Chord transposer
Shift any progression to a new key or capo position — pick a canonical song or type your own chords.
Transpose a song
Chord shape, frets 1 to 5, tuned E A D G B e. 6 notes highlighted. Root E on the open E string.
- open E string, E — root
- A string fret 2, B — chord tone
- open D string, D — chord tone
- open G string, G — chord tone
- open B string, B — chord tone
- open e string, E — root
11 chords ready. Play both keys to hear the shift.
| Section | Original | Transposed |
|---|---|---|
| Verse (capo shapes) | Em7 G Dsus4 A7sus4 | Em7 G Dsus4 A7sus4 |
| Pre-chorus (capo shapes) | Cadd9 Dsus4 A7sus4 | Cadd9 Dsus4 A7sus4 |
| Chorus (capo shapes) | Cadd9 Em7 G Em7 | Cadd9 Em7 G Em7 |
Transpose your own progression
Type a chord progression separated by spaces (e.g. "G C D Em") and pick a shift.
G C D Em
Chord shape, frets 1 to 5, tuned E A D G B e. 6 notes highlighted. Root G on the E string fret 3.
- E string fret 3, G — root
- A string fret 2, B — chord tone
- open D string, D — chord tone
- open G string, G — root
- open B string, B — chord tone
- e string fret 3, G — root
4 chords ready. Play both keys to hear the shift.
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When to transpose, and when to reach for a capo
The usual reason to transpose is a voice. If the melody sits too high or too low for the person singing, move the whole progression by the same number of semitones until it sits comfortably; each semitone is one fret. Play the original and the shifted version back to back and sing a line over both before you commit.
Then decide how to play the new key. You can re-finger: learn the new chord names as written, which often means barre chords. Shift G C D Em up two and you get A D E F#m. Or you can use a capo: on fret 2 it raises open shapes by two semitones, so you keep fingering G C D Em and the song sounds in A. A capo keeps the open strings ringing and the shapes you already know. It can only raise the pitch, though, so to bring a song down you re-finger.
To go the other way, from a key you need to the easiest shapes for it, use the capo calculator. It finds the fret that lets you play C, G, D, A or E shapes in that key. To see which chords belong to the new key, look it up in chords by key. Shifted chords here are spelled with sharps, so Bb comes out as A#: same note, same fret.