Transposition Chart: Every Key Moved by Every Number of Semitones
· 6 min read
A transposition chart lists what every chord root becomes when a song moves up or down by a given number of semitones. You find the row for the chord you have, read across to the column for the shift, and that is the chord you play. The quality stays: Am moves to Bm, G7 to A7, Fmaj7 to Gmaj7. Two charts below cover every shift up to 7 semitones in each direction, which is every transposition anyone asks for in practice, and a third lists the chords that live in each major key.
If the backing track is on your computer, hear CountIn count it in on beat one. Listening is free and needs no account.
How to read the chart
- Count the shift in semitones: "down a whole step" is -2, "up a half step" is +1, "up a minor third" is +3.
- Find the original chord root in the first column.
- Read across to the column for your shift.
- Keep the chord quality (major, minor, 7, sus, dim) and the bass note of any slash chord moves by the same count.
Sharps and flats are both given, since the same note is C sharp in one key and D flat in another. Use whichever spelling matches the new key signature: in the key of Db you write Db, Gb and Ab; in the key of E you write F#, G# and C#.
Transposing up
| Original | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C#/Db | D | D#/Eb | E | F | F#/Gb | G |
| C#/Db | D | D#/Eb | E | F | F#/Gb | G | G#/Ab |
| D | D#/Eb | E | F | F#/Gb | G | G#/Ab | A |
| D#/Eb | E | F | F#/Gb | G | G#/Ab | A | A#/Bb |
| E | F | F#/Gb | G | G#/Ab | A | A#/Bb | B |
| F | F#/Gb | G | G#/Ab | A | A#/Bb | B | C |
| F#/Gb | G | G#/Ab | A | A#/Bb | B | C | C#/Db |
| G | G#/Ab | A | A#/Bb | B | C | C#/Db | D |
| G#/Ab | A | A#/Bb | B | C | C#/Db | D | D#/Eb |
| A | A#/Bb | B | C | C#/Db | D | D#/Eb | E |
| A#/Bb | B | C | C#/Db | D | D#/Eb | E | F |
| B | C | C#/Db | D | D#/Eb | E | F | F#/Gb |
Transposing down
| Original | -1 | -2 | -3 | -4 | -5 | -6 | -7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | B | A#/Bb | A | G#/Ab | G | F#/Gb | F |
| C#/Db | C | B | A#/Bb | A | G#/Ab | G | F#/Gb |
| D | C#/Db | C | B | A#/Bb | A | G#/Ab | G |
| D#/Eb | D | C#/Db | C | B | A#/Bb | A | G#/Ab |
| E | D#/Eb | D | C#/Db | C | B | A#/Bb | A |
| F | E | D#/Eb | D | C#/Db | C | B | A#/Bb |
| F#/Gb | F | E | D#/Eb | D | C#/Db | C | B |
| G | F#/Gb | F | E | D#/Eb | D | C#/Db | C |
| G#/Ab | G | F#/Gb | F | E | D#/Eb | D | C#/Db |
| A | G#/Ab | G | F#/Gb | F | E | D#/Eb | D |
| A#/Bb | A | G#/Ab | G | F#/Gb | F | E | D#/Eb |
| B | A#/Bb | A | G#/Ab | G | F#/Gb | F | E |
Down 5 and up 7 reach the same key name (C to G both ways), as do down 2 and up 10. On a chord chart the direction does not matter. For a singer it does: down 5 is a fourth lower, up 7 is a fifth higher, and only one of those is going to be in their range. For a recording the direction matters twice, because the key changer and every other pitch shifter sound cleaner the smaller the move, so the chart's job is also to find the shorter route.
The chords in every major key
Most songs use the chords built on the notes of their key. If you know the key, this table gives you the six chords you will meet most, plus the diminished seventh degree, and the key signature you will read them in.
| Key | Signature | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | none | C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am | Bdim |
| Db | 5 flats | Db | Ebm | Fm | Gb | Ab | Bbm | Cdim |
| D | 2 sharps | D | Em | F#m | G | A | Bm | C#dim |
| Eb | 3 flats | Eb | Fm | Gm | Ab | Bb | Cm | Ddim |
| E | 4 sharps | E | F#m | G#m | A | B | C#m | D#dim |
| F | 1 flat | F | Gm | Am | Bb | C | Dm | Edim |
| F# | 6 sharps | F# | G#m | A#m | B | C# | D#m | E#dim |
| G | 1 sharp | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em | F#dim |
| Ab | 4 flats | Ab | Bbm | Cm | Db | Eb | Fm | Gdim |
| A | 3 sharps | A | Bm | C#m | D | E | F#m | G#dim |
| Bb | 2 flats | Bb | Cm | Dm | Eb | F | Gm | Adim |
| B | 5 sharps | B | C#m | D#m | E | F# | G#m | A#dim |
The Roman numerals are the Nashville numbers. A song that goes G, D, Em, C is 1, 5, 6m, 4 in G; in the key of Bb the same song is Bb, F, Gm, Eb. Writing the numbers instead of the letters is how session players in Nashville have transposed on sight since Neal Matthews Jr. introduced the system in the late 1950s, and it is the reason a numbered chart never needs a transposition chart at all.
Worked example: a singer wants it lower
The song is in E: E, C#m, A, B. The singer says the chorus is too high and asks for a whole step down. That is -2 semitones. From the transposing-down table, row E, column -2: D. The four chords become D, Bm, G, A. Check against the diatonic table: in D, the I, vi, IV and V chords are D, Bm, G and A. It agrees.
If the song is a backing track rather than a band, the chart tells you the number and nothing else: set the song key changer to -2 and the file moves with the tempo untouched. Change the key of a song to fit your singer covers how far down is still comfortable.
Guitar: the chart you do not need
A guitarist with a capo transposes the shapes rather than the chords. E, C#m, A, B with a capo at the second fret is played as D, Bm, G, A shapes and sounds in E; the same shapes with no capo sound in D, which is the singer's whole step down. The capo chart lists every fret for every set of shapes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I transpose chords to a different key?
Count the semitones between the old key and the new one, then move every chord root by that count in the chart above. Keep each chord's quality and move any slash-chord bass note by the same amount.
What is a whole step down from G?
F. A whole step is two semitones: G to F#/Gb is one, to F is two.
How many semitones from C to A?
Nine going up (a major sixth) or three going down (a minor third). Both land on A; the chart shows which is closer.
Do the chord types change when I transpose?
No. Major stays major, minor stays minor, a seventh stays a seventh. Only the root letter moves.
Can I transpose a recording with this chart?
The chart gives you the number of semitones. To move the recording itself, that number goes into a pitch shifter such as the key changer, which shifts an MP3 or WAV by up to 7 semitones and keeps the tempo.
Why does the chart stop at 7 semitones?
Because beyond 7 the other direction is always shorter. Up 8 is the same key name as down 4, and the smaller move is the one that stays in a singer's range and keeps a shifted recording clean.
Sources
- Chas Williams, The Nashville Number System, 1988.
- Wikipedia: Transposition (music), Key signature, Diatonic function.
If the backing track is on your computer, hear CountIn count it in on beat one. Listening is free and needs no account.
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