How to transpose chords

The 12 notes you move along

Western music uses 12 notes, each a semitone (half step) apart. After B the list starts again at C. Every black key on a piano has two names: the sharp name and the flat name.

One semitone is one fret on a guitar, or the very next key (white or black) on a piano.

How to transpose chords by hand, step by step

1. Find the distance. Count the semitones from the old key note to the new one. G → A is 2 semitones up. G → E is 3 semitones down.
2. Move each chord's root by that distance. G + 2 = A, C + 2 = D, D + 2 = E.
3. Keep the chord type. Everything after the root stays: Em becomes F♯m, G7 becomes A7, Cmaj7 becomes Dmaj7.
4. Use the new key's sharps or flats. In F major write B♭, not A♯; in D major write F♯, not G♭. A key uses only sharps or only flats.
5. Move slash-chord bass notes too. D/F♯ up 2 semitones is E/G♯: the chord and its bass note both move.

Worked examples

In a chord sheet, the chords stay above the same words. Only the names change:

G           C        G
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound

Up 2 semitones:

A           D        A
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound

Sharps or flats? Spell the chords by the key

The most common mistake is writing the right sound with the wrong name. Moving C – F – G up 5 semitones gives F – B♭ – C. Writing A♯ instead of B♭ is the same sound, but F major has a B♭ in its key signature, so A♯ looks wrong to anyone reading the chart. A simple rule: keys with sharps in their signature (G, D, A, E, B, F♯) use sharp names; keys with flats (F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭) use flat names.

Transposing with Roman numerals

Musicians often think of chords as steps of the key: in G major, G is I, C is IV, D is V and Em is vi. Write the song as I – IV – V – vi once, and you can play it in any key by reading the chords of that key. The transposition chart lists the chords of every key, column by column.

Up or down?

Moving up 2 semitones or down 10 lands in the same key, but the melody sits in a different place for the singer. Pick the direction that keeps the highest note of the song comfortable. Our guide to finding the best key for your voice shows how.

Guitar players: transpose or capo?

If the new key is full of hard chords, keep the easy shapes and use a capo instead. A song in B♭ with a capo on fret 3 uses G, C and D shapes. The capo calculator finds the easiest position for any key.

Mistakes to avoid

• Changing a chord's type (Em must stay minor).
• Moving one chord by a different amount from the others.
• Mixing sharps and flats in one song.
• Forgetting the bass note of slash chords.
• "Transposing" guitar tab numbers by changing chord names only: tab shows frets, so it needs moving fret by fret (or a capo).

Do it in one tap

The chord transposer does all of the above for a whole song: paste it, press + or − (or pick a key), and every chord moves, keeps its type, is spelled for the new key and stays above its word.