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 3rd fret raises every string by 3 semitones (minor third). You keep playing the shapes you know; they just sound higher. With the capo on the 3rd fret a C shape sounds as E♭, a G shape as B♭, a D shape as F and an Em shape as Gm.
The calculator above is set to capo 3. 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 | E♭ | C | B♭ | G | F | Cm | Gm | Fm | A♭ | E♭7 | B♭7 |
| Shape you play | D7 | A7 | E7 | B7 | Cmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Am7 | Em7 | Dm7 | Asus4 | Dsus2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sounds as | F7 | C7 | G7 | D7 | E♭maj7 | A♭maj7 | Cm7 | Gm7 | Fm7 | Csus4 | Fsus2 |
Every family of open shapes moves together. C shapes (C, F, G, Am) give E♭ major: E♭, A♭, B♭, Cm. G shapes (G, C, D, Em) give B♭ major: B♭, E♭, F, Gm. D shapes (D, G, A, Bm) give F major: F, B♭, C, Dm. A shapes (A, D, E, F♯m) give C major: C, F, G, Am. E shapes (E, A, B, C♯m) give G major: G, C, D, Em. Am shapes (Am, Dm, E7, F) give C minor: Cm, Fm, G7, A♭. Em shapes (Em, Am, B7, C) give G minor: Gm, Cm, D7, E♭. Dm shapes (Dm, Gm, A7, B♭) give F minor: Fm, B♭m, C7, D♭.
Out of every major and minor key, capo 3 is the calculator’s first choice for E♭ major (with C shapes: C, F, G, Am); B♭ major (with G shapes: G, C, D, Em); C minor (with Am shapes: Am, Dm, E7, F); G minor (with Em shapes: Em, Am, B7, C).
Up to the 3rd fret the guitar still sounds full, and the frets are slightly closer together, which makes stretches easier. It is the most popular range for singers who want a song a little higher. The strings now vibrate over about 84.1% of their open length, so every note is 18.9% higher in frequency: the low E string sounds as G.
Put the capo straight across, just behind the 3rd 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 3 semitones: G shapes sound as B♭, C shapes as E♭, D shapes as F.
B♭ major. With C shapes it is E♭ major, with D shapes F major, and with Em shapes G minor.
Capo on the 3rd fret and play G shapes, or let the capo calculator show every option for B♭.
It sounds the same as tuning every string up 3 semitones, but it is quicker and safer: tuning that far up would put too much tension on the strings.