Guide · Guitar theory
How to transpose chords to another key
To Moving a song to a different key by shifting every chord by the same distance. chords, write each chord as a number in its key (I, IV, V, vi), then play the same numbers in the new key. A song in G that goes G, C, D and Em becomes A, D, E and F♯m in A major. A A clamp across all six strings at one fret. It raises every open string, so familiar shapes play in a higher key. does the same job without changing the shapes you play.
Turn the chords into numbers
Each chord gets the A chord written by its place in the key: upper case for major (IV), lower case for minor (vi), ° for diminished. of its place in the key, which stays the same whatever key you play in.
In G major, G is the first chord of the key, so it is I. C is the fourth, IV. D is the fifth, V. Em is the sixth and minor, so it is a lower-case vi. The song G, C, D and Em is really I–IV–V–vi.
Numbers are what musicians mean when they say a song is a 'one four five'. Once a song is written that way, it belongs to no key in particular, and moving it anywhere is just a lookup.
If you are not sure which key a song is in, the guide to finding the key of a song walks through it. Most of the time the first and last chord is I.
Play the same numbers in the new key
Look up the new key's chords and take the ones on the same numbers: I, IV, V and vi again.
In A major, I–IV–V–vi is A, D, E and F♯m. In E major it is E, A, B and C♯m. In E♭ major it is E♭, A♭, B♭ and Cm. The pattern of major and minor chords never changes, so a minor chord stays minor and a A triad with one more 3rd on top, the 7th, which makes four notes: G7, Cmaj7 and Am7 are seventh chords. stays a seventh.
The chart of every key puts all seven chords of each key in one row, which makes this a matter of reading across. Each key's page plays the chords too, so you can check by ear that the song still sounds like itself.
Or move every chord the same distance
You can also move every chord up or down by the same number of The smallest distance in Western music: one fret on the guitar, such as E to F or F to F♯., which also works for chords outside the key.
From G to A is two half steps, two The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. on the guitar. Move every chord up two frets and you get the same answer as the number method: G becomes A, C becomes D, D becomes E and Em becomes F♯m.
This is the method to use for chords that do not belong to the key, such as a borrowed F in a song in G. F moves up two half steps to G, so in A major it becomes G. The quality and any extensions come along unchanged.
Spell the result the way the new key spells it. In E♭ major the fourth chord is A♭, not G♯, because each letter appears once in the key. Spelling it right keeps the numbers readable and makes sheet music match.
Transpose with a capo
A A clamp across all six strings at one fret. It raises every open string, so familiar shapes play in a higher key. raises every chord by one The smallest distance in Western music: one fret on the guitar, such as E to F or F to F♯. per The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step., so you keep the shapes you know and the song comes out higher.
With a capo on the second fret, G, C, D and Em shapes sound as A, D, E and F♯m: the A major version of the same song, with no A chord where one finger presses several strings at the same fret, like a movable nut, so the shape works anywhere on the neck.. A capo on the fourth fret turns C shapes into E, and on the third fret Em shapes sound as Gm.
That is why so many players write songs in G, C, D, A or E: those keys have A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em., and the capo takes them anywhere else. To work out what you need, count the half steps between the key you know and the key you want.
A capo only moves things up. To go lower than the open shapes allow, Moving a song to a different key by shifting every chord by the same distance. on paper to a key with open chords and then use the capo to come back up to the pitch you want.
Why you would transpose a song
Most often to suit a singer's voice, to get easier chord shapes, or to play along with a recording in its own key.
If the melody sits too high, move the song down a step or two; if it sits too low, move it up. Two The smallest distance in Western music: one fret on the guitar, such as E to F or F to F♯. is often enough to make a song comfortable to sing.
When you play with others, agree on the numbers first. Saying 'it's a one, five, six, four in D' tells a band everything they need, and anyone can play it in any key from there.