Free tool
Capo Chart
Where to put the capo to play any song with easy open chords, and what every chord shape becomes at each fret. For guitar and ukulele.
Find the best capo position
Major or minor
- Capo 1play A shapes
- Capo 3play G shapeseasiest
- Capo 6play E shapes
Every chord moves the same way: with a capo on fret 3, play the chords of G major and they sound in B♭ major.
What does a chord sound like with the capo on?
sounds as B♭
Capo chart: what each shape becomes
Find the shape you’re playing on the left and the capo fret along the top. Each fret raises the pitch by a half step. Works for guitar and ukulele.
| Shape | Capo 1 | Capo 2 | Capo 3 | Capo 4 | Capo 5 | Capo 6 | Capo 7 | Capo 8 | Capo 9 | Capo 10 | Capo 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | D♭ | D | E♭ | E | F | F♯ | G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B |
| A | B♭ | B | C | D♭ | D | E♭ | E | F | F♯ | G | A♭ |
| G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B | C | D♭ | D | E♭ | E | F | F♯ |
| E | F | F♯ | G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B | C | D♭ | D | E♭ |
| D | E♭ | E | F | F♯ | G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B | C | D♭ |
| Am | B♭m | Bm | Cm | C♯m | Dm | E♭m | Em | Fm | F♯m | Gm | G♯m |
| Em | Fm | F♯m | Gm | G♯m | Am | B♭m | Bm | Cm | C♯m | Dm | E♭m |
| Dm | E♭m | Em | Fm | F♯m | Gm | G♯m | Am | B♭m | Bm | Cm | C♯m |
- Why use a capo?
- A capo lets you play a song in a key that suits your voice while still using easy open chord shapes. The song in B♭ with barre chords becomes G, C and D shapes with a capo on fret 3.
- Which shapes?
- G, C and D shapes are the most popular, because most of their chords are open. Songs with lots of minor chords often use Em or Am shapes.
How to use a capo
- Clamp the capo just behind the fret (towards the body side is best), straight across all the strings.
- Tune your guitar before you put the capo on — and check again after, as it can pull strings slightly sharp.
- Play the chord shapes as if the capo were the nut. Chord charts written for capo songs show the shapes, not the sounding chords.
- Transposing a whole song? The song sheet builder suggests the best capo automatically.