See which key you are in with the capo on any fret, find the fret that lets you play a song with easy open chords, and print the chart as a free PDF.
A capo clamps the strings at a fret and acts as a movable nut. Every chord shape you already know now sounds higher, one half step per fret: capo 2 and your C shape is a D chord, your G shape an A chord. The shapes under your fingers do not change; the key you hear does. That is why a song in Bb, a hard key for open chords, becomes easy with the capo on fret 1 and A shapes, or fret 3 and G shapes.
Find the shapes you are using along the top and the capo fret down the side.
| Capo | C shapes | D shapes | E shapes | G shapes | A shapes | Am shapes | Em shapes | Dm shapes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No capo | C | D | E | G | A | Am | Em | Dm |
| Fret 1 | Db | Eb | F | Ab | Bb | Bbm | Fm | Ebm |
| Fret 2 | D | E | F# | A | B | Bm | F#m | Em |
| Fret 3 | Eb | F | G | Bb | C | Cm | Gm | Fm |
| Fret 4 | E | F# | Ab | B | Db | C#m | G#m | F#m |
| Fret 5 | F | G | A | C | D | Dm | Am | Gm |
| Fret 6 | F# | Ab | Bb | Db | Eb | Ebm | Bbm | G#m |
| Fret 7 | G | A | B | D | E | Em | Bm | Am |
| Fret 8 | Ab | Bb | C | Eb | F | Fm | Cm | Bbm |
| Fret 9 | A | B | Db | E | F# | F#m | C#m | Bm |
Minor keys carry a small m (Bbm is B flat minor). Key names follow the way guitarists say them: Db, Eb, F#, Ab and Bb for major keys, C#, Eb, F#, G# and Bb for minor.
Every key, with each open-chord route that needs a capo on frets 1 to 7. Lower positions keep more of the guitar's ring; higher ones sound brighter and tighter.
| Key | Capo and shapes (lowest fret first) |
|---|---|
| C major | open chords, no capo; capo 3 with A shapes; capo 5 with G shapes |
| Db major | capo 1 with C shapes; capo 4 with A shapes; capo 6 with G shapes |
| D major | open chords, no capo; capo 2 with C shapes; capo 5 with A shapes; capo 7 with G shapes |
| Eb major | capo 1 with D shapes; capo 3 with C shapes; capo 6 with A shapes |
| E major | open chords, no capo; capo 2 with D shapes; capo 4 with C shapes; capo 7 with A shapes |
| F major | capo 1 with E shapes; capo 3 with D shapes; capo 5 with C shapes |
| F# major | capo 2 with E shapes; capo 4 with D shapes; capo 6 with C shapes |
| G major | open chords, no capo; capo 3 with E shapes; capo 5 with D shapes; capo 7 with C shapes |
| Ab major | capo 1 with G shapes; capo 4 with E shapes; capo 6 with D shapes |
| A major | open chords, no capo; capo 2 with G shapes; capo 5 with E shapes; capo 7 with D shapes |
| Bb major | capo 1 with A shapes; capo 3 with G shapes; capo 6 with E shapes |
| B major | capo 2 with A shapes; capo 4 with G shapes; capo 7 with E shapes |
| C minor | capo 3 with Am shapes |
| C# minor | capo 4 with Am shapes |
| D minor | open chords, no capo; capo 5 with Am shapes |
| Eb minor | capo 1 with Dm shapes; capo 6 with Am shapes |
| E minor | open chords, no capo; capo 2 with Dm shapes; capo 7 with Am shapes |
| F minor | capo 1 with Em shapes; capo 3 with Dm shapes |
| F# minor | capo 2 with Em shapes; capo 4 with Dm shapes |
| G minor | capo 3 with Em shapes; capo 5 with Dm shapes |
| G# minor | capo 4 with Em shapes; capo 6 with Dm shapes |
| A minor | open chords, no capo; capo 5 with Em shapes; capo 7 with Dm shapes |
| Bb minor | capo 1 with Am shapes; capo 6 with Em shapes |
| B minor | capo 2 with Am shapes; capo 7 with Em shapes |
Tap a key for all of its chords with diagrams, progressions and songs.
The D'Addario Adjustable Capo, about $26. Its tension adjusts to each guitar, so it clamps just hard enough to ring clean and never squeezes the strings sharp, which is the whole trick with capos. Fits acoustic and electric.
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Each key page lists the seven chords of the key with diagrams, the usual progressions, capo options and free songs to play.
A capo clamps across all six strings at a fret and becomes a movable nut. Every open chord shape you already know now sounds higher: one half step for each fret. Capo 2 turns a C shape into a D chord, a G shape into an A chord, and so on. The shapes you fret stay the same; the key you hear changes.
Count the half steps from the key of the shapes you want to use up to the key you need. To play in Bb with A shapes, that is one half step, so capo 1. To play in Bb with G shapes it is three, so capo 3. The second chart on this page lists every open-chord route for all 24 keys.
The chord you hear changes, the shape does not. With a capo on the 2nd fret, a G shape sounds as an A chord. Most chord sheets that call for a capo print the shapes, not the sounding chords, and say "Capo 2" at the top. The Chord Sheet Maker rewrites a sheet either way.
Just behind the fret wire, on the headstock side, with even pressure and no more squeeze than it takes to ring clean. Too far back or too tight and the strings bend sharp. Strum each string after clamping and retune if anything is off.
With the five open major shapes (C, D, E, G, A) and a capo on frets 1 to 7, every major key is reachable, usually two or three ways. Minor keys use the Am, Em and Dm shapes the same way. Keys with no low route (F# major with A shapes needs capo 9, for example) are better played with barre chords.
Printable guitar chord chart (open and barre chords with finger numbers), the guitar scales chart, blank chord diagrams and blank tab paper, all free PDFs.
