Capo Chart: Shapes, Frets and Keys (Printable)
A capo chart tells you what a chord shape sounds like once the capo is on. Pick the shape you play and the fret, and the chart gives you the real chord. Use the tool below, or scroll to the full printable chart.
Capo chart: every shape on every fret
Find the shape you play in the left column and the capo fret along the top. The cell is the key you hear. Pick a fret number to load it in the tool above.
How to read a capo chart
Shape versus sound
Your fingers make a shape. The capo moves the nut up the neck, so the same shape sounds higher. A capo works as a new nut at a higher note, and the fingerings stay the same (Wikipedia, “Capo (musical device)”). That is why a G shape with the capo on fret 2 sounds as an A chord.
What the numbers mean
Every fret raises the pitch by one semitone, the smallest step on the fretboard. Fret 2 is two semitones up, which is a whole step. Count the semitones from the shape you play and you land on the chord you hear. The chart above does that count for you.
Capo chart for common keys
Major shapes: C, D, E, G, A
These five open shapes cover most folk, country and pop songs. A G shape with the capo on fret 3 sounds as Bb, on fret 5 as C, and on fret 7 as D. A C shape with the capo on fret 2 sounds as D, and on fret 4 as E.
Minor shapes: Am, Em, Dm
Minor shapes follow the same rule and stay minor. Em with the capo on fret 2 sounds as F#m. Am with the capo on fret 3 sounds as Cm. Dm with the capo on fret 5 sounds as Gm.
Why some keys show flats and others sharps
The same pitch has two names, such as Db and C#. We show the spelling players most often meet for that key: Db, Eb, Ab and Bb for major, C#m and G#m for minor. If your song sheet uses the other name, it is the same chord.
Transpose chords with a capo
Step by step
- Write down the key the song is in, and the chords you want to play (or can play).
- Find the shape in the chart that sounds as the song key at some fret. The “I need this key” box lists every option, lowest fret first.
- Put the capo on that fret, right behind the fret wire, and check the tuning again if the pitch pulled sharp.
- Play the song using the shapes, not the original chord names. Every chord in the song moves by the same number of semitones.
Check your work
Play an open G shape with the capo on fret 2 and compare it to a known A chord on a piano or a tuner. They should match. If they do not, check that the capo sits flat across all six strings.
Which fret should the capo go on?
Match the key to your voice
Sing the song without the guitar and find the key where the highest line is comfortable. Then use the chart to find the shape and fret that give that key. Frets 2, 3 and 5 are the common landing spots because they give you easy open shapes in singer-friendly keys.
Prefer low frets and open shapes
When two options give the same key, pick the lower fret. It keeps more of the guitar’s natural resonance and leaves more neck to work with. The tool lists them lowest first. For a capo that clamps cleanly across every string, see our guitar capos, or the Trigger Capo Pro.
New to capos? Read how to use a capo and what a capo does.
Find the chord shape you play in the left column and the fret you clamp the capo on across the top. The cell where they meet is the chord you hear. If you need a specific key, look down the table for that chord and read off the shape and fret.
Yes. The chart on this page prints cleanly. Press the print button and the tool, menu and text are hidden so only the chart is printed. You can also save it as a PDF from your print dialog.
Yes. Minor shapes such as Am, Em and Dm move by the same number of semitones as major shapes and stay minor, so Em with the capo on fret 2 sounds as F#m.