How to Transpose Guitar Chords & Songs (With Free Capo Chart)
Whether you need to drop a song 3 semitones to fit a singer's vocal range or replace exhausting Bb and F#m barre chords with ringing open shapes using a capo, here is the complete guide—plus a 1-click studio that transposes entire printable sheets automatically.
There [Am]is a [C]house in [D/F#]New Or[F]leans
There [Dm]is a [F]house in [G/B]New Or[Bb]leans
How to Transpose Guitar Chords Step by Step
Every guitar fret moves a note by 1 semitone along the 12-note chromatic scale.
Count the Semitone Shift
Find your current key and target key on the 12-note strip above. Going from G to A is +2 semitones (up 2 steps). Going from C down to A is -3 semitones.
Shift Every Root & Bass Note
Move every chord in the song by that exact same number of steps while keeping minor (m), seventh (7), and suspended suffixes unchanged.
Or Use a Capo for Open Chords
If the new key is full of barre chords (like Bb or Eb), clamp a capo onto the fretboard and play resonant open G, C, or D shapes instead.
Guitar Capo & Key Transposition Chart
Find the Sounding Key of the song in the left column, then pick the capo fret that lets you play easy open chord shapes (C, G, D, A, or E families highlighted in bold).
| Sounding Key (Concert Pitch) | No Capo | Capo 1 | Capo 2 | Capo 3 | Capo 4 | Capo 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Major / A Minor | C – F – G – Am | B (barre) | A# / Bb | A – D – E – F#m | G# / Ab | G – C – D – Em |
| C# / Db Major | Db – Gb – Ab – Bbm | C – F – G – Am | B | Bb | A – D – E – F#m | Ab |
| D Major / B Minor | D – G – A – Bm | C# | C – F – G – Am | B | Bb | A – D – E – F#m |
| Eb Major / C Minor | Eb – Ab – Bb – Cm | D – G – A – Bm | C# | C – F – G – Am | B | Bb |
| E Major / C# Minor | E – A – B7 – C#m | Eb | D – G – A – Bm | C# | C – F – G – Am | B |
| F Major / D Minor | F – Bb – C – Dm | E – A – B7 – C#m | Eb | D – G – A – Bm | C# | C – F – G – Am |
| F# / Gb Major | F# – B – C# – D#m | F – Bb – C – Dm | E – A – B7 – C#m | Eb | D – G – A – Bm | C# |
| G Major / E Minor | G – C – D – Em | F# | F – Bb – C – Dm | E – A – B7 – C#m | Eb | D – G – A – Bm |
| Ab Major / F Minor | Ab – Db – Eb – Fm | G – C – D – Em | F# | F – Bb – C – Dm | E – A – B7 – C#m | Eb |
| A Major / F# Minor | A – D – E – F#m | Ab | G – C – D – Em | F# | F – Bb – C – Dm | E – A – B7 – C#m |
| Bb Major / G Minor | Bb – Eb – F – Gm | A – D – E – F#m | Ab | G – C – D – Em | F# | F – Bb – C – Dm |
| B Major / G# Minor | B – E – F# – G#m | Bb | A – D – E – F#m | Ab | G – C – D – Em | F# |
Don't Rewrite Chords by Hand—Transpose & Print in Seconds
Instead of erasing and rewriting 40 chords across a sheet of paper before rehearsal, paste your song into our Printable Chord Sheet Maker or Online ChordPro Editor, click the Transpose (+/-) buttons in the toolbar, and print a fresh 1-page sheet with updated chord diagrams.
Live Fretboard Diagram Updates
Every vector guitar chord diagram at the top of your sheet automatically updates to match your newly transposed key.
Save Multiple Keys in Your Songbook
Keep an acoustic capo version and a full-band concert pitch version organized in your printable guitar songbook.