How a capo changes the key, and which fret to choose
A capo lets you play in a new key with the chord shapes you already know. There's only one sum to learn, and if you don't feel like doing it mid-song, the calculator and chart are right here.
By Todd Fisher. The diagrams and note names here come from the same code as our tools, and they're tested. See something wrong? Let me know.
The one sum you need
Every fret raises the pitch one semitone. So:
shape you play + capo fret = what it sounds like
Play a G shape with a capo on fret 2 and it sounds as A, because A is two semitones above G. Your hand plays the same chord it always has. The capo does the rest.
To count semitones, walk through this list, one step per fret:
C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab, A, A#/Bb, B, C
Work it out for your song
Pick your song's key and the shapes you know, and you'll get the fret. Or type the chords from your chart to see what to play. It runs on the same code as our Chord Transposer.
Find the fret
Capo on fret 3.
Work out the shapes for your chords
Capo fret
| The chart says | You play with capo 3 |
|---|---|
| Eb | C |
| Cm | Am |
| Ab | F |
| Bb | G |
Easy open shapes for every chord at fret 3.
Capo on 3rd fret: what key are you in?
That depends on the shapes you're playing. With a capo on fret 3, C shapes sound in Eb, A shapes sound in C, G shapes sound in Bb, E shapes sound in G, D shapes sound in F. The chart below gives you the same answer for every fret.
Capo chart: what each fret does to each shape
| Capo | C shape | A shape | G shape | E shape | D shape |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | C | A | G | E | D |
| Fret 1 | Db | Bb | Ab | F | Eb |
| Fret 2 | D | B | A | Gb | E |
| Fret 3 | Eb | C | Bb | G | F |
| Fret 4 | E | Db | B | Ab | Gb |
| Fret 5 | F | D | C | A | G |
| Fret 6 | Gb | Eb | Db | Bb | Ab |
| Fret 7 | G | E | D | B | A |
Which fret for your song's key?
Find your song's key below. Your choices are listed lowest fret first. A lower capo keeps more of the guitar's low end. A higher one sounds brighter, which is handy when a second guitar is already playing the same song.
| Song key | Your options |
|---|---|
| C | No capo: C, Fret 3: A, Fret 5: G |
| Db | Fret 1: C, Fret 4: A, Fret 6: G |
| D | No capo: D, Fret 2: C, Fret 5: A, Fret 7: G |
| Eb | Fret 1: D, Fret 3: C, Fret 6: A |
| E | No capo: E, Fret 2: D, Fret 4: C, Fret 7: A |
| F | Fret 1: E, Fret 3: D, Fret 5: C |
| Gb | Fret 2: E, Fret 4: D, Fret 6: C |
| G | No capo: G, Fret 3: E, Fret 5: D, Fret 7: C |
| Ab | Fret 1: G, Fret 4: E, Fret 6: D |
| A | No capo: A, Fret 2: G, Fret 5: E, Fret 7: D |
| Bb | Fret 1: A, Fret 3: G, Fret 6: E |
| B | Fret 2: A, Fret 4: G, Fret 7: E |
Worked example: a song in Eb
Say your chart has Eb, Cm, Ab, Bb. That's a pile of barre chords. But the table offers fret 3 with C shapes, so take 3 semitones off each chord to find what to play:
| The chart says | You play |
|---|---|
| Eb | C |
| Cm | Am |
| Ab | F |
| Bb | G |
So you're playing C, Am, F and G, chords most people learn early on, and it sounds exactly like the chart. Got a whole song? The Chord Transposer does this for all of it and suggests capo options too.
Moving a song to fit a singer
- Find the key that suits the singer. Try the song in a few places, and listen to the highest and lowest notes.
- Look up that key in the table above.
- Pick the shapes you can play comfortably, then write it at the top of the chart: “Capo 3, C shapes”.
One catch: a capo can only take the guitar up. If a song needs to go lower than your shapes allow, start from shapes in a lower key and put the capo on from there. To sound in G, for example, you can play E shapes with a capo on fret 3.
When to leave it in the case
- The riff needs a low note. Anything below the capo is gone, so a riff built on the open low E won't survive.
- The song moves through a lot of keys. A capo might help one section and hurt the next.
- You're trying to learn barre chords. Then take it off now and then, and play the song the hard way.
Banjo and ukulele
The same sum works on any fretted instrument. On a 5-string banjo, though, a capo won't reach the short 5th string, so you'll have to retune it or use a spike. The Banjo Chord Finder has more on that.
Frequently asked questions
Does a capo work the same for minor keys?
Yes. The sum only cares about the root. Am shapes with a capo on fret 3 sound in C minor, and Em shapes with a capo on fret 2 sound in F# minor.
How high can I put a capo?
That depends on the guitar and the sound you're after. The higher you go, the brighter and thinner it gets, and the tighter the frets feel. The chart stops at fret 7, which is about as high as most songs want.
Do I need to retune after putting on a capo?
Often, a little. A capo can pull the strings slightly sharp. Put it just behind the fret, don't clamp harder than you need to, and check your tuning with it on.
Which way do chord names go with a capo?
Charts can show either the shapes you play or the chords that sound. Look for a note like 'capo 3' at the top. If it's there, the letters are usually the shapes, and the real sound is higher.