Capo Chart: Which Fret to Use for Every Key

A capo lets you play in a new key with the chord shapes you already know. Use the charts below to find the fret, then let the app rewrite the chords for you.

How a capo changes the key

A capo clamps all the strings at one fret. Every fret raises the pitch by one semitone (a half step), so with the capo on fret 2 a G shape sounds as A, two semitones higher.

The rule is simple:

Sounding key = the shape you play + the capo fret
Capo fret = the sounding key − the shape you play

A shape is the chord fingering you play with your left hand. Guitarists usually stick to the open-chord shapes of the keys C, A, G, E, and D, because their chords are easy to play without barre chords. For each key, you can pick whichever family is easiest for the song.

Find the capo fret for a key

Find the key the song is in (or the key you want to sing in) in the left column, then read across to the shape you want to play (the columns under "Shape you play"). The number is the capo fret. 0 means no capo.

Key of the song	Shape you play
Key of the song	C	A	G	E	D
C	0	3	5	8	10
Db	1	4	6	9	11
D	2	5	7	10	0
Eb	3	6	8	11	1
E	4	7	9	0	2
F	5	8	10	1	3
F#	6	9	11	2	4
G	7	10	0	3	5
Ab	8	11	1	4	6
A	9	0	2	5	7
Bb	10	1	3	6	8
B	11	2	4	7	9

Numbers on a gray background (fret 8 and above) work, but the frets get cramped. Choose another shape if you can.

Example: a song in Bb is awkward in open position. Capo 3 with G shapes, or capo 1 with A shapes, gives the same key with easy chords.

What key does each capo position sound in?

If you already have a capo on and play a familiar set of chords, this table tells you the real key — useful when a singer or another instrument asks "what key are we in?"

Capo fret	Shape you play
Capo fret	C	A	G	E	D	Am	Em	Dm
1	Db	Bb	Ab	F	Eb	Bbm	Fm	D#m
2	D	B	A	F#	E	Bm	F#m	Em
3	Eb	C	Bb	G	F	Cm	Gm	Fm
4	E	Db	B	Ab	F#	C#m	G#m	F#m
5	F	D	C	A	G	Dm	Am	Gm
6	F#	Eb	Db	Bb	Ab	D#m	Bbm	G#m
7	G	E	D	B	A	Em	Bm	Am

Keys are written the usual way: Bb rather than A#, F# rather than Gb.

Minor keys

Minor songs work the same way. The easiest open minor shapes are Am, Em, and Dm.

Key of the song	Shape you play
Key of the song	Am	Em	Dm
Am	0	5	7
Bbm	1	6	8
Bm	2	7	9
Cm	3	8	10
C#m	4	9	11
Dm	5	10	0
D#m	6	11	1
Em	7	0	2
Fm	8	1	3
F#m	9	2	4
Gm	10	3	5
G#m	11	4	6

Numbers on a gray background are frets 8 and above.

Rewrite a chord chart for capo

Charts are usually written in the sounding key. To play with a capo, you need the shapes, which are the chords moved down by the capo fret. In Chord Transposer:

Paste the chart or open the file.
Set Transpose to the capo fret with a minus sign: for capo 2, choose -2; for capo 3, choose -3.
The output shows the shapes to play. Write "Capo 2" at the top so you remember.

Key: A
A        E/G#     F#m
D        A        E

The chart in A (as it sounds)

Key: G
G        D/F#     Em
C        G        D

Transposed -2: shapes to play with capo 2

The app also changes a Key: line at the top of a chart, so the example above shows "Key: G" after transposing. The Capo: line is left as it is.

Going the other way works too: if a chart says "Capo 3" and shows G shapes, transpose +3 to see the real chords, for example to share them with a keyboard player. Set #/♭ to Prefer b so G becomes Bb rather than A# (see sharps or flats?).