How to transpose chords: the short version
- Move every chord by the same number of semitones and keep the chord type. Up 2: G → A, Em → F♯m, D/F♯ → E/G♯.
- Too high to sing? Go down 1–3 semitones. Too low and mumbly? Go up. Small steps first; your voice is not a trampoline.
- Going up on guitar? Put a capo on the fret that matches the number of semitones and keep your old shapes.
- Going down? A capo can’t help, so transpose the chords (or tune down).
- This page does all of it: paste, tap, copy. It also spells flats and sharps properly and suggests the capo spot with the most open chords.
How to use the chord transposer
- Paste the song. Chords above the lyrics, inline chords like
I [G]walked a[C]long, or a bare list likeG C D Em. I only touch the chords. Your lyrics, your[Chorus]tags and that line about your ex all stay exactly where they are. - Check the key. I guess the original key from the chords, mostly from the first and last chord, because songs like to start and end at home. If I’ve guessed wrong (it happens, I’m a website), pick the right one under From key.
- Shift it. Tap − or + for one semitone at a time, hit a quick button, or choose the key you want under To key.
- Read the capo cheats. They rank capo frets by how many easy open shapes you get. The starred one is the comfiest.
- Copy, download or share. The share link carries the whole sheet, so your bandmate gets the same version without a 14-message group chat about which key we’re in.
Every chord is a link. Click one in the transposed sheet or the diagram strip and you’ll land on its full chart in the guitar chord library, with every shape, the notes, the fingering and a play button. Your sheet is autosaved, so come straight back.
What transposing actually does
Western music has twelve notes, and then it starts again an octave higher: C, C♯/D♭, D, D♯/E♭, E, F, F♯/G♭, G, G♯/A♭, A, A♯/B♭, B. Each step is one semitone (a half step), which on a guitar is one fret.
Transposing slides the whole song along that ladder. Every chord moves by the same number of steps, so the relationships between the chords stay identical. A I–V–vi–IV in G (G, D, Em, C) is still a I–V–vi–IV in A (A, E, F♯m, D). Same song, same feel, just higher or lower. That’s why the chord strip shows a Roman numeral under each diagram: the numerals don’t change when the key does.
The chord type never changes either. A minor seventh stays a minor seventh, a sus4 stays a sus4. Only the letter at the front (and the bass note after a slash) moves.
Transposition chart: the chords in every major key
Here are the seven chords of each major key, in circle-of-fifths order. To transpose by hand, find your song’s key, note which column each chord sits in, then read across to the same columns in the new key. Click any chord for its guitar chart.
| Key | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C major | C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | B° |
| G major | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F♯° |
| D major | D | Em | F♯m | G | A | Bm | C♯° |
| A major | A | Bm | C♯m | D | E | F♯m | G♯° |
| E major | E | F♯m | G♯m | A | B | C♯m | D♯° |
| B major | B | C♯m | D♯m | E | F♯ | G♯m | A♯° |
| F♯ major | F♯ | G♯m | A♯m | B | C♯ | D♯m | E♯° |
| D♭ major | D♭ | E♭m | Fm | G♭ | A♭ | B♭m | C° |
| A♭ major | A♭ | B♭m | Cm | D♭ | E♭ | Fm | G° |
| E♭ major | E♭ | Fm | Gm | A♭ | B♭ | Cm | D° |
| B♭ major | B♭ | Cm | Dm | E♭ | F | Gm | A° |
| F major | F | Gm | Am | B♭ | C | Dm | E° |
Yes, F♯ major really has an E♯°. Theory nerds will tell you it can’t be called F because F♯ is already in the key. Guitarists will play the F shape and get on with their lives. Both are right.
Capo or transpose? Use both
A capo is a clamp that raises every string by the same number of frets, so it transposes up without you learning a single new chord. Capo on fret 2 and your G shape sounds as A. There are three situations:
- You want it higher. Capo on the fret that matches the semitones. Up 3? Capo 3, same shapes. Done before the kettle boils.
- You want it lower. A capo only goes up the neck. Transpose the chords down, or tune every string down a semitone or two if you’re attached to the old shapes.
