Capo Chart: What Key You Get at Each Capo Fret
A capo raises the pitch while you keep playing the same chord shapes. Questions like “If I play a G shape with the capo on 2, what chord is it really?” or “Which fret should the capo go on for a song in E♭?” can all be answered with one chart once you know how to count semitones. This article covers a chart of the real pitch for 8 common shapes with the capo from 0 to 9, where to put the capo for each key, and how to read and use the chart.
Each fret you move the capo up raises the pitch a semitone
Guitar frets are laid out so that each fret raises the pitch by a semitone. A capo is a device that holds down every string at the same fret in place of your finger, so with the capo on the 1st fret every note is a semitone higher, and on the 2nd fret a whole tone (two semitones) higher. The shapes you finger stay the same; only the pitch that sounds shifts. That’s how a capo works.
The 12 note names run C, C# (D♭), D, D# (E♭), E, F, F# (G♭), G, G# (A♭), A, A# (B♭), B, and after B you’re back to C. Just remember there’s no sharp or flat between E and F or between B and C, and you can count capo positions on your fingers.
Chart of shapes × capo positions (capo 0–9)
This chart shows the real pitch at each capo position for 8 open-string shapes commonly used for singing with guitar. Rows are the shapes you play and columns are the capo positions. Sharps and flats follow whichever is more common in guitar music (D# is the same note as E♭, G# as A♭ and A# as B♭).
| Shape | Capo 1 | Capo 2 | Capo 3 | Capo 4 | Capo 5 | Capo 6 | Capo 7 | Capo 8 | Capo 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C# | D | E♭ | E | F | F# | G | A♭ | A |
| D | E♭ | E | F | F# | G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B |
| E | F | F# | G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B | C | C# |
| G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B | C | C# | D | E♭ | E |
| A | B♭ | B | C | C# | D | E♭ | E | F | F# |
| Am | B♭m | Bm | Cm | C#m | Dm | E♭m | Em | Fm | F#m |
| Dm | E♭m | Em | Fm | F#m | Gm | A♭m | Am | B♭m | Bm |
| Em | Fm | F#m | Gm | A♭m | Am | B♭m | Bm | Cm | C#m |
For example, a C shape at capo 3 sounds as E♭, a G shape at capo 5 sounds as C, and an Am shape at capo 2 sounds as Bm. If you play the same song with the capo in different places, there are many combinations where the shapes change but the real pitch stays the same. A C shape at capo 3, a D shape at capo 1 and a G shape at capo 8 all sound as E♭.
Where to put the capo for each key
Going the other way, when you want to play a song in a particular key, decide whether to use C, G, D, A or E shapes and work back to the capo position. Here are the combinations up to capo 7, from lowest to highest.
| Song key | Capo position and shape |
|---|---|
| C | No capo, C / capo 3, A / capo 5, G |
| D♭ (C#) | Capo 1, C / capo 4, A / capo 6, G |
| D | No capo, D / capo 2, C / capo 5, A / capo 7, G |
| E♭ | Capo 1, D / capo 3, C / capo 6, A |
| E | No capo, E / capo 2, D / capo 4, C / capo 7, A |
| F | Capo 1, E / capo 3, D / capo 5, C |
| F# | Capo 2, E / capo 4, D / capo 6, C |
| G | No capo, G / capo 3, E / capo 5, D / capo 7, C |
| A♭ | Capo 1, G / capo 4, E / capo 6, D |
| A | No capo, A / capo 2, G / capo 5, E / capo 7, D |
| B♭ | Capo 1, A / capo 3, G / capo 6, E |
| B | Capo 2, A / capo 4, G / capo 7, E |
For a song in a minor key, look at the row for its relative major: C for a song in Am, G for Em and E♭ for Cm. If you’re not sure how to tell the key, see how to find a song’s key from its chord progression.
How to choose when there are several options
- Prefer shapes with fewer barre chords (holding down all the strings with your index finger). G, C and D shapes are less likely to need F, Bm or F#m
- If two options are about equally easy, the lower capo position sounds closer to the original
- Capo 6 and above sounds high and bright. That suits you if you want a light, ukulele-like sound
- When playing with two guitars, put one with no capo and the other at capo 5–7 to separate their ranges and give a fuller sound
The keys in the chart are only a starting point; in practice, how easy it is depends on the chords in the song. For “E♭ B♭ Cm A♭” in E♭, a D shape at capo 1 gives “D A Bm G”, which still has one Bm barre, and a C shape at capo 3 gives “C G Am F”, which has an F barre. Going up to capo 8 gives “G D Em C” with no barres, but it sounds quite high. Choose based on which chords you find hard and the sound you like. Ways to avoid barre chords are explained in detail in using a capo to avoid the F chord.
Check with the Chord Transposer & Capo Calculator
- 1
See the whole picture in the Capo chart tab
The “Capo chart” tab of the Chord Transposer & Capo Calculator brings together the same shape × capo chart as this article, capo positions by key, and a list of diatonic chords.
- 2
Enter a chord progression in the Capo calculator tab
Enter the chords you actually want to sound, such as “Eb Bb Cm Ab”, and it lists the shapes to play and their difficulty (number of barre chords) for each capo position from 0 to 9, and shows the recommended position.
- 3
Check the fingering and the sound
Tap a shape to see its chord diagram and hear the real pitch with the capo on right away. You can check by ear that it matches the original song.
FAQ
- If I play a G chord with the capo on 2, what chord is it really?
- A. Each fret you move the capo up raises the pitch a semitone, so it goes up two steps: G → G# (A♭) → A. In the same way, C at capo 2 is D, and Em at capo 2 is F#m.
- What key do I get playing C shapes at capo 3?
- E♭ (D#). Playing “C G Am F” as C shapes at capo 3 sounds as “E♭ B♭ Cm A♭”.
- Which fret should the capo go on for a song in E♭?
- The options are D shapes at capo 1, C shapes at capo 3 and A shapes at capo 6. Depending on the chord progression, G shapes at capo 8 may let you play with no barre chords.
- Where on the capo chart should I look for a song in a minor key?
- Look at the row for its relative major: C for a song in Am, G for Em and E♭ for Cm. In the shape chart, you can also use the Am, Dm and Em rows directly.
- How high up the neck can I put the capo?
- Physically you can go up to about the 7th–9th fret, but the higher you go, the shorter the strings and the higher and lighter the sound, and the less room there is to fret. If you want to keep the feel of the original, about capo 5 is a sensible limit.
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