Transpose Music Online

To transpose music online, paste your chords or chord sheet into the transposer and press ♭ or ♯ (one semitone per click) or pick the new key. Every chord moves by the same interval, the lyrics stay exactly where they were, and you can copy or print the result. Recordings go to the Key Changer.

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How to use the chord transposer

1. Paste your chords. A chord sheet with the chords on their own line above the lyrics, a chord line such as | C G | Am F |, or chords in brackets inside the lyrics ([C]Amazing [G]grace). Load example shows the format.
2. Press ♭ Down or ♯ Up, one semitone per click, or choose the New key. The tool detects the original key from the chords; if it guesses wrong (for example A minor instead of C major), set it under More options → Original key or check it with how to find the key of a song.
3. Read the result. The summary shows the old and new key, the number of chords changed and the lyric lines left untouched. Changed chords are highlighted, and the chord list under the sheet shows every change (G → A, Em → F♯m).
4. Copy or print. Copy result copies plain text that keeps its spacing in any monospaced editor; Print prints only the transposed sheet.
5. Open More options if you need them: sharps or flats, a capo with easy chord shapes, B♭ / E♭ / F instruments, and the original key.

What the tool reads as a chord: a capital letter A–G, an optional ♯ or ♭ (# and b work too) and a suffix such as m, 7, maj7, m7b5, sus4, add9, dim, aug or 7#9, optionally with a bass note (C/G). A line counts as a chord line when chord symbols outnumber other words at least two to one, so “Am I blue” stays a lyric while “Verse 1: C G Am” is transposed. N.C., bar lines, repeat signs (x2, %) and labels such as “Chorus:” stay in place.

What does transposing music mean?

Transposing moves every note and chord of a piece up or down by the same interval. A song in G major moved up 2 semitones is in A major: G becomes A, C becomes D, D becomes E and Em becomes F♯m. The melody, the harmony and the rhythm keep their shape; only the pitch level changes. A semitone is the smallest step (one piano key or one guitar fret; see what semitones are), and 12 semitones make an octave, so a shift of 12 gives the same chord names again.

Why transpose? Singers move a song so its highest and lowest notes fit their voice; guitarists move it to keys with open chords; horn players need parts written for their instrument; and bands match the key of a backing track. Transposing changes the key, not the mode: a major song stays major (the key change vs pitch change guide explains the difference, and the circle of fifths shows how the keys relate).

How to transpose chords by hand

1. Find the original key (usually the first or last chord) and the target key.
2. Count the semitones from one to the other along the chromatic scale: C, C♯/D♭, D, D♯/E♭, E, F, F♯/G♭, G, G♯/A♭, A, A♯/B♭, B. G to A is up 2; the semitones-to-change-key chart lists every pair.
3. Move each chord root by that number and keep everything after the root: Am7 up 2 is Bm7, not B7.
4. Move the bass note of slash chords too: D/F♯ up 2 is E/G♯.
5. Spell the new chords for the new key: sharps in sharp keys (G, D, A, E, B), flats in flat keys (F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭).

The how to transpose a song guide goes through a full song, including melodies written as notes.

Capo chart: easy chord shapes in any key

A capo raises every string by 1 semitone per fret, so you play familiar open shapes and the guitar sounds higher. Find your capo fret in the left column and the shapes you play at the top: the cell is the key that sounds. Example: capo 2 with G shapes sounds in A major. The tool works the other way round: under More options → Guitar capo it suggests the lowest fret with easy shapes (C, G, D, A, E, Am, Em or Dm) for your new key and shows the sheet in those shapes.

Singers with a guitarist: find the key that suits you first (what key should I sing in), transpose the sheet to it, then use the capo suggestion so the guitarist keeps open chords.

Transposing instruments: B♭, E♭ and F

A transposing instrument sounds a different note from the one written. A B♭ trumpet playing a written C sounds a concert B♭, so its part must be written 2 semitones higher than the concert chords. Under More options → Instrument, choose B♭, E♭ or F and the direction: concert chords → written part turns a piano or guitar chart into chords for the horn player, and written part → concert chords does the reverse.

Tip: alto sax players often think “down 3” (C concert → A written), which is the same chord names as up 9; the octave is up to the player.

Transposing chords or a recording: which tool should you use?

This page changes chord symbols, not sound. Want to change the key of the recording? Use the Key Changer (the first card above): it shifts the audio by semitones and keeps the tempo. The transposer shows the same shift, so the sheet and the recording can match.

Questions about transposing music

Can I transpose an MP3 or a YouTube song here?

No: this tool transposes written chords, not audio. For a recording, open the Key Changer from the link under the result; it opens with the same number of semitones already set. Everything you paste here stays in your browser and is not uploaded.

Does transposing change the lyrics or the rhythm?

No: only the chord symbols change. Lyric lines come out exactly as typed, and each chord keeps its column above the lyrics. When a new chord name is longer (C → C♯), the next chord moves only if there is no space left, by one space.

Should I use sharps or flats?

Use the spelling of the new key: sharps in G, D, A, E, B and F♯ major, flats in F, B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭ major. The automatic setting does this; under More options you can force sharps or flats if your band prefers one.

How many semitones should I transpose for my voice?

Most singers need 1 to 3 semitones. If the chorus strains your voice, go down 2 and test; see song too high for your voice and key for your vocal range. Songs by a singer of the other voice type often need 4 to 7 (male to female key change).

Why was a line not transposed?

The tool changes a line only when it looks like chords. Chord names must start with a capital A–G and outnumber other words two to one. Put chords on their own line above the lyrics or in brackets, like [C], and they will be transposed.

How do I transpose music for alto sax?

Choose E♭ instrument and “concert chords → written part”. Every chord moves up 9 semitones (the same names as down 3): concert C becomes A, concert F becomes D. For trumpet, clarinet or tenor sax choose B♭ (up 2).