Capo Transposer & Printable Capo Chart
See what chords sound with a capo, find the right capo for any key, and transpose chord sheets.
Separate with spaces, e.g. G C D Em or Am7 Fmaj7 G/B
With a capo on fret 2, everything moves up 2 semitones: a song played with G shapes sounds in A.
Capo transpose chart
Find the shape you play on the left, then read across to your capo fret to see the chord that actually sounds.
| Shape | Capo 1 | Capo 2 | Capo 3 | Capo 4 | Capo 5 | Capo 6 | Capo 7 | Capo 8 | Capo 9 | Capo 10 | Capo 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | F# | G | Ab | A | Bb | B |
| D | Eb | E | F | F# | G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db |
| E | F | F# | G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb |
| F | F# | G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb | E |
| G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | F# |
| A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | F# | G | Ab |
| Am | Bbm | Bm | Cm | C#m | Dm | Ebm | Em | Fm | F#m | Gm | G#m |
| Dm | Ebm | Em | Fm | F#m | Gm | G#m | Am | Bbm | Bm | Cm | C#m |
| Em | Fm | F#m | Gm | G#m | Am | Bbm | Bm | Cm | C#m | Dm | Ebm |
About the Capo Transposer & Printable Capo Chart
This capo transpose chart shows exactly which chord sounds when you play a familiar open shape with a capo on any fret from 1 to 11. Pick a capo position and the shapes you know to see the real sounding chords, or choose the key you need to play in and the tool lists every capo position with the open shape key to use, highlighting the easiest one. You can also paste a whole chord sheet and transpose it up or down, with sharps, flats or automatic key-aware spelling, while lyrics and spacing stay put. Everything works the same on ukulele, and the full chart prints on a single page.
Full capo transpose chart
Each row is an open chord shape you already know. Each column is a capo position. The cell where they meet is the chord that actually sounds. Keys are spelled the way musicians normally write them, so you will see Bb and Eb rather than A# and D#, and F# rather than Gb.
| Shape | Capo 1 | Capo 2 | Capo 3 | Capo 4 | Capo 5 | Capo 6 | Capo 7 | Capo 8 | Capo 9 | Capo 10 | Capo 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | F# | G | Ab | A | Bb | B |
| D | Eb | E | F | F# | G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db |
| E | F | F# | G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb |
| F | F# | G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb | E |
| G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | F# |
| A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | F# | G | Ab |
| Am | Bbm | Bm | Cm | C#m | Dm | Ebm | Em | Fm | F#m | Gm | G#m |
| Dm | Ebm | Em | Fm | F#m | Gm | G#m | Am | Bbm | Bm | Cm | C#m |
| Em | Fm | F#m | Gm | G#m | Am | Bbm | Bm | Cm | C#m | Dm | Ebm |
How to read a capo chart
A capo is a movable nut. Clamping it on a fret shortens every string by the same amount, which raises every note, and therefore every chord, by one semitone per fret. The chart is just that rule written out.
- Find the chord shape your fingers are making in the left column.
- Move right to the column for your capo fret.
- Read the sounding chord. That is the name a pianist or bass player would use.
The shape name tells your hand what to do. The sounding name tells the band what key you are in. Keep both in mind when you play with other people.
Worked example: G shapes at capo 2 sound in A
Say a song is in A major and you want to strum it with the easy G, C, D and Em shapes. A is two semitones above G (G, G#, A), so put the capo on fret 2.
| You finger | G | C | D | Em | G/B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capo 2 sounds | A | D | E | F#m | A/C# |
Slash chords move completely: both the chord and the bass note go up two semitones, so G/B becomes A/C#. The same logic runs in reverse. If a chord sheet is written in A and you want G shapes, turn on capo mode, choose capo 2, and the tool rewrites A, D, E and F#m as G, C, D and Em.
Minor chords with a capo
A capo never changes a chord's quality. Minor stays minor, sevenths stay sevenths, and sus chords stay sus. Only the root and any bass note move. The three open minor shapes cover most minor keys:
- Am shapes: capo 2 gives Bm, capo 3 gives Cm, capo 4 gives C#m, capo 5 gives Dm.
