How to use the chord transposer
- Paste your song into the Song with chords box, or press Use a sample song to see how it works. Chords can be on their own line above the words, or inside square brackets in the lyrics.
- Under Transposition, choose By half steps and pick how far to move, or choose Between two keys and pick both keys. Choose sharps, flats or automatic spelling.
- If you play with a capo, pick the fret. The result then shows the chord shapes to play, which sound at the pitch you chose.
- Read the Transposed song box and the list of chords changed. Press Copy song or Download .txt.
Moving a four-chord song
The progression C, G, Am, F moved up 2 half steps becomes D, A, Bm, G, since C to D, G to A, A to B and F to G are each two half steps. Moved down 3 half steps it becomes A, E, F#m, D, and with flats chosen the F#m is written Gbm.
For a capo, take a song in D with the chords D, A, Bm and G. With a capo on fret 2 you can play the shapes C, G, Am and F, which are each two half steps lower, and they sound in D. The chord F#m7b5/C moved up 2 half steps becomes G#m7b5/D, because the bass note moves with the chord.
How chords are found
A line is treated as a chord line when every word on it is a chord symbol, such as C, F#m7, Bbmaj7 or G/B, or a separator such as a bar line or x2. A line with ordinary words is treated as lyrics and left alone, so the letter A at the start of a sentence is not changed. Chords written inside square brackets in a lyric line are changed wherever they appear.
Spacing matters on a chord line because each chord sits above a syllable. The tool keeps each chord in its original column when it can, and adds a single space when a longer chord name would otherwise run into the next one.
Sharps, flats and keys
Each note has two possible names on the black keys, such as C# and Db. In automatic mode the tool follows the key you chose when moving from key to key, using flats for keys such as F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db and Gb, and sharps otherwise. When you move by half steps it uses flats if your chart already contains flats. You can always force sharps or flats.
For other music tools, see the circle of fifths, the BPM tap counter and the sheet music paper printable.
Assumptions and limits
- Chords are read as a letter A to G with an optional sharp or flat, a quality such as m, maj7, sus4 or add9, and an optional bass note after a slash.
- Section labels such as Verse 1 and Chorus are not changed, and neither are lyrics.
- Chord lines written in Nashville numbers, solfege or tablature are not recognized.
- The result is a suggestion. Check it against your ear and your instrument, since some chord spellings are a matter of taste.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change the key of a chord chart?
Paste the chart, choose how many half steps to move or the old and new key, and read the transposed chart below. Every chord, including slash bass notes, is moved by the same amount.
What does a capo do to the chords?
A capo raises the pitch of every string. Placing it on fret 2 means shapes two half steps lower sound at the original pitch, so the tool lowers each chord by the number of frets to give you the shapes to play.
Why does the tool leave some lines unchanged?
Lines with ordinary words are lyrics. Only lines made entirely of chords, and chords inside square brackets, are transposed, so words like A or Am in a sentence are safe.
Should I use sharps or flats?
Use the spelling that matches the new key. Flats go with keys such as F, Bb and Eb, and sharps with keys such as G, D and A. Automatic mode picks this for you when you move between keys.