Capo & Transpose Calculator
Find what key a chord shape sounds in with a capo on, or find where to put the capo to play a shape in the key you want.
| Shape | Open | Capo 1 | Capo 2 | Capo 3 | Capo 4 | Capo 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C | C#/Db | D | D#/Eb | E | F |
| A | A | A#/Bb | B | C | C#/Db | D |
| G | G | G#/Ab | A | A#/Bb | B | C |
| E | E | F | F#/Gb | G | G#/Ab | A |
| D | D | D#/Eb | E | F | F#/Gb | G |
These five shapes cover most beginner songbooks. Any shape works with a capo, but these stay easy to fret at every position in the table above.
How it works
A capo clamps across the strings and shortens them, so every open chord shape you already know jumps up in pitch by one semitone per fret. This tool does the counting for you in both directions. Tell it a shape and a fret, and it names the actual chord you're sounding. Tell it the key you want and a shape you'd rather play, and it tells you where to put the capo.
Worked example: you know a G shape cold, but the singer needs the song in A#/Bb. Put the capo on fret 3 and keep fretting the exact same G shape. Your hands do nothing new; the capo shifts the pitch three semitones up, from G to G#/Ab to A to A#/Bb. Flip it around and the tool confirms this: enter G as the shape and 3 as the fret, and it reports A#/Bb. Enter A#/Bb as the target key with a G shape, and it reports fret 3. Same math, either direction.
FAQ
Is using a capo cheating?
No. Plenty of recordings you already know were played on a capo. It lets you keep the open, ringing sound of first-position chords in keys that would otherwise force awkward barre shapes, and it lets a singer land a song in the key that actually fits their voice without anyone relearning a new set of fingerings.
Why do the shapes in the table only go up to fret 5?
Past fret 5, most guitars start narrowing the fret spacing enough that open-chord shapes feel cramped, and past fret 7 it gets worse on a lot of necks. If the calculator sends you higher than that, it's usually a sign to try a different shape that gets you there with a lower capo position instead.
Do all five shapes sound identical once capoed?
They land on the same chord name, but not the exact same voicing. A capoed D shape and a capoed G shape sounding the same chord will ring with different string combinations and a slightly different color, since each shape uses a different set of open strings and fretted notes. Try a few and pick whichever sounds best for the song.
What's the difference between the shape and the sounding key?
The shape is the physical fingering, the pattern your hand makes. The sounding key is what actually comes out of the guitar once the capo shifts it. Thinking in shapes rather than keys is exactly what lets guitarists move a song around without learning new chord grips every time.
For more on getting a capo onto your guitar in the first place, see what a capo is and how to use one and matching a song to your voice with a capo. If you're still getting comfortable with the shapes themselves, open chords vs. barre chords covers why these five shapes are the ones worth learning first.