The shape key is the song key moved down. Take the song key and subtract the capo fret: a song in Bb major with the capo on fret 3 is played with G major shapes.
- Every chord moves by the same number of semitones. The root of each chord is shifted and spelled for the shape key's signature, so a flat key stays flat instead of mixing Bb and A# in one line. The quality and any slash bass come along unchanged.
- Ask the other way round if you like. In the second mode you name the shapes you are comfortable with and the calculator returns the capo fret — or tells you plainly when no practical fret works.
Worked examples
A song in Bb major played with G major shapes needs the capo on fret 3: Bb becomes G, Gm becomes Em, Eb becomes C and F becomes D. The shapes are all open or familiar barre grips, which is the whole point of using a capo instead of transposing the chords.
A song in E with D shapes needs the capo on fret 2. A song in G with A shapes cannot be done at all: A shapes sound higher than G, and a capo only raises pitch, so the arithmetic answer — fret 10 — puts you an octave above the song, near the body of the guitar.
The reverse question is just as common. If you can only play C, G, D, A and E shapes, the chart below lists the capo frets that keep a song in open shapes for every major key.
What each capo fret does to G shapes
One fret is one semitone. Read the row for your capo position and you have the key those shapes sound in.
| Capo | Shift | G shapes sound in |
|---|---|---|
| None | No shift | G major |
| 1 | 1 semitone up | Ab major |
| 2 | 2 semitones up | A major |
| 3 | 3 semitones up | Bb major |
| 4 | 4 semitones up | B major |
| 5 | 5 semitones up | C major |
| 6 | 6 semitones up | Db major |
| 7 | 7 semitones up | D major |
| 8 | 8 semitones up | Eb major |
| 9 | 9 semitones up | E major |
Capo positions that keep open shapes in every major key
Derived from the same arithmetic as the calculator: for each song key, the capo frets that leave you playing open-position C, A, G, E or D shapes. Frets above 7 are marked because most capos stop clamping cleanly there.
| Song key | Open-shape options |
|---|---|
| C major | no capo → C shapes; capo 3 → A shapes; capo 5 → G shapes; capo 8 → E shapes (high on the neck) |
| Db major | capo 1 → C shapes; capo 4 → A shapes; capo 6 → G shapes; capo 9 → E shapes (high on the neck) |
| D major | no capo → D shapes; capo 2 → C shapes; capo 5 → A shapes; capo 7 → G shapes |
| Eb major | capo 1 → D shapes; capo 3 → C shapes; capo 6 → A shapes; capo 8 → G shapes (high on the neck) |
| E major | no capo → E shapes; capo 2 → D shapes; capo 4 → C shapes; capo 7 → A shapes; capo 9 → G shapes (high on the neck) |
| F major | capo 1 → E shapes; capo 3 → D shapes; capo 5 → C shapes; capo 8 → A shapes (high on the neck) |
| F# major | capo 2 → E shapes; capo 4 → D shapes; capo 6 → C shapes; capo 9 → A shapes (high on the neck) |
| G major | no capo → G shapes; capo 3 → E shapes; capo 5 → D shapes; capo 7 → C shapes |
| Ab major | capo 1 → G shapes; capo 4 → E shapes; capo 6 → D shapes; capo 8 → C shapes (high on the neck) |
| A major | no capo → A shapes; capo 2 → G shapes; capo 5 → E shapes; capo 7 → D shapes; capo 9 → C shapes (high on the neck) |
| Bb major | capo 1 → A shapes; capo 3 → G shapes; capo 6 → E shapes; capo 8 → D shapes (high on the neck) |
| B major | capo 2 → A shapes; capo 4 → G shapes; capo 7 → E shapes; capo 9 → D shapes (high on the neck) |
Limits worth knowing
- A capo only raises pitch. It can never lower a song, so there is no practical capo position that turns shapes in a higher key into a song in a lower key. The calculator says so instead of returning a fret number that would not work.
- Frets above 7 are flagged rather than refused. A capo does physically fit on fret 9, but the shapes end up high on the neck with little room to play.
- The calculator transposes roots, not fingerings. It does not draw chord diagrams or tab, and it does not know whether a particular voicing is comfortable for your hands.
- Chord qualities ride along unchanged: Am7 stays a minor seventh, Cadd9 stays a Cadd9. Altered extensions and slash basses move with the root, but the quality is never rewritten.
- Nothing you type leaves the page. Chords are turned into note names and shifted in your browser; there is no upload, no account and no stored history.
Questions
How many semitones does a capo add per fret?
One. Each fret on the neck is a semitone, so a capo on fret 3 raises every chord you play by three semitones — one and a half steps. To play in Bb with open shapes you put the capo on fret 3 and play G shapes.
Why can't I use a capo to play in a lower key?
Because a capo shortens the string, which only makes the pitch higher. If the song is in C and you want to keep playing D shapes, the fret you would need is 10 — the arithmetic wraps an octave up, so you end up near the guitar's body with the song an octave above where it should be. Play C shapes instead, or tune the guitar down.
Do I transpose the chords or the shapes?
Both are the same move in opposite directions. The chords you hear are the shapes plus the capo. So if you know the sounding chords, subtract the capo to get the shapes; if you know the shapes, add the capo to predict what the audience hears.
Which capo fret keeps the most open chords?
Whatever fret lands you on C, G, D, A or E shapes. For a song in Bb that is fret 3 with G shapes or fret 1 with A shapes; for a song in E it is fret 2 with D shapes or fret 4 with C shapes. The chart above lists the options for all twelve major keys.
Does the calculator handle minor keys and slash chords?
Yes. Switch the key to minor and the chord list follows the natural minor scale, so A minor gives you Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F and G. Slash chords such as C/E move both notes, so the bass note stays correct relative to the new root.
Is my progression sent anywhere?
No. The chords are parsed and shifted in the page itself. Nothing is uploaded, stored or attached to your visit, and there is no account to sign into.
When to use this calculator, and what to check next
Reach for the transposer when you already know one side of the pair — the chords you hear, or the shapes your hands are holding — and you need the other. The links below cover what to settle before you pick a capo, what to check once you have the shapes, and what to look at when a capo is simply not the answer.
Before you choose a capo
- Guitar tuning identifier— work out which tuning the guitar is in before you decide on a capo.
- Capo on the 2nd fret: actual notes— what a capo on fret 2 does to standard tuning, note by note.
After you have the shapes
- Chord namer— name a shape you are already holding when the transposed chord is not one you recognise.
- Note to frequency converter— the hertz behind every note the transposed chords land on.
When a capo is not the answer
- Guitar in tune but sounds wrong— when the transposition is right and the chords still sound sour, the problem is setup or intonation, not the capo.
- Open C tuning chord shapes— open shapes worth knowing once the calculator sends you to C shapes.
- Drop B tuning chords— what changes when the guitar is tuned down instead of capoed up.