Guitar capo chart
A capo raises every string by one semitone per fret. Play a G shape with the capo on the 2nd fret and the chord you hear is A. The chart below gives the sounding chord for each open shape at each capo position.
Capo chart: chord shape to sounding chord
| Shape you play | Capo 1 | Capo 2 | Capo 3 | Capo 4 | Capo 5 | Capo 6 | Capo 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | F# | G |
| A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb | E |
| G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db | D |
| E | F | F# | G | Ab | A | Bb | B |
| D | Eb | E | F | F# | G | Ab | A |
| Am | Bbm | Bm | Cm | C#m | Dm | Ebm | Em |
| Em | Fm | F#m | Gm | G#m | Am | Bbm | Bm |
| Dm | Ebm | Em | Fm | F#m | Gm | G#m | Am |
Read across: an Em shape with the capo on the 3rd fret sounds as Gm.
Capo position for every key
To play in a key using easy open shapes, pick a row and put the capo where it says. “G shapes” means the chords of the key of G: G, C, D and Em.
| Key you want | Capo and shapes to use |
|---|---|
| C | no capo, C shapes · capo 3, A shapes · capo 5, G shapes |
| Db | capo 1, C shapes · capo 4, A shapes · capo 6, G shapes |
| D | no capo, D shapes · capo 2, C shapes · capo 5, A shapes · capo 7, G shapes |
| Eb | capo 1, D shapes · capo 3, C shapes · capo 6, A shapes |
| E | no capo, E shapes · capo 2, D shapes · capo 4, C shapes · capo 7, A shapes |
| F | capo 1, E shapes · capo 3, D shapes · capo 5, C shapes |
| F# | capo 2, E shapes · capo 4, D shapes · capo 6, C shapes |
| G | no capo, G shapes · capo 3, E shapes · capo 5, D shapes · capo 7, C shapes |
| Ab | capo 1, G shapes · capo 4, E shapes · capo 6, D shapes |
| A | no capo, A shapes · capo 2, G shapes · capo 5, E shapes · capo 7, D shapes |
| Bb | capo 1, A shapes · capo 3, G shapes · capo 6, E shapes |
| B | capo 2, A shapes · capo 4, G shapes · capo 7, E shapes |
Capo chart examples by key
Capo for the key of Bb
Put the capo on the 3rd fret and use G shapes: G sounds as Bb, C sounds as Eb, D sounds as F and Em sounds as Gm. Those are the I, IV, V and vi chords of Bb major, with no barre chords.
Capo for the key of Eb
Put the capo on the 1st fret and use D shapes: D sounds as Eb, G sounds as Ab, A sounds as Bb and Bm sounds as Cm. Those are the I, IV, V and vi chords of Eb major, with no barre chords except Bm.
Capo for the key of F
Put the capo on the 3rd fret and use D shapes: D sounds as F, G sounds as Bb, A sounds as C and Bm sounds as Dm. Those are the I, IV, V and vi chords of F major, with no barre chords except Bm.
Capo for the key of B
Put the capo on the 4th fret and use G shapes: G sounds as B, C sounds as E, D sounds as F# and Em sounds as G#m. Those are the I, IV, V and vi chords of B major, with no barre chords.
Capo for the key of Ab
Put the capo on the 1st fret and use G shapes: G sounds as Ab, C sounds as Db, D sounds as Eb and Em sounds as Fm. Those are the I, IV, V and vi chords of Ab major, with no barre chords.
Capo for the key of F#
Put the capo on the 4th fret and use D shapes: D sounds as F#, G sounds as B, A sounds as Db and Bm sounds as Ebm. Those are the I, IV, V and vi chords of F# major, with no barre chords except Bm.
Capo for the key of Db
Put the capo on the 1st fret and use C shapes: C sounds as Db, F sounds as F#, G sounds as Ab and Am sounds as Bbm. Those are the I, IV, V and vi chords of Db major, with no barre chords except F.
How to use a capo chart
- Find the chords of the song as written, for example B♭, E♭ and F.
- Look for a row in the first chart where all of them appear under the same capo column. Under Capo 3, the G, C and D shapes sound as B♭, E♭ and F.
- Clamp the capo just behind that fret and play the shapes from the left-hand column.
The capo counts as the nut. A chord diagram that shows the 2nd fret means two frets above the capo, not the 2nd fret of the guitar.
Capo chart questions
What chord is G with a capo on the 2nd fret?
A. Each fret raises the chord by one semitone, so a G shape becomes G♯ at the 1st fret and A at the 2nd.
Does a capo change the chord shapes?
No. The shapes stay the same and only the sounding pitch changes. That is the point of a capo: it lets you play in a key such as E♭ with the open shapes of C.
Where do I put the capo to play in B♭?
On the 3rd fret with G shapes, or on the 1st fret with A shapes.