Easy chord shapes for any key: every capo position ranked, with the shape you play and the chord it sounds side by side.
A capo on the 12th fret raises every string by an octave. You keep playing the shapes you know; they just sound an octave higher. With the capo on the 12th fret a C shape sounds as C, a G shape as G, a D shape as D and an Em shape as Em.
The calculator above is set to capo 12. Type the shapes you play to see the real chords, or switch to “Play in a key” to find the best capo for any key.
| Shape you play | C | A | G | E | D | Am | Em | Dm | F | C7 | G7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sounds as | C | A | G | E | D | Am | Em | Dm | F | C7 | G7 |
| Shape you play | D7 | A7 | E7 | B7 | Cmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Am7 | Em7 | Dm7 | Asus4 | Dsus2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sounds as | D7 | A7 | E7 | B7 | Cmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Am7 | Em7 | Dm7 | Asus4 | Dsus2 |
Every family of open shapes moves together. C shapes (C, F, G, Am) give C major: C, F, G, Am. G shapes (G, C, D, Em) give G major: G, C, D, Em. D shapes (D, G, A, Bm) give D major: D, G, A, Bm. A shapes (A, D, E, F♯m) give A major: A, D, E, F♯m. E shapes (E, A, B, C♯m) give E major: E, A, B, C♯m. Am shapes (Am, Dm, E7, F) give A minor: Am, Dm, E7, F. Em shapes (Em, Am, B7, C) give E minor: Em, Am, B7, C. Dm shapes (Dm, Gm, A7, B♭) give D minor: Dm, Gm, A7, B♭.
Capo 12 is not the first choice for any key: every key has an easier position nearby. It is still useful to match a recording or to play a second guitar part that sits above the first.
This high the guitar sounds like a mandolin or a small-bodied guitar: thin, bright and sparkly. Use it for a second guitar part, a lullaby feel or a high harmony, rather than as the only guitar. The strings now vibrate over about 50.0% of their open length, so every note is 100.0% higher in frequency: the low E string sounds as E an octave up.
Put the capo straight across, just behind the 12th fret wire (not on top of it), and tight enough that every string rings without buzzing. Then retune if needed: a capo can pull strings slightly sharp.
It raises every chord by an octave: G shapes sound as G, C shapes as C, D shapes as D.
G major. With C shapes it is C major, with D shapes D major, and with Em shapes E minor.
Capo on the 12th fret and play G shapes, or let the capo calculator show every option for G.
It sounds the same as tuning every string up 12 semitones, but it is quicker and safer: tuning that far up would put too much tension on the strings.