How many steps should I lower the key?

If the highest note in the original is a strain, a good starting point is to try lowering 2 or 3 semitones. One semitone lowers the pitch by about 6%. When a man sings a song by a female vocalist, it’s common to lower 4 or 5 semitones (or raise 7 or 8 and sing an octave lower), and when a woman sings a song by a male vocalist, it’s common to raise 3 to 5 semitones. You can move it with “−” and “＋” and tap chords to check the pitch.

If I play C shapes with capo 3, what’s the actual key?

E♭ (D#). Each fret of capo raises the actual pitch a semitone, so C shapes → C# (D♭) with capo 1, D with capo 2, and E♭ with capo 3. Likewise, G shapes with capo 2 sound as A, and G shapes with capo 4 as B. The “Capo chart” tab lists combinations of C, D, E, G, A, Am, Dm, and Em shapes with capo 0 to 9.

Where should I put the capo to play a song like E♭ B♭ Cm A♭ easily?

With capo 1 you can play D A Bm G shapes, and with capo 3, C G Am F. Both have only one barre chord, Bm or F. Enter the chords in the “Capo calculator” tab to see the shapes and difficulty for each capo position from 0 to 9, with recommendations in order of fewest barre chords.

I can’t play the F chord. Can a capo help me avoid it?

In many cases, yes. For example, a song in C (C F G Am) has no barre chords if you play G shapes (G C D Em) with capo 5. In the capo calculator tab, look for rows where F or Bm doesn’t appear under “Chords to play”.

When transposed, is it written with ♯ or ♭?

With “Match the key”, it follows the transposed key’s signature. Keys of F, B♭, E♭, A♭, or D♭ use ♭ (B♭, E♭, etc.), and keys like G, D, A, E, or B use ♯ (F#, C#, etc.). If you want the spelling you’re used to from guitar sheets, “Write with ♯” or “Write with ♭” makes everything consistent.

Is it OK to paste it together with lyrics?

Yes. Only chord-only lines and bracketed chords like [C] are rewritten, and lyric lines are left as they are. Even if English lyrics like “A day in the life” contain letters that look like chords, a line with even one non-chord word is treated as lyrics. What you paste is not sent to a server.

How is the original key detected?

It counts which key’s diatonic chords (the chords made only from that key’s scale) the song’s chords fit best, giving heavy weight to whether the first and last chords are I (the tonic). If the first and last are VIm (for example Am in the key of C), it’s judged as the minor key (Am). It can be wrong for songs with many modulations, so in that case choose the “Original key” again.

Can I use it for ukulele or piano?

Transposing chord sheets, key detection, and the diatonic chord list work for any instrument. Fingering diagrams, capo calculations, and the sounds played assume a 6-string guitar in standard tuning.

Chord Transposer & Capo Calculator | Find the Capo Position That Lets You Play Easy Chords in Any Key

Paste a guitar chord sheet (lyrics are fine) and move it up or down a semitone at a time to transpose every chord. Lyric lines and section headings like [Verse] stay as they are, and spacing is adjusted so chords stay aligned with the lyrics even when chord names change length. It automatically detects the original key and shows, for the transposed key, “which capo fret and which shapes make it easy”. Even for keys full of barre chords like E♭, B♭, and A♭, you can compare fingerings and difficulty for each capo position in a list, and check them with chord diagrams and sounds played on the spot. Includes a capo chart, capo positions by key, and a diatonic chord list.

ABOUT

About Chord Transposer & Capo Calculator | Find the Capo Position That Lets You Play Easy Chords in Any Key

The chord transposer & capo calculator transposes guitar chord sheets by semitones and finds capo positions that let you play the transposed key with easy shapes. Paste a chord sheet with lyrics as is, and it rewrites chord-only lines and chords embedded like [C], without touching lyrics or headings. It detects the original key automatically and spells ♯ and ♭ to match the key signature. In the capo calculator, even for songs in keys full of barre chords like E♭, B♭, and A♭, it lists the shapes and difficulty for each capo position from 0 to 9 and recommends combinations with fewer barre chords like F and Bm. Chords come with fingering diagrams, and tapping one plays a sound synthesized on the spot. There’s also a capo chart, capo positions by key, and a diatonic chord list.

How to use Chord Transposer & Capo Calculator | Find the Capo Position That Lets You Play Easy Chords in Any Key

1Paste a chord sheet (lyrics are fine) into the “Transpose” tab
2Move it up or down a semitone at a time with “−” and “＋”, or choose the key you want to play from “Transposed key”
3Choose how to write ♯ and ♭, and copy the transposed chord sheet
4Check the capo position and shapes in “To play this key with a capo”
5To play in the original key with a capo, enter the chord progression in the “Capo calculator” tab and compare the shapes for each capo position
6Tap a chord card to check its diagram and sound, and listen to the flow with “Play the chord progression”

Great for

Make a chord sheet lowered 2 or 3 keys because the original key is too high to sing
Transpose a song by a female vocalist to a key a man can sing (or the other way around)
Play a song in a key full of barre chords like E♭, A♭, or B♭ with easy chords using a capo
Find the actual key (E♭) of a sheet marked “capo 3, C shapes”
Find a capo position that avoids the F chord and Bm
Detect a song’s original key from its chord progression
Use the capo chart to confirm that G shapes with capo 2 sound as A
Build the same chord progression in another key from the diatonic chord list

