Capo chart: which fret gives which key?

What a capo does

Each fret on a guitar is one semitone. Put a capo on the 2nd fret and every string rises two semitones; the open low string now sounds F♯ instead of E. Your fingers may still be playing a G shape, but the chord the room hears is A.

The gain is this: you can play in awkward keys without losing the ring of open strings. A song in B♭ sounds choked when it is all barre chords, but put a capo on the 3rd fret and play G shapes and the guitar opens right up.

The fret-to-key chart

This chart answers one question: to play in the key you need, using the shapes you already know, which fret does the capo go on? Find the target key in the row, then read the column for the shape you are fingering.

An example: the song is in B♭ and you want to use G shapes. Find the B♭ row, the G column — capo 3. If you would rather play A shapes, capo 1 does the same job.

To work it out yourself the rule is a single line: the capo fret is the number of semitones between the shape's key and the target key. To play B♭ with G shapes, count G → G♯ (1) → A (2) → B♭ (3). Capo 3.

Capos and transposing are different jobs

Both change the key you hear, but they work at different layers and do not substitute for each other.

The division of labour follows from that: the key belongs to the band — whatever suits the singer is what everyone plays. The capo is personal; it is how you choose to reach that key. The bass player will not use one and the keyboard player has no equivalent, yet all three of you are in the same key. The transposing guide covers moving keys in detail.

In practice this means: write the key on your setlist, not the capo fret. Capo positions differ from guitarist to guitarist; the key does not.

Two guitars, two different capos

The best use of a capo is not finding a key — it is creating texture. When two guitarists play the same key from different capo positions, the voicings differ and the arrangement widens on its own.

• A song in D: the first guitar plays open D shapes, the second capos at 2 and plays C shapes. Same chords, different colours.
• In G: one plays open G, the other capos at 5 with D shapes. The higher guitar adds a bright layer above.
• It works in the studio too. Recording the same part twice from two capo positions gives a far wider sound than one guitar ever will.

Getting the details right

• Place it just behind the fret — close to the fret wire on the headstock side, not on top of it. A capo sitting too far back buzzes.
• Do not overtighten. Too much pressure stretches the strings and pushes the pitch sharp — check tuning once the capo is on.
• Tune after fitting the capo, not before. Do it the other way round and you will hear it go flat mid-song.
• High frets change the feel. Above the 7th fret bends stiffen up and intonation starts to drift.
• Spring capos are fast, screw capos are precise. If you change position between songs, the spring type saves real time.

If two consecutive songs need different capo positions, put some talking or another instrument's intro between them. Fitting a capo and checking tuning takes fifteen seconds, and that silence sounds long from the stage.

Common mistakes

• Writing the capo fret on the setlist instead of the key. The rest of the band cannot use that number; they need the key.
• Thinking the chord names change with the capo. If you are fingering a G shape you will say “G” while the band hears B♭ — say the sounding key out loud.
• Forgetting to retune with the capo on. It is the most common tuning problem on stage.
• Solving everything with a capo. Above the fifth fret the guitar thins out and rhythm parts lose weight; in some keys a barre chord is simply the better answer.