Chord Transposer
Paste a chord chart, choose the new key, and every chord moves with it while the lyrics and the column alignment stay where they were. A capo helper shows which position gives the easiest open shapes.
Chords are recognised by their shape. A line is a chord line when most of its words are chords, and only chords in chord lines change. Lyric lines change only where a chord is in brackets.
Transposed chart
Paste a chart to begin.
Capo helper
Paste a chart to see capo positions.
No audio, nothing uploaded
Spelling: Auto, sharps or flats
Copy puts the result on the clipboard
Transposition moves every pitch in a piece by the same distance. If a song in G moves up two semitones, every note and chord rises two semitones and the song is now in A. Only the pitch level changes, so a chart can be rewritten by moving each chord name by the same number of steps.
A chord keeps its character because the intervals inside it do not change. A major triad is a major third and a perfect fifth above its root, whatever the root. The quality, which is the pattern of intervals, survives transposition. That is why the suffix is copied exactly as typed: m7♭5 is a half-diminished seventh and sus4 a suspended fourth, whatever the root.
Why Roman numerals and intervals stay the same
Roman numerals describe a chord’s place in a key, not its pitch. In any key, I–IV–V is the tonic, subdominant and dominant, so I–IV–V in D is the same progression as in C, only higher. The distance between two chords is a property of the chords, not the key. Transposition keeps the harmony exactly, and only the names change.
Choosing sharp or flat spelling
Sharps and flats are different names for the same keys on a keyboard: C♯ and D♭ are one pitch. The choice matters for reading, because a chart should name its key the way a musician expects. The keys F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ and G♭ are conventionally written with flats, and their relative minors D, G, C, F, B♭ and E♭ take flats when minor.
Auto applies that rule to the first chord after transposition and says which rule it used. At a transposition of zero it leaves the chart alone, so F♯ does not become G♭ by accident. Sharps and Flats override Auto for the whole chart, and they respell a chart even at zero.
Capo or transposed chart
A capo raises the sounding pitch by its fret number, so a G shape with the capo at 2 sounds as A. A capo is a second way to change the sounding key while keeping familiar shapes. Transpose when the singer or the band needs a different key. Use a capo when the guitarist wants open chords but the sound should be higher.
The capo helper works from the result on the right, the chart as it sounds. For each capo from 0 to 9 it moves every chord down by the capo and marks the open-friendly shapes: C, D, E, G and A, their minor and seventh forms, the major sevenths of C, F and G, and a few suspended and added-ninth chords. Root names with a sharp or flat are never open-friendly. The three best positions are listed, most open-friendly shapes first, then the lowest capo.
Charts and what the tool reads
A line is a chord line when at least sixty per cent of its words are chords. In a chord line every chord changes in place, and the spaces after it are adjusted so the next chord keeps its column where possible. A chord that grows pushes the next one right only as far as it must, and there is always at least one space between chords. Lyric lines are left alone, except that a bracketed chord such as [Am7] changes wherever it appears.
A chord is recognised by its shape: a capital letter from A to G, an optional sharp or flat, a suffix of the usual symbols such as m, maj, sus, add, digits, + and °, and an optional slash bass. Words such as Bad, Cool or Amen do not fit the pattern. A lone capital A in a lyric is the main risk, so check a chart after transposing it.
Singer range and key choice
The singer chooses the key, not the chart. Find the lowest and highest notes the singer can sing comfortably, then find where the melody sits in the original key. Shift the key so the highest melody note sits in the upper comfortable range. The tool gives the number of semitones; it does not know the voice. Check the new key by singing the chorus before the chart is printed.
Limits
The tool changes chord names. It does not change the melody, the rhythm or the lyrics, and it does not reharmonise, so a chord outside the new key stays outside it. Roman numerals, Nashville numbers and chord diagrams are not transposed. Chord symbols that do not fit the shape rule are left as typed, and a chart with many lyric words that look like chords can be misread. Read the result before you copy it.
Questions
What changes when a chart is transposed, and what stays the same?
Every chord root moves by the same number of semitones, and any slash bass moves with it, so the relationships between the chords hold exactly. The suffix, such as m7♭5 or sus4, is copied as typed. Lyrics, spacing and line breaks are not changed, except that chords in chord lines are re-spaced to keep their columns.
Should I transpose the chart or use a capo?
Transpose when the singer needs a different key. Use a capo when the guitarist wants open shapes but the sound should stay in the written key. The capo helper shows which fret turns the chart into the easiest chord shapes, and the shapes you play are the sounding chords moved down by the capo.
Why does Auto choose flats or sharps?
Auto looks at the first chord after transposition. If it sits in a flat key, F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ or G♭, or is a relative minor of one, the chart is written with flats; otherwise it is written with sharps. Sharps and flats name the same pitches, so the choice affects reading only. Use the Sharps or Flats setting to override it.
Can the tool choose a key that suits a singer?
No. The tool moves chords by a fixed interval and does not know anyone’s voice. Work out the semitone difference between the original key and the key that sits comfortably in the singer’s range, then check the highest and lowest sung notes in the new key before you copy the chart.
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