Enter a chord progression and a capo position to see the new chords:
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Understanding the difference between chord shapes and actual chords (the real key)
When you use a capo, you're changing the pitch of your chord progression while continuing to play the same chord shapes. Despite the chord shapes being the same, your real chords are actually different, which gives you two elements concerning a capo chord progression:
- Chord shapes or perceived chords
- Actual chords based on root notes/key
For example, if you're playing a G chord and want to move up a whole step (two frets) you would capo at the second fret, where the G chord would then become an A chord. This is called the real key.
How to use this capo chord converter
So this converter takes the original chord progression and the capo position, then gives you the new chords and their real keys.
This can be useful in the following situations:
- If you're leading a song on acoustic guitar and need to change the key/pitch
- Your bass or keyboard player needs the real key with the correct root notes for the new position
You can then write the new chords for the capo position that are converted on this page for your bass and/or keyboard player, or whoever else might need the real key. This saves you from having to transpose everything in your head.
Important Definitions
- Capo: A device that clamps onto a guitar fretboard that changes the key of all six open notes.
- Real key: Typically used to refer to the actual root notes of a chord or chord progression after a capo is placed.
- Chord shapes: The finger placement and note grouping of a particular chord.
- Transposing: The process of taking a series of notes or chords and listing them in a different key while maintaining the same order.
- Whole step: An incremental increase or decrease of two half steps. On guitar this is equal to two frets.
- Lead sheets: Typically refers to sheets of music that only include lyrics and chords, with chord root notes written above the lyrics based on where they should occur.
- Root notes: In terms of chords and chord progressions, root notes are a single note in a chord that corresponds to the chord's key. For example, the root note of a G chord is on the sixth string at the third fret.