Good to know

Transposing moves the root and the bass note after “/” by the same number of semitones. The chord quality, such as m7, sus4, add9, m7-5, or (9), stays as it is.
Only “chord-only lines” and chords embedded in brackets, like “[C]lyrics[G]lyrics”, are rewritten. A line containing even one word that isn’t a chord is treated as lyrics and left unchanged. Headings at the start of a line like “Intro:”, “Chorus:”, or “[Verse]”, bar lines (|), N.C., and ×2 are fine within chord lines.
When a chord name changes length (C → C#, etc.), trailing spaces are trimmed or added so it stays aligned with the lyrics below. It lines up when shown in a monospace font.
Key detection estimates from how many chords fit the major key’s diatonic chords (I, IIm, IIIm, IV, V, VIm, VIIm(♭5)) and from the first and last chords. It can be wrong for songs that modulate or have many outside chords, like blues or jazz, so in that case choose the “Original key” by hand.
With “Match the key” spelling, keys of F, B♭, E♭, A♭, and D♭ (and their relative minors) are written with ♭, and the rest with ♯. When the key is unknown, it uses C#, E♭, F#, A♭, and B♭.
Capo difficulty counts shapes playable with open strings (C, G, D, A, E, Am, Em, Dm, 7ths, etc.) as 1, B7, Fmaj7, Bm7, and similar as 2, common barre chords like F, Bm, and F#m as 3, and other barre chords as 4, averaged by how often they appear in the song. When they’re about equal, the lower capo comes first, and capo 6 or higher is counted slightly less favorably.
Sounds are a simple guitar tone synthesized on the spot with the Web Audio API. Chords with a fingering diagram play those strings; chords without one play their stacked chord tones.
Transposing works for any instrument, but fingering diagrams and capo calculations assume a 6-string guitar in standard tuning (EADGBE).
All calculations happen in the browser, and the chord sheets and lyrics you paste are not sent to a server. The share URL contains only the transposition amount and key, and on the capo calculator tab, chord names.

Questions this tool answers

Use Chord Transposer & Capo Calculator | Find the Capo Position That Lets You Play Easy Chords in Any Key for searches like these:

I want to transpose a whole chord sheet at once
I want chords with the key lowered so it’s easier to sing
I want to know which fret to put the capo on to play easy chords
I want to know the actual key when using a capo
I want to play while avoiding the F chord and barre chords
I want to detect a song’s key from its chord progression
I want to see a capo chart
I want to see a list of diatonic chords
I want to know whether to write ♯ or ♭
I want to check chord fingerings and sounds

FAQ

How many steps should I lower the key?: If the highest note in the original is a strain, a good starting point is to try lowering 2 or 3 semitones. One semitone lowers the pitch by about 6%. When a man sings a song by a female vocalist, it’s common to lower 4 or 5 semitones (or raise 7 or 8 and sing an octave lower), and when a woman sings a song by a male vocalist, it’s common to raise 3 to 5 semitones. You can move it with “−” and “＋” and tap chords to check the pitch.
If I play C shapes with capo 3, what’s the actual key?: E♭ (D#). Each fret of capo raises the actual pitch a semitone, so C shapes → C# (D♭) with capo 1, D with capo 2, and E♭ with capo 3. Likewise, G shapes with capo 2 sound as A, and G shapes with capo 4 as B. The “Capo chart” tab lists combinations of C, D, E, G, A, Am, Dm, and Em shapes with capo 0 to 9.
Where should I put the capo to play a song like E♭ B♭ Cm A♭ easily?: With capo 1 you can play D A Bm G shapes, and with capo 3, C G Am F. Both have only one barre chord, Bm or F. Enter the chords in the “Capo calculator” tab to see the shapes and difficulty for each capo position from 0 to 9, with recommendations in order of fewest barre chords.
I can’t play the F chord. Can a capo help me avoid it?: In many cases, yes. For example, a song in C (C F G Am) has no barre chords if you play G shapes (G C D Em) with capo 5. In the capo calculator tab, look for rows where F or Bm doesn’t appear under “Chords to play”.
When transposed, is it written with ♯ or ♭?: With “Match the key”, it follows the transposed key’s signature. Keys of F, B♭, E♭, A♭, or D♭ use ♭ (B♭, E♭, etc.), and keys like G, D, A, E, or B use ♯ (F#, C#, etc.). If you want the spelling you’re used to from guitar sheets, “Write with ♯” or “Write with ♭” makes everything consistent.
Is it OK to paste it together with lyrics?: Yes. Only chord-only lines and bracketed chords like [C] are rewritten, and lyric lines are left as they are. Even if English lyrics like “A day in the life” contain letters that look like chords, a line with even one non-chord word is treated as lyrics. What you paste is not sent to a server.
How is the original key detected?: It counts which key’s diatonic chords (the chords made only from that key’s scale) the song’s chords fit best, giving heavy weight to whether the first and last chords are I (the tonic). If the first and last are VIm (for example Am in the key of C), it’s judged as the minor key (Am). It can be wrong for songs with many modulations, so in that case choose the “Original key” again.
Can I use it for ukulele or piano?: Transposing chord sheets, key detection, and the diatonic chord list work for any instrument. Fingering diagrams, capo calculations, and the sounds played assume a 6-string guitar in standard tuning.

Special Thanks

SOLO GUILD | サービス作るAIエンジニア

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