How to Transpose Chords: Changing the Key Up or Down

Transposing means shifting every chord by the same number of semitones

Transposing raises or lowers the whole song by the same amount. It is the same as the “key +2” or “key −3” setting on a karaoke machine, where the number is the number of semitones. On a chord sheet, you shift the root (the letter at the start) of every chord by the same number of semitones and leave the chord type — m, 7, sus4 and so on — as it is.

Think of these 12 notes as a circle: moving right goes up and moving left goes down. After B comes C, and before C comes B. E to F and B to C are only a semitone apart, so remember that E up one is F, and C down one is B.

Transposition chart for moving the key up or down

Here is the classic progression “C G Am F” (key of C) moved up and down by 1–5 semitones. Moving it by 6 in either direction lands on the same key (F#/G♭), so in practice ±5 is all you need.

Sometimes the new key is easy to play on guitar, like −5 (key of G) or +2 (key of D). Other times, like −4 (A♭) or +1 (D♭), it is barre chords all the way. When the new key is awkward to play, you can use a capo and play simple shapes instead. See the capo chart for details.

Use sharps or flats to match the key

C# and D♭ are the same note, but the rule is to spell chords to match the key signature. The major keys F, B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭ (and their relative minors Dm, Gm, Cm, Fm and B♭m) use flats. The major keys G, D, A, E and B (and Em, Bm, F#m, C#m and G#m) use sharps.

• Writing “D#” in a song in E♭ clashes with the other chords and is hard to read. Keep it consistent with flats: “E♭ B♭ Cm A♭”
• In a song in A, write “F#m” and “C#m” with sharps — not “G♭m” or “D♭m”
• Some keys, like F# and G♭, are written both ways. Guitar charts usually use F#

For slash chords, shift both the chord before the slash and the bass note after it by the same amount. “C/E” up 2 becomes “D/F#”, and “D/F#” down 1 becomes “D♭/F”. The chord types such as maj7, m7 and 7 don't change: “Cmaj7 Am7 Dm7 G7” down 3 becomes “Amaj7 F#m7 Bm7 E7”.

How to find a key that's comfortable to sing

• Check both that the highest note of the chorus isn't a strain and that the lowest note of the verse doesn't go breathy
• When a woman sings a song written for a man (or the other way round), people often start trying around +3 to +5 (which, an octave apart, is the same as −7 to −9)
• If it's too high, lower it one semitone at a time and stop where you can sing the whole chorus
• Recording yourself and listening back makes it easy to hear which notes sound strained

The ± number on a karaoke machine works directly as the transposition number for a chord sheet. If you know “−3” suits you at karaoke, moving the chord sheet down 3 will match it exactly. For how to check by recording, see how to record and listen to your own voice. On the shamisen, each step of pitch (honsu) is also one semitone, so the same idea applies (shamisen pitch number to note chart).

If deciding on a singing key leaves you with hard chords, combine transposing with a capo. For example, a song in C moved down 2 ends up in B♭, which as written is a run of barre chords (B♭, F, E♭). With a capo on the 3rd fret and G shapes (G D Em C), you get the same pitch and it's easy to play. Use transposition to choose how high to sing and the capo to choose how to finger it — thinking in those two steps removes the confusion.

How to transpose a whole chord sheet at once

1. 1

   Paste the chord sheet

   Paste your chord sheet, lyrics and all, into the “Transpose” tab of the Chord Transposer & Capo Calculator. Only chord-only lines and inline chords like “[C]lyrics” are rewritten; lyrics and headings such as [Verse] are left as they are.

2. 2

   Move it up or down by semitones

   Use the − and + buttons to set the amount. The original key is detected automatically and the new key is shown. If the detection is wrong, you can pick the key manually.

3. 3

   Check the spelling and capo, then copy

   For sharps and flats, “Match the key” is the standard choice. If the new key is hard to play, the top three easiest capo positions are shown. Even when chord names change length, spacing is adjusted so the chords stay lined up with the lyrics.

FAQ

How do the chords change if I lower the key by 2?

Lower the root of every chord by 2 semitones. “C G Am F” becomes “B♭ F Gm E♭”, and “G D Em C” becomes “F C Dm B♭”. Keep the m, 7 and other parts as they are.

Is lowering the key the same as raising it?

The chord names come out the same for pairs that add up to 12, such as −5 and +7 or −3 and +9. But the actual singing pitch is an octave apart, so for the singer they are different. When rewriting a chord sheet, it's usual to pick whichever is closer, within ±6.

After transposing, should I write C# or D♭?

Match the key signature of the new key. In a song in A or E, write C#m; in a song in A♭ or D♭, write D♭. If unsure, choose whichever keeps sharps and flats consistent with the other chords.

How do I transpose slash chords?

Shift both the chord before the slash and the bass note after it by the same number of semitones. “C/E” up 2 is “D/F#”, and “G/B” down 2 is “F/A”.

After transposing it's all F and B♭ and I can't play it.

Use a capo. “B♭ F Gm E♭” in the key of B♭ can be played with a capo on the 3rd fret using the shapes “G D Em C” — the same notes, with no barre chords.