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 2nd fret raises every string by 2 semitones (major second). You keep playing the shapes you know; they just sound higher. With the capo on the 2nd fret a C shape sounds as D, a G shape as A, a D shape as E and an Em shape as F♯m.
The calculator above is set to capo 2. 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 | D | B | A | F♯ | E | Bm | F♯m | Em | G | D7 | A7 |
| Shape you play | D7 | A7 | E7 | B7 | Cmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Am7 | Em7 | Dm7 | Asus4 | Dsus2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sounds as | E7 | B7 | F♯7 | C♯7 | Dmaj7 | Gmaj7 | Bm7 | F♯m7 | Em7 | Bsus4 | Esus2 |
Every family of open shapes moves together. C shapes (C, F, G, Am) give D major: D, G, A, Bm. G shapes (G, C, D, Em) give A major: A, D, E, F♯m. D shapes (D, G, A, Bm) give E major: E, A, B, C♯m. A shapes (A, D, E, F♯m) give B major: B, E, F♯, G♯m. E shapes (E, A, B, C♯m) give F♯ major: F♯, B, C♯, D♯m. Am shapes (Am, Dm, E7, F) give B minor: Bm, Em, F♯7, G. Em shapes (Em, Am, B7, C) give F♯ minor: F♯m, Bm, C♯7, D. Dm shapes (Dm, Gm, A7, B♭) give E minor: Em, Am, B7, C.
Out of every major and minor key, capo 2 is the calculator’s first choice for A major (with G shapes: G, C, D, Em); F♯ minor (with Em shapes: Em, Am, B7, C).
Capo 2 barely changes the sound of the guitar. Its main job is to move a song up a whole step so it fits a singer, or to match a recording without retuning. The strings now vibrate over about 89.1% of their open length, so every note is 12.2% higher in frequency: the low E string sounds as F♯.
Put the capo straight across, just behind the 2nd 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 2 semitones: G shapes sound as A, C shapes as D, D shapes as E.
A major. With C shapes it is D major, with D shapes E major, and with Em shapes F♯ minor.
Capo on the 2nd fret and play G shapes, or let the capo calculator show every option for A.
It sounds the same as tuning every string up 2 semitones, but it is quicker and safer: tuning that far up would put too much tension on the strings.