Guitar capo calculator
A capo raises every guitar string by one semitone per fret. Enter the song's target key and Strumly shows a capo fret with easier chord shapes — for example, C shapes with capo 3 sound in Eb.
Find the easiest capo position for any key or convert a chord chart. Free. No sign-up.
Find a capo position
- Capo 3play C shapesRecommended
- Capo 8play G shapes
- Capo 1play D shapes
- Capo 6play A shapes
Ranked by open-chord friendliness. Shapes past fret 10 are left out.
Key Eb: capo 3 play C shapes (recommended), capo 8 play G shapes, capo 1 play D shapes, capo 6 play A shapes.
Convert a chord chart for your capo
Paste the chords as written, pick where your capo sits, and read off the shapes to finger. Bars and commas are fine; slash chords convert too.
You play
C F G Am
With capo 3, play: C F G Am.
Capo chart: every key, every fret
Each cell is the chord family you finger when a song sounds in the row's key and your capo sits on the column's fret. Bright cells are the five open families — those are the positions worth reaching for.
| Sounding key | Open | Capo 1 | Capo 2 | Capo 3 | Capo 4 | Capo 5 | Capo 6 | Capo 7 | Capo 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C | B | Bb | A | Ab | G | F# | F | E |
| Db | Db | C | B | Bb | A | Ab | G | F# | F |
| D | D | Db | C | B | Bb | A | Ab | G | F# |
| Eb | Eb | D | Db | C | B | Bb | A | Ab | G |
| E | E | Eb | D | Db | C | B | Bb | A | Ab |
| F | F | E | Eb | D | Db | C | B | Bb | A |
| F# | F# | F | E | Eb | D | Db | C | B | Bb |
| G | G | F# | F | E | Eb | D | Db | C | B |
| Ab | Ab | G | F# | F | E | Eb | D | Db | C |
| A | A | Ab | G | F# | F | E | Eb | D | Db |
| Bb | Bb | A | Ab | G | F# | F | E | Eb | D |
| B | B | Bb | A | Ab | G | F# | F | E | Eb |
Why a capo changes which shapes you play
A capo clamps every string at one fret, which raises the whole guitar by that many semitones. The shapes under your fingers don't change — what they sound like does. Finger a C-shape chord with a capo on the third fret and the room hears Eb. That gap is the whole trick: to play a song that sounds in Eb, you subtract the capo fret from the sounding key and play whatever key is left. Capo 3 leaves C, capo 1 leaves D, capo 6 leaves A, capo 8 leaves G — four different fingerings for one song.
Not all of those fingerings are equal. Guitar favors five chord families — C, A, G, E, and D, the CAGED set — because their keys fill out with open chords: ringing strings, easy grips, no barres. Keys like Eb, F, or Ab force barre chords all night if you play them straight. The calculator above ranks each viable capo position by how friendly its family is, so a flat-key piano song turns back into open shapes.
Capo or transpose?
A capo keeps the song in its original key — you match recordings and other musicians while your hands do easier work. Transposing rewrites the chords into a new key, which changes what everyone hears; that's the right call when a melody sits outside your singing range. If you need the sound to stay put, reach for the capo. If you need the pitch to move, use the transposer instead.
Not sure which target key fits your voice? Find your vocal range with Suede Sing, then use the calculator to keep the guitar part comfortable.
Guitar capo calculator questions
What is a guitar capo calculator?
A guitar capo calculator shows which fret to place a capo on and which chord shapes to play for a song's sounding key.
What key is C with capo 3?
C chord shapes played with a capo on the third fret sound in Eb because the capo raises the guitar by three semitones.
How do I choose the easiest capo position?
Start with the key the song should sound in, then choose a capo position that converts it to an open C, A, G, E, or D chord family with fewer barre chords.
Should I use a capo or transpose the chords?
Use a capo when the song should stay in its original sounding key but you want easier shapes. Transpose when you want the song itself to sound higher or lower.
Keep practicing
Knowing where the capo goes is half the job — the coach can hear you play the shapes and tell you which position actually sits best under your hands. Start coaching →