- Em shapes: capo 1 gives Fm, capo 2 gives F#m, capo 3 gives Gm, capo 5 gives Am.
- Dm shapes: capo 2 gives Em, capo 3 gives Fm, capo 5 gives Gm, capo 7 gives Am.
For a song in B minor, the usual choice is Am shapes at capo 2 or Em shapes at capo 7. For F# minor, try Em shapes at capo 2.
Capo on ukulele
Everything here applies to a standard-tuned GCEA ukulele. Each fret is still one semitone, so a uke C shape at capo 2 sounds as D and an Am shape at capo 3 sounds as Cm. Uke players tend to capo from C, G, F, Am and A shapes because those are the easiest open grips on four strings. Above about fret 7 the frets on a ukulele get too narrow for most fingers, so the lower capo options are usually the practical ones.
Common capo keys cheat list
These are the most-used ways to reach popular keys with open shapes. The first option is usually the easiest to play.
| Sounding key | Easy capo options |
|---|---|
| A | G shapes capo 2, E shapes capo 5, D shapes capo 7 |
| B | A shapes capo 2, G shapes capo 4, E shapes capo 7 |
| Bb | A shapes capo 1, G shapes capo 3, E shapes capo 6 |
| Db | C shapes capo 1, A shapes capo 4, G shapes capo 6 |
| Eb | D shapes capo 1, C shapes capo 3, A shapes capo 6 |
| F | E shapes capo 1, D shapes capo 3, C shapes capo 5 |
| F# | E shapes capo 2, D shapes capo 4, C shapes capo 6 |
| Ab | G shapes capo 1, E shapes capo 4, D shapes capo 6 |
| Bm | Am shapes capo 2, Em shapes capo 7 |
| C#m | Am shapes capo 4, Em shapes capo 9 |
| F#m | Em shapes capo 2, Dm shapes capo 4 |
| Gm | Em shapes capo 3, Dm shapes capo 5 |
Singers often use this list backwards: if a song sits too low in G, keep your G shapes and move the capo up one or two frets until the melody feels comfortable.
How to use the Capo Transposer & Printable Capo Chart
- 01To see what a capo does, choose the capo fret and type the chord shapes you play (for example G C D Em); the tool shows the chords that actually sound.
- 02To pick a capo for a song, open Find the capo and choose the key you want to sound in; the highlighted row is the easiest capo position and shape key.
- 03To transpose a chord sheet, paste it into the sheet box, set the direction and number of semitones (or switch on capo mode), and copy the result.
- 04Scroll to the full capo chart and press Print chart to get a clean one-page reference for your case or music stand.
Frequently asked questions
What key is capo 2 with G chords?
A major. A capo on fret 2 raises everything two semitones, so G shapes sound as A, C shapes as D, D shapes as E and Em shapes as F#m.
What key is capo 2 in general?
It depends on the shapes you play. Capo 2 adds two semitones: C shapes sound in D, D shapes in E, E shapes in F#, G shapes in A and A shapes in B. Minor shapes follow the same rule, so Am becomes Bm and Em becomes F#m.
How do I play in the key of G with a capo?
Play E shapes with capo 3, D shapes with capo 5, C shapes with capo 7, or A shapes with capo 10. With no capo you simply play open G shapes, which is usually the easiest option.
Does a capo change minor chords the same way as major chords?
Yes. A capo moves every chord up by the same number of semitones and keeps its quality, so a minor shape stays minor: Am with capo 3 sounds as Cm, and Em with capo 3 sounds as Gm.
Does a capo chart work for ukulele?
Yes. The theory is identical on any fretted instrument in standard tuning: each fret is one semitone. A C shape on ukulele with capo 2 sounds as D, just like on guitar.
What is the difference between transposing and using a capo?
Transposing rewrites the chord names so you play different shapes. A capo keeps your shapes the same and raises the pitch. Capo mode in this tool does the reverse calculation: it rewrites a song's chords as the shapes to play with a given capo.