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Chord Transposer

Paste lyrics with chords, transpose to any key, and get capo suggestions for easy open shapes.

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No change

Original

Detected chords

AmGCF
Transposed
Am G Paste your own song in this box C F Chord lines move up and down Am G The words stay as you typed them C F Try the buttons above
Capo Suggestions

Use a capo to play these chords using easier open shapes:

How to Use the Chord Transposer

  1. Paste lyrics with chords into the left panel. Chords like Am, G7, Cmaj7 are detected automatically.
  2. Use the +/− buttons to transpose up or down by semitones. Every chord in the text updates instantly.
  3. Click a capo suggestion to see what open shapes you'd play with a capo at that fret.
  4. Hit Copy to copy the transposed text to your clipboard.

Why Transpose Chords?

Transposing is changing the key of a song. Common reasons:

  • Vocal range: Move a song up or down so it fits your (or your singer's) voice.
  • Easier chords: Some keys use hard barre chords. Transposing (often with a capo) lets you use open shapes.
  • Matching other instruments: The piano player is in Eb and you want open shapes: capo 1 and play D shapes, or capo 3 and play C shapes.
  • Writing & arranging: Try a song in different keys. Open strings, horn range and the top of the vocal all change.

What Is a Semitone?

A semitone is the smallest step on a piano or a fretted instrument: one fret on guitar, one key on piano (including black keys). There are 12 semitones in an octave. Transposing up 2 semitones is the same as moving up one whole step (e.g. C → D).

Capo & Transposing

A capo raises all strings by the number of frets it covers. If a song is in Bb and you place a capo on fret 3, you can play G shapes and hear Bb. The transposer suggests capo positions that let you use easy open chord shapes.

  • Bb or A#? Use the key. Bb major has Bb and Eb in it, so charts write Bb. A# shows up in sharp keys, such as the A#dim that leads to B.
  • For horn players, the concert chord changes on paper: concert Eb is written F for trumpet and tenor sax, and C for alto sax. Move up 2 for trumpet or tenor and up 9 for alto.
  • Picking a vocal key: find the highest note in the song and move until it sits a step under the top of the singer's range. Then check the lowest note.

Frequently Asked Questions

What chords does it detect?

Major, minor, 7th, major 7th, diminished, augmented, suspended, add, and slash chords. Standard chord notation like Am7, Cmaj7, Dsus4, G/B, and F#m are all recognized.

Does it change the lyrics?

No. Lines that are mostly chords are transposed, along with inline chords like [Am]. Lines that are mostly words stay as you typed them, so "A long time" is safe.

What's a slash chord?

A chord written as X/Y means chord X with bass note Y. For example, C/E is C major with E in the bass. Both the chord root and bass note are transposed together.

How do I know which key to transpose to?

For vocal range: sing along and transpose up or down until the melody sits comfortably. For easier guitar chords: try the capo suggestions. They show which capo positions produce open chord shapes.

Is this free?

Yes. No signup, no downloads. Everything runs in your browser.

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