- The new key is full of barre chords. Transpose, then use the capo cheats. B♭, E♭, F, Gm is a wrestling match; capo 3 turns it into G, C, D, Em, which is the campfire classic.
| You play | Capo 1 | Capo 2 | Capo 3 | Capo 4 | Capo 5 | Capo 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C shapes | D♭ | D | E♭ | E | F | G |
| G shapes | A♭ | A | B♭ | B | C | D |
| D shapes | E♭ | E | F | F♯ | G | A |
| A shapes | B♭ | B | C | D♭ | D | E |
| E shapes | F | F♯ | G | A♭ | A | B |
| Am shapes | B♭m | Bm | Cm | C♯m | Dm | Em |
| Em shapes | Fm | F♯m | Gm | G♯m | Am | Bm |
Finding the right key for your voice
Most people only transpose because the song is in the wrong key for their voice, which is fair: the original singer was probably paid to hit that note. A quick way to find yours:
- Sing the highest bit of the chorus. If you strain, squeak or make a face your cat worries about, go down 2.
- Now sing the lowest bit of the verse. If it turns into a growl or vanishes, go up 1.
- Repeat until both ends feel easy. Most songs land within three semitones of the original.
Want numbers instead of guesswork? The vocal range test finds your lowest and highest comfortable notes, and the pitch shifter lets you play the original recording in the new key so you can practise along with it.
Transposing for Suno and AI-made songs
Generated a banger in Suno and want to play it on guitar? AI tracks land in whatever key the model fancies, often a guitar-hostile one like E♭ or F♯. Here’s the fix:
- Drop the track into the BPM & key finder to see what key it’s in.
- Paste your chord sheet here (the Suno song builder writes one for you), and pick that key under To key.
- Check the capo cheats so you can play along with open shapes instead of a fistful of barre chords.
Writing the chords before you generate? Build the progression in the chord progression generator, move it to a key that suits your voice here, then put that key in your Suno style prompt. Suno treats a key in the prompt as a suggestion rather than an order, so check the result in the key finder.
Chord transposer FAQ
How do I transpose chords?
Move every chord’s root note up or down by the same number of semitones and keep the chord type. Up two semitones, G becomes A, Em becomes F♯m and D/F♯ becomes E/G♯. Paste a song into the transposer above to do the whole sheet at once.
How do I know how many semitones to transpose?
Count the half steps between the original key and the key you want: G to A is 2 up, E to C is 4 down. Or skip the maths and choose the new key from the To key menu. If you’re singing, move down when the high notes strain and up when the low notes disappear, one or two semitones at a time.
Should I use a capo or transpose the chords?
Going up, a capo is quickest: put it on the fret that matches the number of semitones and keep the original shapes. Going down, a capo can’t help, so transpose (or tune down). To make an awkward key easy, transpose, then use the capo cheats to play open shapes such as G, C, D and Em.
Why does it say B♭ and not A♯?
They’re the same note, but each key uses each letter once. F major has B♭ in it, not A♯, because the A is already busy being the third note of the scale. In Smart mode the transposer spells chords the way the new key expects. Prefer one or the other? Tap ♯ or ♭ to force all sharps or all flats.
Does transposing change the lyrics or the melody?
No. The lyrics and section tags don’t change, and the melody keeps its exact shape. It just starts on a higher or lower note, which is the whole point when the original sits outside your range.
What is the easiest key for guitar?
G, C, D, A and E major, and their relative minors (Em, Am, Bm, F♯m and C♯m), use the most open chords. With a capo you can play nearly any key using those shapes, which is exactly what the capo cheats work out for you.
Can it transpose slash chords, sevenths and jazzy stuff?
Yes. Slash chords move both notes (D/F♯ → E/G♯), and everything after the root is kept as written: m7, maj7, sus4, add9, dim, aug, 7♭9, m7♭5, 6/9 and friends. When the chord library doesn’t have that exact chord, the link goes to its closest cousin (C7♭9 → the C7 chart) and the card says so.
How do I transpose a song for Suno or another AI-generated track?
Find the key of the generated song with the BPM & key finder, check the From key matches your chord sheet, then pick the generated song’s key as the To key. Your sheet now matches the track, so you can play or sing along.
Is my chord sheet uploaded anywhere?
No. Transposing happens in your browser. The sheet is saved only in this browser’s local storage, and a share link carries the sheet inside the link itself, so there’s no server holding your half-finished love song.