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 4th fret raises every string by 4 semitones (major third). You keep playing the shapes you know; they just sound higher. With the capo on the 4th fret a C shape sounds as E, a G shape as B, a D shape as F♯ and an Em shape as G♯m.
The calculator above is set to capo 4. 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 | A♭ | F♯ | C♯m | G♯m | F♯m | A | E7 | B7 |
| Shape you play | D7 | A7 | E7 | B7 | Cmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Am7 | Em7 | Dm7 | Asus4 | Dsus2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sounds as | F♯7 | C♯7 | G♯7 | D♯7 | Emaj7 | Amaj7 | C♯m7 | G♯m7 | F♯m7 | C♯sus4 | F♯sus2 |
Every family of open shapes moves together. C shapes (C, F, G, Am) give E major: E, A, B, C♯m. G shapes (G, C, D, Em) give B major: B, E, F♯, G♯m. D shapes (D, G, A, Bm) give F♯ major: F♯, B, C♯, D♯m. A shapes (A, D, E, F♯m) give D♭ major: D♭, G♭, A♭, B♭m. E shapes (E, A, B, C♯m) give A♭ major: A♭, D♭, E♭, Fm. Am shapes (Am, Dm, E7, F) give C♯ minor: C♯m, F♯m, G♯7, A. Em shapes (Em, Am, B7, C) give G♯ minor: G♯m, C♯m, D♯7, E. Dm shapes (Dm, Gm, A7, B♭) give F♯ minor: F♯m, Bm, C♯7, D.
Out of every major and minor key, capo 4 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 4th 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 79.4% of their open length, so every note is 26.0% higher in frequency: the low E string sounds as G♯.
Put the capo straight across, just behind the 4th 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 4 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 4th fret and play G shapes, or let the capo calculator show every option for B.
It sounds the same as tuning every string up 4 semitones, but it is quicker and safer: tuning that far up would put too much tension on the strings.